Cockle Shell

Hand painted with high quality acrylic paints, wax, at the end varnished.

The shell comes from the coasts of Zeeland, The Netherlands.

This hand-painted seashell can serve as a:

ring dish

coastal home décor

beach décor

beach wedding favours

bridesmaid and hostess gifts

baby shower gifts.

More about my process of painting the shells:

1. They were collected on the beaches of Zeeland in the Netherlands. The exception are St Jacob scallops, which I usually buy in a fish shop.
2. Later they were cleaned and ozonated to remove any unwanted odor.
3. Then they were covered with a layer of gesso primer.
4. Once the primer had dried, they were ready to be painted using high quality acrylic paints, often requiring 2-4 coats.
5. The acrylic layers were covered with metallic wax paste.
6. If I add gold leaf (gold flakes) I do it at this stage.
7. Finally, they were varnished to protect the colors for many decades.