Hot-air balloon with the hinge as the basketRed, yellow, blue, brown. Hinge down: colour alternate ribs as balloon panels, paint the two ears brown as the basket.
Limpet volcano with lava down three sidesGrey, black, red, orange. The cone is the mountain: dry-brush ash grey, then lava running from the peak.
Lighthouse on a tall spiral shellRed, white, yellow, black. Tip up: red and white bands round the whorls, a yellow lamp at the tip, black door.
Alternate ribs in navy and whiteNavy, white. Every other rib of a cockle or scallop, hinge to rim; the grooves keep each stripe in its lane.
Angel wings from a matched pairWhite, pearl, gold. Two matching halves set hinge to hinge; feather strokes follow the ribs, gold on the ears.
Ball gown with a lace hemRose, white, gold. Hinge up: the fan is the skirt; white lace loops along the wavy rim, a tiny bodice at the hinge.
Dipped rim with a gold hairlineOne colour, gold. Tape a straight line a third of the way from the rim, paint below it, peel; gold line on the join.
Dot mandala that follows the ribsNavy, white, turquoise, gold. Dots run along each rib from hinge to rim, growing as the rib widens. Dotting tool.
Folding fan with blossom sprigsCream, pink, black, gold. Outside: the ribs are the fan's sticks; blossom sprigs across the top third, gold rim.
Frosted sea-glass coloursAqua, mint, white. Flat aqua or mint all over, then a dry brush of white across the ribs so they look frosted.
Heart in the bowlAny base colour, red. Base coat inside, then one heart where the shell is deepest, made from two thumbprints.
Hot-air balloon with the hinge as the basketRed, yellow, blue, brown. Hinge down: colour alternate ribs as balloon panels, paint the two ears brown as the basket.
Marbled ring dish with a gold rimWhite, blush, grey, gold. Inside the deeper half: drag grey veins through wet white, gold rim. For rings, not food.
Memory shell with the beach and the datePaint pen only. Inside: the beach, the date and who was there. No base coat, so it still looks like a find.
Mermaid-tail scales from rim to hingeTeal, turquoise, violet, gold. Outside: rows of U scales starting at the rim, smaller toward the hinge, gold edges.
One letter per shell to spell a nameWhite base, one dark colour. A capital in the middle of each shell, all the same height. Paint pen.
Owl with the hinge ears as ear tuftsTawny, cream, black, yellow. Hinge up: the two ears become ear tufts; big yellow eyes, ribs as breast feathers.
Pastel row, one colour per shellFive pastels. One flat colour on each of five matching shells; line them up light to dark on a shelf.
Peacock fan with an eye on every third ribTeal, green, gold, navy. Outside: a feather eye at the rim end of every third rib, fine barbs back along the rib.
Pilgrim's scallop with the date of a long walkBare shell, red, black. Outside left unpainted; the place and date of your walk in paint pen near the hinge.
Rainbow ribs, one colour per ridgeSix brights. Outside: paint each raised rib a different colour from hinge to rim and leave the grooves bare.
Strawberry with a seed in every grooveRed, green, yellow. Hinge up as the leafy cap in green, red below, one yellow seed dot in each groove.
Sunset inside a scallopYellow, orange, pink, purple. Inside face: sun at the hinge, one colour per band fanning out, the ribs as rays.
Tiny beach scene in the deep halfSky blue, sand, white, turquoise. Inside the deeper half: horizon across the middle, a surf line, one tiny parasol.
Toothbrush splatter in two bluesWhite, navy, turquoise. White base inside, then flick each blue from an old toothbrush. Cover the table first.
White base coat and metallic dotsWhite, gold or silver. Two thin coats of white inside, then dots of any size with the wrong end of a brush.
Oyster 15
Angel with the shell as the robeWhite, gold, skin tone. Narrow end up: a small face and halo at the hinge, the wide end left white as the robe.
Blue and white sprigs in the cupWhite, cobalt, gold. Inside: white base, blue leaf sprigs bending with the curve of the cup, gold rim. Liner brush.
Blue crab with claws up the sidesWhite, blue, orange. Inside: crab centred where the cup is deepest, claws reaching along the two long sides.
Deckchair stripes that narrow to the hingeWhite, navy, gold. Inside: stripes running the long way, pinching together toward the hinge as the shell does.
Father Christmas with the beard at the wide endRed, white, pink, black. Hat at the narrow hinge end, face in the middle, the beard filling the wide ruffled end.
Gold-edged oyster trinket dishWhite, metallic gold. Inside the cupped half: two coats of white, then gold along the wavy rim with a small flat brush.
Hydrangea head in thinned paintBlues, lilac, green, white. Inside: clusters of four-petal dabs in the cup, two leaves toward the hinge, paint thinned.
Map of the beach it came fromCream, blue, black. Inside: the coastline in blue, one dot, then the beach's name and the year in paint pen.
Monogram in the deepest partBlush, white, gold. Inside: blush base, one initial where the cup is deepest, gold rim. Paint pen for the letter.
Night sky with a pearl moonNavy, white, pearl. Inside: navy base, a pearl-white full moon sitting where a pearl would, stars flicked from a brush.
Octopus with arms along the rimCoral, white, navy. Inside: head in the deep end, eight arms curling up and along the rim, white sucker dots.
One flat colour inside, rough outside left aloneOne bold colour. Paint only the smooth inside; the rough, ridged outside is the contrast and costs no work.
Place-name shell for a dinner tableWhite, gold, black. Inside: white base, the guest's name in paint pen along the long axis, gold rim.
Sea-colour marbling dragged along the cupTeal, white, navy, gold. Inside: wet colours dragged hinge to rim with a cocktail stick, gold rim once dry.
Thin pearl wash that keeps the growth linesThinned pearl or gold. One thin coat outside, wiped back with a cloth so the growth lines still show through.
Other shells 16
Butterfly from two mussel halvesDark shell, white, orange. Two halves hinge to hinge as wings; a border and spots in white, orange near the body.
Clam monster with teeth on both rimsOne bright colour, white, black, red. Hinged pair: eyes on the top half, white teeth along both rims, red inside.
Cockle pair painted as one heartRed, pink, white. A closed pair seen end-on is heart-shaped: both halves red, a white highlight top left.
Cowrie left glossy, dotted in goldGold paint pen on the natural shine. Rows of dots over the back, none near the toothed slit. Test one dot first.
Hedgehog with spines along the ribsBrown, cream, black. Cockle, hinge as the nose: cream face at the hinge end, short brown strokes along every rib.
Ladybird on a domed cockleRed, black, white. Outside: black head at the hinge, a line down the middle rib, three spots on each side.
Lighthouse on a tall spiral shellRed, white, yellow, black. Tip up: red and white bands round the whorls, a yellow lamp at the tip, black door.
Limpet toadstool capRed, white. Red all over the cone, white dots with a cotton bud; stand it on a cork or a pebble as the stalk.
Limpet volcano with lava down three sidesGrey, black, red, orange. The cone is the mountain: dry-brush ash grey, then lava running from the peak.
Mussel penguinWhite, orange on a dark mussel. Point up: white belly oval, two dot eyes, orange beak. The shell is already the coat.
Noughts and crosses pieces, five a sideTwo colours. Five small cockles in one colour, five in the other; draw the grid in the sand or on card.
Razor shell as a row of beach hutsWhite, red, blue, yellow. Long shell on its side: five huts in a row, striped doors, tiny pitched roofs on top.
Sand dollar with its five petals picked outWhite test, gold or blue. Trace only the five-petal pattern already there. Paint pen, light touch: tests break.
Smiley faces on a handful of small shellsBlack and white paint pens. Two dot eyes and a curve on each; a spiral shell's opening makes a ready mouth.
Spiral shell with one stripe up the whorlTwo colours. Follow the natural spiral from the opening to the tip with one line; the shell rules it for you.
Turtle on a limpet, scutes round the peakGreens, brown, cream. Ring of six-sided scutes round the cone's peak, a border of small plates at the rim.
How it works
A shell arrives with half the design already drawn: a scallop has ribs fanning out from the hinge, an oyster has a smooth cup and a limpet is a plain cone. These 54 shell painting ideas follow those shapes, and each lists its colours and the face of the shell it uses.
Read the full guide
Let the shell draw half of it
A scallop is a fan of ribs running from a straight hinge to the rim, with two small ears at the hinge. Owl with the hinge ears as ear tufts is built on them. The two halves differ, one deeper and one flatter; Tiny beach scene in the deep half wants the deeper one. A closed pair of cockles is heart-shaped seen end-on, and a limpet cone becomes a volcano, toadstool or turtle.
Oysters: start on the inside
Oyster shells are irregular, so no two dishes match. Use the cupped half: 16 of the 19 oyster shell painting ideas sit on its smooth inside. A sand dollar is not a shell but the test of a flat sea urchin, bleached white by the sun. Its five-petal pattern is already there, and tests are fragile, so trace it lightly with a paint pen.
Skip the base coat for a quick start: Memory shell with the beach and the date is paint pen on bare shell, one of 26 easy seashell painting ideas.
On a ribbed shell, pull a lightly loaded brush from hinge to rim, along the ribs.
The scallop is the emblem of St James and of pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago, which is the idea behind Pilgrim's scallop with the date of a long walk.
Questions and answers
What paint works on seashells?
These designs assume craft acrylic, plus a paint pen for fine lines. We do not test paints or sealers on shell, so for a shell kept in a bathroom or garden, follow the sealer's label, curing time included.
Can I use a painted oyster shell as a dish?
For rings or keys, yes. Gold-edged oyster trinket dish and Marbled ring dish with a gold rim are decoration. We make no food-safe claim for any paint or sealer, so keep painted shells away from food, and check the sealer's label before resting anything wet in one.
Can I paint shells I find on the beach?
Ask what the beach allows, then take only empty shells and only a few. Hermit crabs wear empty spiral shells and need a bigger one as they grow. Oyster shells are often spare at a fishmonger or restaurant, though some places collect them to rebuild oyster reefs.