Painting Seashells (with watercolor)

If you’ve followed this blog for a long time then you know I LOVE seashells. You’ll also know that I love watercolors so I thought it would be fun to combine these two loves – painting seashells with watercolor.

I know for many people the kids have already gone back to school, but here in Scituate our kids will be out on break until next Wednesday; so I’m still in summer mode here.

I thought this would be a great painting project to share – highlighting some beach treasures. You can use any shells you have on hand for this project. You could also use beach rocks, sea glass, pottery shards, or driftwood.

What I love about this project is the organic nature of shells. The layers of color and detail make me so happy and I find them very relaxing to paint. There’s nothing quite like getting lost it the brush strokes while painting in the sunroom.

Here’s what we’re gonna do. Grab some supplies and beach objects and read on for the materials and step by step video.

Why You’ll Love Painting Seashells

• It’s relaxing
• You can work at your level.
• The curved shapes are fun to paint and I find it easier than painting straight lines.

What You Need for Painting Shells in Watercolor

• Watercolor Paper (I like this watercolor paper which is pretty affordable)
• Round Brushes in size 2, 4, 6 and a detail brush is optional
• A container for water (mine is an empty glass yogurt pot from France)
• Pencil
• Eraser
• Pearlized Kuratake (optional)
• Paper Towel
• Scrap Paper
• Watercolor Paints – you can use what you have on hand. The colors I used were very natural colors that coincide with my shells. They include – Payne’s Gray, Lamp Black, Indigo, Cerulean, Burnt Sienna, Alizarin Crimson
• This is the palette I use, in case you need one.

I also enjoy lighting a candle. I’m a huge fan of Minot Candle Company. I usually have a cup of tea or coffee by my side and always play music in the background.

I created a video tutorial and I’m including a step by step card at the bottom of this post. You may want to watch the video through first before attempting your own shells.

Step by Step – Tutorial for Painting Shells

1. Start by drawing or tracing your shells. Make sure to either make the pencil lines really light or lighten up line work with kneaded eraser.
2. Create light washes over your shell shapes.
3. Slowly increase the intensity of the colors over time. Working in layers will give you more control and also help the shell to appear more 3D
4. Use smaller brushes to create fine details.
5. To make a shell look three dimensional concentrate on making the sides darker and adding a shadow to the shell. To create the shadow I use a mixture of a light gray and the color that is found in the shell so the pink shell I added a light alizarin crimson and the mussel shell I added a little indigo. Soften the shadow line with a clean brush.

FAQ – Answering Your Questions

More Watercolor Ideas & Resources

• Watercolor Heart Seascapes
• Must Have Watercolor Supplies
• Mini Seascapes
• Watercolor Fall Leaves

If there are other tutorials you’d like me to do just let me know in the comments.

Online Classes:

I’m a huge fan of Skillshare which offers wonderful classes (on some many subjects, not just watercolor) from the comfort of your own home. Use this link to get a free month of Skillshare from me!

Our Shop and Free Art Printables

Many of you know I run an online shop with my teenage son. We have art prints, note cards and notepads all with a portion of every sale going to World Wildlife Fund. We will be adding new items including our 2023 watercolor calendar soon. Visit our online shop! I also have a bunch of free printables on my site.

Be sure to pin this for later:

Print

How to Paint Watercolor Shells

Painting with watercolors is so relaxing. I thought it would be fun to share how to paint four different types of shells with you. This is great for beginners and intermediate painters.

Active Time30 minutes mins

Keyword: watercolor, painting tutorial, shells, coastal style

Author: Danielle Driscoll

Materials

• 1 sheet watercolor paper I used Canson XL Cold Press Paper
• 1 Pencil
• 1 Eraser Kneaded
• 1 water container
• 1 piece scrap paper
• 4 shells for inspiration
• Paint Brushes I used a round 2, 4, and 6

Watercolor Tube Paints

• 1 tube Payne's Gray
• 1 tube Lamp Black
• 1 tube Cerulean
• 1 tube Indigo
• 1 tube Burnt Sienna
• 1 tube Alizarin Crimson
• 1 paint palette

Instructions

• Step 1 – Free hand draw your shells or trace around their shape. Add details to shell.
• Step 2 – Start with light washes to create the body shape of the shell.
• Step 3 – Slowly add more and more detailed layers going darker each time. Really look at the shells to achieve a similar look to your watercolor versions.
• Step 4 – Add some pearlized watercolor paint (optional) to create a shimmer
• Step 5 – once you're happy with the shells add a shadow under the shell. For this you want mix some gray paint with the color of the actual shell. With a slightly wet brush soften the line.
• Step 6 – Enjoy your paintings!

Video

Notes

Watercolor paints dry 10% lighter so factor that in whilst painting.

If you place watercolor on top of watercolor while still wet the paint will bloom. This can have a wonderful result but you need to be aware of wet on wet or WOW. You will see a little of this in the video but it’s mostly applying layers onto dried paint.

If you already have paints you are happy with you don’t need to buy the ones I used. You can do this same tutorial with the colors you already have.

Let’s Stay In Touch…

Did you make this project? If so, let me know! I can’t wait to see how your shell paintings came out. You can also tag me on Instagram stories too – @findingsilverpennies

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