Hermit crab shell in polka dots, the crab in plain orangeCream, pink, teal, orange. Paint the shell cream, dot it with a cotton swab in two colors and keep the crab plain.
Crab half buried, only eyes and claw tips above the sandSand, tan, black, orange. Paint two stalked eyes and two claw tips poking from a smooth mound.
Hermit crab in a spiral shell, legs and eyes peeking outCream, tan, orange, black. Paint the shell as a coil first and fan the legs from its opening.
Blue crab from above with claws tipped in bright orangeBlue, olive, white, orange. Paint the shell wide and low and tip both claws with orange.
Crab centered like a compass, legs pointing to every edgeOrange, cream, navy. Place the shell in the exact middle and aim each leg at a different point on the edge.
Crab crossing a chalk hopscotch grid, seen straight downGray, white, red, orange. Tape and paint the squares first, then set the crab across two of them.
Crab drawn in white line only on a deep red groundDeep red, white. Fill the canvas with red, let it dry and draw the whole crab with a liner in white.
Crab from above on wet sand, a dotted trail behind itSand, tan, red, brown. Dot two rows of small leg prints leading from one edge to the crab.
Crab in the corner with its long shadow across the canvasSand, red, gray. Paint the crab small in one corner and pull a gray shadow toward the opposite one.
Crab stamped with half a potato, legs added by brushRed, black, white. Stamp the body in red, let it dry and paint the legs, claws and eyes.
Flat orange crab with one bright white shine on its shellOrange, white, navy. Paint the crab in a single orange and add one curved white highlight.
Nine small crabs in rows of three, each a different colorRed, orange, yellow, teal, purple. Paint nine ovals in a grid and add legs with a liner brush.
Red crab from above on flat aqua, eight legs and two clawsAqua, red, white, black. Paint an oval shell, four bent legs each side and two claws at the front.
Ring of six crabs circling claw to tailTeal, coral, white. Mark a circle lightly and set six crabs around it, all facing the same way.
Round crab shell with both claws raised in a wide VRed, orange, pale yellow. Paint a circle, then two arms going up and out, each ending in a pincer shape.
Shell with a pattern like a face: two spots and a curveOrange, brown, cream. Paint two dark spots and a curved ridge on the shell and add nothing else.
Speckled shell close up, dots thickest near the middleTan, brown, cream, rust. Dot the shell with a cotton swab in three browns, crowding the center.
Underside of a crab, pale belly plates and folded legsCream, pale orange, tan. Paint the narrow flap of the tail folded flat against the belly.
On sand and rocks 15
Crab and a striped beach ball the same sizeSand, red, blue, yellow, white. Paint the ball beside the crab and stripe it in three colors.
Crab at the mouth of its burrow, sand balls all aroundSand, tan, red, brown. Dot the tiny sand balls in curved lines spreading out from the hole.
Crab facing the sea at sunrise, a long shadow behindPeach, pink, sand, black. Paint the crab as a dark shape and stretch its shadow toward the viewer.
Crab half buried, only eyes and claw tips above the sandSand, tan, black, orange. Paint two stalked eyes and two claw tips poking from a smooth mound.
Crab in the foam line as a wave slides backWhite, aqua, sand, coral. Drag streaks of white foam past the crab with a nearly dry brush.
Crab on a pier post just above the waterlineBrown, teal, orange, white. Paint the post as a wide upright band and cling the crab to its side.
Crab on a wet rock with a wave breaking behind itGray, white, teal, red. Dab the foam with a sponge and keep the crab sharp in front of it.
Crab peering out from under an upturned rowboatBlue, sand, red, gray. Tip the hull across the canvas and show the crab in the dark gap under its rim.
Crab scuttling sideways, sand spraying off its feetSand, orange, white, brown. Tilt the body and flick short strokes of pale sand behind the legs.
Crab sheltering beneath a bleached driftwood archBrown, olive, orange, gray. Arch the driftwood over the crab and reflect both in a strip of gray water.
Crab wedged in a rock crevice, claws at the openingGray, charcoal, red, white. Paint the crack as a dark slanted wedge and let the claws catch the light.
Crab with one claw raised, green kelp streaming from itGreen, red, sand, white. Lift one claw and trail the kelp sideways as if in a breeze.
Dozens of red crabs crossing a beach as dots and dashesSand, red, teal. Dab each crab as one red dot with two tiny strokes, thinning toward the water.
Four-towered sandcastle with a crab no bigger than its doorSand, tan, red, pale blue. Paint the castle in two tans and keep the crab no bigger than its door.
Tide pool with one crab, three limpets and a ribbon of kelpTeal, olive, gray, orange. Paint the pool darker in the middle and set the crab on its rim.
Hermit crabs and shells 15
Empty shells on sand, a hermit crab hidden in one of themSand, cream, pink, tan. Paint five shells alike and give one a pair of small eyes at its opening.
Hermit crab asleep, only the spiral shell on the sandCream, tan, sand, gray. Paint the shell and its shadow, and nothing of the crab.
Hermit crab crossing a striped towel toward the sandCream, orange, blue, white, sand. Paint the towel stripes first and set the shell across two of them.
Hermit crab face close up: two eyes on stalks, legs belowOrange, red, black, cream. Fill the canvas with the opening of the shell and the face looking out.
Hermit crab in a spiral shell, legs and eyes peeking outCream, tan, orange, black. Paint the shell as a coil first and fan the legs from its opening.
Hermit crab in a striped top shell climbing driftwoodCream, brown, orange, gray. Stripe the shell around its coil and angle the crab up the branch.
Hermit crab pulling its shell up a sandcastle wallSand, tan, orange, cream. Tilt the shell back as if it were heavy and dig the legs into the wall.
Hermit crab shell in polka dots, the crab in plain orangeCream, pink, teal, orange. Paint the shell cream, dot it with a cotton swab in two colors and keep the crab plain.
Hermit crab tracks looping across a duneSand, tan, brown. Paint a wandering double line of dots that ends at one small shell.
Hermit crab trying a bigger shell, the old one beside itTan, pink, orange, sand. Paint two shells of different sizes and the crab stretched between them.
Hermit crab tucked right inside, one claw across the doorTan, cream, purple. Paint the shell opening dark and block it with a single claw.
Hermit crab under a shell crusted with tiny barnacle dotsTan, orange, cream, gray. Dot the top of the shell with small cream rings using the end of a brush.
Hermit crab whose shell is painted like a tiny houseRed, cream, blue, orange. Add a door, a window and a chimney to the shell and keep the crab plain.
Hermit crabs in a row, shells stepping from big to smallSand, cream, orange, brown. Size the shells in steps down the line and face every crab the same way.
Spire, coil and cone: a trio of shells with legs underneathPink, cream, brown, orange. Paint one tall spire, one round coil and one cone, each with legs below.
Bright and patterned crabs 15
Crab in a party of bubbles, each bubble a different colorAqua, red, pink, yellow, white. Trace coins for the bubbles and add a white curve to each one.
Crab in sunset colors, yellow shell fading to red toesYellow, orange, red, navy. Blend each leg from yellow at the body to red at its tip.
Crab made of swirls, a spiral on the shell and on each clawTeal, gold, navy. Paint one large spiral for the shell and a small one inside each claw.
Crab stenciled in white on rainbow sponge stripesRed, yellow, green, blue, white. Sponge the stripes, let them dry and dab white through a cut-out crab.
Crab with a heart for a shell and a wide curved smilePink, red, white, black. Paint the shell as a heart, point down, and add two eyes on stalks above it.
Crab with a map of three islands painted on its shellTeal, sand, green, orange. Paint the shell teal and add three small sand islands with a green dot on each.
Crab with a shell of colored squares and drawn stitchesRed, teal, yellow, pink, white. Divide the shell into squares and fill each with a different color.
Dotted crab on a ground of wide yellow and teal bandsYellow, teal, red, white. Stripe the ground with a flat brush and dot the shell with a cotton swab.
Fork-printed crab, the tines making spiky legsOrange, red, white. Press a fork dipped in paint outward from the body to print each set of legs.
Handprint crab: two palms side by side, thumbs for clawsRed, black, white, in finger paint. Press two red handprints with the palms touching and add eyes when dry.
Male fiddler crab, one claw as big as its whole bodyYellow, orange, blue, brown. Paint one claw as big as the body and the other tiny.
Neon crab outlines glowing on a black canvasBlack, white, pink, green, yellow. Paint each outline in white first, let it dry and go over it in a neon color.
Purple crab with orange claws on lime greenPurple, orange, lime green. Paint all three colors flat and let no two blend.
Two-tone crab split down the middle, fire side and ice sideRed, orange, blue, teal. Split the crab down the middle and match each warm part with a cool one.
Zigzag-shelled crab with striped legsBlack, white, orange. Paint bold zigzags across the shell and bands around every leg.
How it works
A crab is a decapod, a ten-footed animal: five pairs of legs, the front pair ending in claws, around one armored shell. Seen from above it is nearly symmetrical, so half a crab is already a plan for the whole.
Read the full guide
Start with the shell
Paint the shell as one oval or circle and let it dry before the legs go on. Acrylic is water-resistant once dry, so spots, stripes and a white shine sit cleanly on top. Red crab from above on flat aqua, eight legs and two claws is the pattern for the rest.
A hermit crab is a borrowed shell
Hermit crabs live in empty snail shells that protect a soft abdomen, and they trade shells for a better fit. Hermit crab trying a bigger shell, the old one beside it paints that. The coil of the shell does most of the work.
Questions and answers
What is an easy crab painting for preschoolers?
Handprint crab: two palms side by side, thumbs for claws, in finger paint with an adult helping. Crab stamped with half a potato, legs added by brush is another. Easy first crabs, under More filters, holds 21.
How many legs do you paint on a crab?
Four on each side, plus a claw at each front corner. A true crab walks on four pairs and carries its pincers on a fifth, in front. Bend every leg once, like an elbow, and point the tips outward.
What colors do you need to paint a crab?
Red and orange with white for the shine and black for the eyes. The beach scenes add sand, tan and aqua, and the bright group uses anything: Purple crab with orange claws on lime green takes three.
Why does one crab have a giant claw?
It is a male fiddler crab: one claw is far larger than the other, and he waves it. Male fiddler crab, one claw as big as its whole body paints exactly that.