A Guide to Painting Seashells in Watercolour
Seashells sorted into containers.
I have quite a few sea shells! I recently sorted them all into containers and in doing that I was inspired to paint this painting.
Description:
“Seashell Medley” is a delightful exploration of coastal treasures, capturing the natural beauty of a collection of shells. Louise De Masi’s watercolour technique brings out the soft textures and unique colours of each shell, from the muted purples and greys of the clams to the warm peach and coral tones of the larger shells. This painting evokes the serenity of a beach walk, where shells gather along the shore, inviting the viewer to appreciate their intricate details and organic forms. The composition creates a gentle sense of movement, as if the shells were lightly strewn across sand by the sea breeze.
Colour Scheme and Background:
The painting features a soothing palette of soft purples, muted greys, and warm peach tones, creating a balanced contrast between cool and warm hues. The background is a soft blend of sandy beige, giving the impression of the shells resting on a sunlit shore. The light and airy backdrop enhances the colours and textures of the shells, allowing them to stand out beautifully.
Styling Scheme:
“Seashell Medley” is a lovely addition to coastal or nature-inspired interiors. Perfect for a bathroom, living room, or entryway, this piece brings a touch of seaside charm to any space. The soft, natural colours and peaceful composition make it versatile, ideal for creating a calm and inviting atmosphere in both contemporary and rustic decor.
The print is in portrait orientation and is not framed.
Be sure to frame this gorgeous print behind glass when you receive it.
This art print is printed on demand when you place an order. Packing and shipping will be around 3-4 days.
Composing the seashells into an arrangement that I found pleasing took a little while. At first I placed some of my larger shells onto a piece of white cardboard side by side but that looked a bit stiff and formal.
So then I had an idea. I tipped out all of my violet cay cay shells and moved all of them around until I was happy with the way they were sitting.
Because the cay cay shells are violet in colour, I immediately grabbed two of the larger shells I had that had natural yellow colourings and I placed them on top of the cay cay shells. I thought that would allow me to use a complementary colour scheme on my painting.
I took a few photos of the arrangement with my phone, I moved the shells around some, took more photos until, eventually, I took a photo that I was happy with and was able to use as reference.
I used a limited palette of only four colours, Winsor & Newton’s Burnt Sienna, French Ultramarine, Permanent Rose and Yellow Ochre, and I painted on a piece of Arches cold press watercolour paper 640gsm.
I painted in a loose wash of grey behind the shells on wet paper and then I began to paint in the cay cay shells that were underneath and around the two larger shells. I worked both wet on wet, and wet on dry and I tried not to dwell too long on the detail of each shell. I painted in the detail that I wanted to include and I left out the rest.
Then I worked on the cay cay shells lower down the painting. I lightened the colour on those shells because I wanted the focus to be around the two larger shells. I also knew that the painting was fairly detailed and I wanted an area where the eye could rest. I was worried that it was looking a bit busy.
The larger shells were fairly quick to paint. With the shell on the left, I wanted to paint the yellow area in one layer. The first wash is always the freshest so I did my best to get most of what I needed in one layer.
When I had painted all the shells, I washed over some of the Yellow Ochre onto the background because I felt that the painting needed a bit of warmth here and there.
You can watch my painting technique in the video below.
I rarely get to paint for pleasure these days so this was a painting I completed for myself and the subject is a bit more complex than what I would normally choose for a tutorial. I thoroughly enjoyed painting these shells and I painted a simpler seashell watercolour painting using the same shells for my patrons, it’s pictured below.
I have a tutorial of the simpler painting on Patreon available now.
