Copyright products from natural materials can decorate the interior of almost any room. They can be made not only for yourself, but also as a gift to loved ones. In such things, there is a special energy, warmth, because the author invests a piece of his soul in creating the product.
Shells - material for creativity
Seashells collected on the seashore are a wonderful ornamental material. Making shell panels with your own hands is a fascinating hobby, and for some it’s even a source of income. To create such a product does not require special skills. The main thing is a sufficient amount of material, imagination and patience.
It is worth remembering that shells are a material of increased fragility. It requires special care. In the process of work, especially in the absence of proper experience, part of the shells will inevitably deteriorate, split. Do not be upset: this is normal.
Seashells, especially if they were collected independently on the sea coast, will evoke pleasant memories from you. A carefree vacation, a warm sea, a comfortable beach - a picture of shells will be associated with all this.
Useful activity for adults and children
The manufacture of panels from shells is not only for adults, but also for children. Moreover, such an activity will bring the child a lot of benefits. Creating paintings from natural materials develops creativity, perseverance, imagination, as well as fine motor skills and imagination.
Young children may be asked to fix shells on the base with plasticine rather than glue. It is easier to deal with, and there is the opportunity to change the picture if something is not pleasant in it.
Before you start working with a child, you need to show him what the panel of shells will look like in a photo, picture or sketch. Let him approve the idea chosen by adults. In this case, the child will have an increased interest in the lesson and motivation to complete what has been started.
Children need to be taught the proper handling of material. Seashells can not only crack with too much compression. They can also injure the child with the sharp side.
Decide on an idea
By connecting imagination, you can create a panel of shells with your own hands on almost any topic. After all, with their help, you can fill the outline of any image. The main thing is to think about how to beat it, how to supplement it to get a whole piece. However, this is just one of the ideas. Sometimes on the basis of simply create a composition of shells, in which there is no specific contour, and from this it looks no worse. Hearts, flowers, landscapes, the seabed, fish, aquariums, seahorses, still lifes - a panel of shells can display any topic.
Preparatory work
Before you begin to create a panel of seashells, you need to carry out preparatory work. If you collected the shells yourself, they need to be washed from the sand and dried, and if they were bought in a set, then they are ready for use in creative work. The next step is sorting by variety and size. It is advisable to use shells of various shapes to make the picture more interesting.
Next, you need to decide what other materials will be involved in creating the picture. Sea shells go well with beads, sand, pebbles, twigs, beads, sea moss, ropes, decorative mesh, burlap.
For the panel you will also need a base of plywood or thick cardboard, glue, a frame. You can use acrylic paints, stain for coloring shells in the desired color, or you can do without them. It is very convenient to use a glue gun for gluing parts, especially if a panel of shells is created for the first time. With it, the work will be more accurate. Should the finished painting be coated with acrylic varnish? This is a matter of taste and personal preference. It is believed that a product coated with varnish looks more finished.
DIY shell panel: stages of creation
- The first is to determine the theme and plot.
- Next, you need to apply a sketch to the base. This can be a freehand drawing, drawing the outline of a scanned image, or just marking with a pencil.
- If it is planned to stain shells, then you must first perform it, allow the material to dry well, and only then stick to the base.
- The objects from which the picture will be composed must be arranged on the basis of, fill out the contours. This part of the work is like folding a mosaic. You may need to spend a lot of time to achieve the perfect picture.
- The next step is gluing shells and other components to the base. For this, PVA glue or plasticine is used.
- When the shell panel is almost ready, you need to frame it and, if desired, varnish it.
For those who had no previous experience in creating paintings from shells, for the first work you should not choose some kind of idea that is difficult from the point of view of execution. Not always what is difficult looks prettier. The main thing is to create panels with the soul, and then it will delight you or your loved ones with its beauty and uniqueness.