Seashell art

Create a family of playful seashell puffins (no googly eyes required).

MATERIALS

a selection of shells tiny-tipped paintbrush craft paint (we used black, orange, yellow, red and white) blu tack or clay tweezers superglue

HOW TO

First up, source some shells from your local variety or craft store (after all, when it comes to the beach, you should take only memories and leave only footprints!). We used two small clam shells for the feet, two larger clam shells for wings, a longer oyster or abalone-style shell for the body, and a spiral shell for the head. Paint the back of the body and wing shells black, and the back of the feet shells orange, then leave them to dry. For best results, use a teeny-tiny paintbrush tip, as shells are small and fiddly. Next, carefully paint the face on the spiral shell using yellow, orange and red for the beak. We added a sideways red triangle on the face and a cute orange cheek. Some black paint for the back of the head and eye will turn it into a proper puffin, and a little white dot will give the eye a cute highlight. Once all your shells are dry, use the blu tack or clay to help position them correctly and hold them in place. Using tweezers is a good idea when creating your puffin shape, as the shells are quite delicate! Superglue the feet shells to the base of the body shell, orange side up, and leave them to dry. Then, glue the wing shells to the back of the body shell. Once the body has dried, glue the head onto the top of the body shell. Repeat this process until you have a circus of puffins – aka the clowns of the sea!