Beautiful compositions made of shells. Photo frame made of shells as a gift

It is best to preserve shells as a reminder of carefree days at the beach in the form of interior items, decorations and souvenirs. After all, they are such a beautiful, completely free, natural and durable material. In this material you will find 50 inspiring photos, 8 ideas and the same number of step-by-step master classes on making crafts from shells with your own hands for beginners.

Basic instructions for preparing shells

Cleansing

Before you start making crafts from shells, you need to prepare them well.

• If the shells are “dead” and there are no shellfish remains left in them, then you just need to soak them in a solution of water and any chlorine-containing product (for example, bleach, “Duckling”, etc.) in a 1:1 ratio for 30 minutes. If the shells are very dirty or you want to remove the dark outer layer ( periostracum), then soak them longer. After soaking, brush the shells and rinse in clean water.
• If the shells are “live”, that is, they have the remains of mollusks (even if they died long ago) and have an unpleasant odor, then they need to be thoroughly cleaned. To do this, put the shells in boiling water for 5 minutes, and then remove the remains of the mollusks using tongs, nail scissors, etc. There is a second way: heat the shells in the microwave for 30 seconds, then try to remove the remains with tongs. If unsuccessful, continue heating the shells in the microwave, checking the result every 10 seconds. When all remains have been removed, treat the sinks with a bleach solution according to the first instructions.

After processing, inspect the sinks for chips and, if any, sand them with a sanding block, disc or sandpaper. If desired, you can add shine to them using clear nail polish or furniture polish, as well as using oil or rich cream. True, in this case, before treating the shells with glue, the gluing areas will have to be additionally degreased with alcohol.

Drilling holes

To make some types of crafts from shells (for example, wind chimes, beads, bracelets and other jewelry), you need to drill a hole in them. This task is quite simple, the only difficulty is that the shells can crack or delaminate at the drilling site.

• Therefore, remember the main rule: the thinner the shell, the smaller the hole should be in it and, accordingly, the thread/accessories of the decoration.

There are two ways to make holes in shells - manual and automated.

Method 1. Select a drill bit for a drill, screwdriver or straight grinder with a diameter of 0.8 - 2 mm. Place the shell on a wooden or plastic board and secure it with masking tape. Drill a hole directly through the tape - it will prevent the shell from splitting or delaminating.

Method 2. If you do not have a screwdriver or drill, then you can make a hole in the sink using a nail and a hammer. To do this, first cover the shell with masking tape, put a mark on the inside of the shell, then place a nail and gently tap it with a hammer several times to make the initial hole. Next, widen the hole by moving the same nail back and forth inside it until you reach the desired diameter.

If you don’t have a nail or a hammer at hand, then use an ordinary needle, nail scissors or a knife and “drill” the hole by hand. The result will appear in about 10 minutes.

Idea 1. Inlay frames, frames and frames

You can decorate the frame of a mirror, painting or photo frame with shells. We present examples of such crafts in the following collection (scroll the photo to the right).

Today we suggest you decorate a mirror frame with shells, but using the same principle you can decorate any photo frame or painting frame.

Materials:

• Shells of small, medium and large sizes and, if desired, additional decorations (eg starfish, pearls, figurines of skates, etc.).
• Glue gun and several sticks of glue or clear epoxy glue.
• Newspaper or any unnecessary paper to protect the mirror from glue.
• Masking or regular tape.

Instructions:

Step 1: Protect the mirror with paper and secure it with masking tape. At this stage, the frame can be painted if you are not satisfied with its original appearance.

Step 2. Sort the shells by size to make it easier to create your future composition.

Step 3: First glue the first row of small to medium shells (about the same size) around the mirror.

Step 4: Now start gluing on the largest shells. Beforehand, you can play with the layout options and choose the best one. If you are using epoxy glue, once all the parts are glued, leave the frame to dry overnight.

Idea 2. Making a Valentine panel

From a collection of shells of different shapes and sizes, you can make a panel in the form of a valentine. However, you can cut out any other shape from cardboard/plywood, say, the same seahorse or a letter.

Materials:

• Glue gun or any strong adhesion glue;
• Collection of river and sea shells;
• Cardboard;
• Scissors;
• Leg-split.

Instructions:

Step 1. Cut out the base for the heart-shaped panel from cardboard.

Step 2. Using a knife or awl, make two holes for the twine.

Step 3. Start gluing the shells, trying to leave minimal gaps between them. Leave the loop holes open.

Step 4. Cut the twine to the desired length, thread the two ends of the rope into the holes on the back of the panel and tie with double knots.

In the next video you can see a visual master class on making crafts from shells with your own hands in the form of a Valentine panel.

Below are more ideas for creating a shell panel.

Idea 3. “Painting” a picture on canvas

Here is another idea for creating a wall craft from seashells.

Materials:

• Canvas on stretcher;
• Shells;
• Glue gun or other strong adhesion glue, for example, “Moment”;
• A template or stencil of the desired design, printed on paper;
• Acrylic paint to create a background (optional);
• Brush (optional).

Instructions:

1. If you want to repeat the idea of ​​the painting in this master class, then first create a background for the composition from shells. To do this, use a brush and acrylic paint of the desired color. Wait for the background to dry and proceed to the next step.
2. Secure the template or stencil to the canvas using masking tape, and then trace its outline with a pencil.
3. Start gluing the shells onto the drawing without going beyond its boundaries.

Idea 4. Cooking candles for mini-candlesticks

Shells are almost ready-made miniature candlesticks that are just waiting to be supplemented with paraffin and wick. You can use the resulting candles for a romantic picnic or simply for interior decoration.

Materials:

1. Sea or large river shells;
2. Small round candles in tin molds;
3. Water and a saucepan for a water bath;
4. PVA glue or double-sided tape.

Instructions:

Step 1. Remove the candle itself from the tin container, and then remove the wick from it by pulling the metal base at the bottom of the candle (see photo). Set the wicks aside and return the candles to the molds.

Step 2. Glue each wick with double-sided tape or PVA glue in the center of the shell.

Step 3. Now we need to melt the paraffin until it is completely liquid. You can do this in three ways:

1. Bring the water in the pan to a boil, then reduce the heat until the water stops boiling and lower the ramekins into it.
2. Place the candles on the stove over low heat, and make sure that the paraffin does not burn.
3. Warm up the paraffin using a hairdryer.

Step 4. Once the paraffin has melted, remove the molds from the heat and begin filling the shells. It is best to use some kind of tongs or a pair of Chinese chopsticks for this. Don't forget to protect the table surface with newspaper first.

• If the shells are too unstable and you are afraid that the paraffin will harden unevenly, then it is better to arrange the candles in the cells of the egg packaging or fix, for example, with soft plasticine that does not leave marks.

After about 20 minutes, the paraffin will completely harden and you will be able to enjoy the light of the shell candles.

Idea 5. Making topiary in a marine style

Topiary is a small decoration in the form of a tree in a pot. You can learn the principles of making topiary from shells with your own hands or from the following video lesson.

And in this selection of photos you can get ideas for decorating a topiary made from shells with your own hands in a traditional round shape or in the form of a Christmas tree.

Idea 6. Making a flower candlestick

If you have enough bivalve shells, you can make them into flowers.

Today we propose to make such a craft from mussel shells.

Materials:

• Bivalve shells;
• Any round base of small diameter;
• Glue gun;
• PVA glue (optional);
• Glitter (optional).

Instructions:

Step 1. Prepare the shells - wash them with soap, remove any remaining organic matter and, if desired, bleach them using chlorine-containing products (see instructions at the beginning of the article).

Step 2: Paint the round base of the candle holder a neutral color such as white.

Step 3: While the base is drying, sort your sink set by size.

Step 4: Start gluing 1 row of shells to the sides of the base using hot glue.

Step 5. Once the first row is slightly dry, begin creating the second row, placing each new shell overlapping the previous one so that it is located between the two shells of the first row. As a result, you will have a checkerboard layout of shells in two rows as shown in the photo.

Step 6. Glue the third and all subsequent rows using the same principle, but not on the base, but on the joints of the shells of the previous row (the place is highlighted by an arrow in the photo below).

Step 7. Once you have glued the last row, look around the candle holder and add another row or two where you think it is needed.

Step 8. Hooray, the shell candle holder is ready! If you wish, you can additionally decorate it with sparkles. To do this you need to do the following:

• Treat the shells with PVA glue on the inside or just around the edges.
• Sprinkle glitter generously onto your craft, let the glue dry, and then shake off any excess.

Idea 7. Create wind chimes

Shells are an ideal material for making wind chimes, because the “chime” of such sea bells is very pleasant to the ear.

Materials:

• Twine, fishing line or any thread.
• A twig or wooden stick.
• Scissors.
• Hot glue gun or a tool for drilling small holes (drill with a 2 mm drill bit or just a needle and nail scissors).
• Seashells.

Instructions:

Step 1. If you want the shells to be tied to the threads, then first drill holes in them (see basic instructions at the beginning of the article). If you don’t have a tool, and you are satisfied with the adhesive method of fastening, then immediately proceed to the next stage.

Step 2. Tie twine to the branch as shown in the photo, measure approximately 7 cm in length from it and cut off the excess.

• If you use shells with holes, then the twine must be cut immediately to the desired length with a reserve for knots.

Step 3: Glue the shell to the twine using a drop of hot glue. Then glue another 7cm strand of twine to the other end of the shell. Continue working until you are satisfied with the length of the first row.

• Shells with holes can be tied to a thread in at least two ways: by tying knots around the holes or under them (the knot must be larger than the hole).

Step 4: Continue hanging strands of shells until you reach the desired number. In this case, you can play with the length of the rows to form, say, an arch or a ladder. In this case, the wind chime has alternating short and long threads.

Step 5. When the piece is ready, tie another piece of twine at both ends of the branch.

Following the principles of this master class, but by replacing the branch with a hoop or adding shells with starfish, beads, feathers and other decor, you can create more fancy wind chime designs.

Idea 8. Making a bracelet from a cowrie shell

If you have at least one cowrie shell, you can make a boho-style bracelet for your arm or leg with your own hands. You can buy all the accessories for such a decoration in handicraft stores or large sewing stores.

Materials:

• One cowrie shell;
• 1 m of silk cord;
• Half a skein of floss in a contrasting color;
• Beads (in this master class we use copper beads from an old bracelet);
• A pair of crimp terminals with loops (designed for cords and making bracelets);
• Clasp for jewelry (in the form of a ring or carabiner);
• Ring for fastening (detachable);
• Scissors;
• Pliers.

Instructions:

Step 1. Drill a small hole at the two ends of the cowrie (see basic instructions at the beginning of the article).

Step 2. Cut approximately 15 cm from the skein of silk cord and set this piece aside for a while.

Step 3. Pass the silk cord about halfway through one hole of the shell and tie a knot.

Step 4: Pass the other end of the cord through the middle of the shell and tie a knot in the second hole.

Step 5. Cut several strands of floss, gather them and fold the resulting bundle around the silk cord next to the shell as shown in the photo.

Step 6: Take a short piece of lace, wrap it tightly around the top of the folded floss, tie a knot, and cut off the excess. You will get a brush. Fluff it up and trim it with scissors if necessary.

Step 7: Start stringing beads onto both ends of the bracelet. Once the desired length is reached, bend the ends of the cords in half and tuck the resulting ends into the crimp ends.

Step 8: Use pliers to pinch the ends of the bracelet and then cut off the excess cord.

Step 9. Using pliers, attach a ring to one end and a clasp to the other. Your shell bracelet is ready!

20 average rating: 4,50 out of 5)

They can decorate the interior of almost any room. You can make them not only for yourself, but also as a gift to loved ones. Such things have a special energy and warmth, because the author puts a piece of his soul into the creation of the product.

Shells - material for creativity

Shells collected on the seashore are a wonderful ornamental material. Making panels from shells with your own hands is an exciting hobby, and for some, even a source of income. To create such a product, no special skills are required. The main thing is a sufficient amount of material, imagination and patience.

It is worth remembering that shells are a highly fragile material. It requires special careful handling. In the process of work, especially in the absence of proper experience, some of the shells will inevitably deteriorate and crack. Don't be upset: this is normal.

Seashells, especially if they were collected independently on the seashore, will awaken pleasant memories in you. A carefree holiday, a warm sea, a comfortable beach - a picture made of shells will be associated with all this.

A useful activity for adults and children

Making panels from shells is possible not only for adults, but also for children. Moreover, such an activity will bring a lot of benefits to the child. Creating paintings from natural materials develops creativity, perseverance, imagination, as well as fine motor skills and imagination.

Young children can be encouraged to attach the shells to the base using plasticine rather than glue. It is easier to deal with, and there is an opportunity to change the picture if there is something you don’t like about it.

Before you start working with your child, you need to show him what a panel of shells will look like in a photo, picture or sketch. Let him approve the idea chosen by the adult. In this case, the child will have increased interest in the activity and motivation to complete what he started.

Children need to be taught how to handle materials carefully. Not only can shells crack if squeezed too hard. They can also injure the child with the sharp side.

Deciding on an idea

Using your imagination, you can create a panel of shells with your own hands on almost any theme. After all, with their help you can fill the outline of any image. The main thing is to think about how to play with it, how to complement it, so that you get a complete piece. However, this is just one idea. Sometimes a composition of shells is simply created on the base, in which there is no specific contour, and this makes it look no worse. Hearts, flowers, landscapes, the seabed, fish, aquariums, seahorses, still lifes - a panel of shells can display any theme.

Preparatory work

Before you start creating a panel of seashells, you need to do some preparatory work. If you collected the shells yourself, they need to be washed to remove sand and dried, but if they were purchased as a set, then they are ready for use in creative works. The next stage is sorting by variety and size. It is advisable to use shells of different shapes to make the picture more interesting.

For the panel you will also need a base made of plywood or thick cardboard, glue, and a frame. You can use acrylic paints and stain to paint shells in the desired color, or you can do without them. It is very convenient to use a glue gun to glue parts, especially if you are creating a panel of shells for the first time. With its help, the work will be more accurate. Should I coat the finished painting with acrylic varnish? This is a matter of taste and personal preference. There is an opinion that a product coated with varnish looks more finished.

DIY shell panel: stages of creation

• The first thing is to decide on 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 simply marking with a pencil.

• If you plan to paint shells, you must first do it, let the material dry well, and only then glue it to the base.

• The objects from which the picture will be composed must be placed on the base and the contours filled with them. This part of the work is similar to putting together a jigsaw puzzle. You may have to spend a lot of time to achieve the perfect picture.

• The next stage is gluing the 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.

Those who have not previously had experience creating paintings from shells should not choose some idea that is difficult in terms of execution for their first work. What's difficult doesn't always look more beautiful. The main thing is to create a panel with your soul, and then it will delight you or your loved ones with its beauty and uniqueness.

“In memory of the sea” photo frame made of shells. Master class with photos

Photo frame made of shells as a gift. Master class with step-by-step photos.

Alena Bastrykina, 11 years old, student of the “Handicraft” association at the Lesnovsky Children’s Art House.
Head: teacher of additional education Novichkova Tamara Aleksandrovna MBU DO Lesnovsky House of Children's Creativity.
Description of work. The master class is designed for children of primary and secondary school age, teachers, educators, and parents. The craft is made from different types of sea and river shells.
Purpose. The photo frame will be a good gift for a birthday, you can give it as a gift for a holiday, or use it to display crafts made from natural materials.
Target: making a photo frame from shells with your own hands.
Tasks:
- teach techniques for working with shells;
- show the variety of types of sea and river shells;
- develop individual creative abilities and artistic taste;
- cultivate hard work, accuracy, and the desire to create gifts with your own hands.

A photo frame is a versatile, beautiful, and most importantly a necessary gift. You can make a frame with your own hands from shells brought from the sea. The sea remains in a person’s memory for a long time, even if he only vacationed in the south once and swam in the sea. Returning home, we bring a good mood, pleasant memories of the holiday, sort through pebbles and shells that remind us of the sea. Seashells are a must-have souvenir, an attribute of a seaside holiday. Seashells are amazing creatures of nature. They have many shapes and colors. They can be smooth or rough, twist in a spiral or be flat, fan-shaped. Shells and crafts made from them easily fit into any interior. For our work we took shells brought from the sea, found during a vacation on the banks of the Pronya River, which flows not far from our village.
If you are a shell in the sea,
Found it among the stones.
Dial the number on the stone:
Ocean and five zeros.
And then you will hear right away,
In an underwater language
All underwater stories.
A world of wonders is in your hand!
We offer you to consider the simplest master class on making a photo frame from shells.

For work we will need the following materials and tools:
- shells of different sizes and shapes;
- colored pebbles;
- thick cardboard;
- Titan glue, green nail polish;
- scissors, gold aerosol.

Step-by-step work:
For the base of the frame we took a cardboard from a children's toy with a ready-made round slot. It will serve as a hole for the photo. And larger cardboard. You can take thick cardboard and cut out a frame to your liking.

Paint the cardboard with gold spray. It’s better to do this without children and let the room air out a little. It's better to prepare the frame in advance. You can do without painting.

We lay out heart-shaped shells in a circle around the photo frames.

We make a flower using donax shells. The inside of these shells is lilac in color. They look very gentle. Glue shells from the pearl barley family. These will be the leaves. We paint them with green varnish.

This beautiful flower decorates the photo frame.

Let's take colored pebbles and glue them between the shells. Let's add a little brightness.

We place the finished frame on a larger cardboard and glue it well.

Apply Titan glue along the edge of the frame and glue small nana shells.

The frame is almost ready. Decorate the edges with gold braid, tie a bow and glue a bead. Photos can be inserted if desired. This is what happened.

We hang a photo frame on the wall. We look at it and remember summer, the sea, the southern sun and the waves running onto the shore, bringing with them pebbles and shells. And you run along the hot sand and collect seafood.

Sample photo frame.

Children's works.

Thank you for your attention.

Seashells are a beautiful, unique, natural source of inspiration. Even novice craftsmen will find crafts made from shells to be elegant. Such wonderful products can add zest to any interior. A DIY shell painting can add personality and charm to any room. It can also be used as a gift.

The sinks themselves are very beautiful; to prepare them for use, all you need to do is clean them and remove minor damage. To clean, soak them in bleach for about thirty minutes. After this, remove the dark top layer with a brush.

Minor damage and chips can be repaired with fine sandpaper. To give your sinks a shine, we recommend covering them with a clear varnish.

Creating crafts and panels from shells is very interesting and quite simple. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the material is quite fragile and can be easily damaged or broken if handled carelessly. But what if you need to make a small hole in the sink? To cope with this task, you need to stick a small piece of masking tape in the place where the hole will be, and then the shell will remain unharmed.

Craft ideas

If, after trips to the sea, quite a lot of shells of various colors and sizes have accumulated, you can use them to create unusual compositions.

Framed story

For such a composition, it is better to choose an image of a letter or some small plot. Now you need to draw a sketch on paper and cut it out to get a stencil. Using a stencil, transfer the drawing onto the base of the painting. Next, select the necessary shells to fill the entire volume of the design; for “trying on” it is better to immediately steal them onto the base. After the entire composition is laid out, you can begin gluing the shells to the base.

"Set of Shells"

It is possible to make a simple version of the panel even from a small number of shells. Prepare small square or rectangular pieces from different materials. Not only pieces of paper are perfect, but also fabric, cardboard, and mesh. Glue them to the base and place the shells on top. If the sinks are large, it is better to choose an adhesive with greater strength. On each such piece you can create a small plot with several shells, from shells and stones, ropes, straw. If desired, the top of the composition can be coated with transparent varnish.

Simple option

And this is the easiest way to create a picture. We paint all the shells the same color and glue them to the base in a certain order. Fast, simple and easy. The picture is done!

Elegant option

A picture can be created with just a few large shells, a starfish and additional sea-related elements. The most important thing when creating such a composition is to successfully choose the combination of the frame, the main background, shells and their relative position.

Original panel

For work you will need the following materials:

• small tree branches, it is advisable to choose them of the same thickness;
• rope or forestay;
• a small piece of burlap;
• wrapping paper;
• heat gun;
• needle with a large eye;
• scissors;
• shells of different sizes, small stones, starfish.

To create the frame of the future panel, you need to tie four branches with a rope, so as to get a square, as in the photo.

We cut a piece out of burlap so that its size is a couple of centimeters larger than the frame. To prevent the edges of the burlap from fraying, you need to bend them. Now you can secure the burlap to the frame; the easiest way to do this is with a needle and twine.

Cut out a square from wrapping paper smaller than the size of the fabric and glue it. It is advisable to make its edges uneven and torn. Using a heat gun, we fix the elements of the composition on the prepared base. First, we secure large objects, and fill the resulting empty spaces with smaller ones.

Love for the sea

We suggest creating a heart-shaped picture made of shells - as a gift to a loved one or as a symbol of love for the sea.

To complete this master class, sinks of different sizes and different shapes are suitable. It wouldn’t hurt to add pebbles, beads, beads, small pieces of wood from the sea and anything else that might remind you of the sea. You can use paper, cardboard, burlap, fabric, glass as a base. Additionally, you need to prepare a heat gun and clear varnish. On the selected base we draw a heart and carefully cut it out. We coat the blank with hot glue and fill it with prepared marine parts. After completing the creative part of the work, all parts of the valentine must be coated with two layers of varnish and wait until everything is completely dry.

During my vacation, my crazy hands created this panel of shells. Many shells have been languishing on shelves for a long time and were waiting for the moment when they could “go out into the world” and show their beauty.
I once asked my friends to bring me various beautiful shells, and they brought me so many of them from all over the world that the collection began to exceed a critical mass. It was necessary to urgently come up with something - somehow use some of the shells, or somehow arrange the exhibits differently, freeing up cabinets and shelves (yup, for new ones...). The idea did not come immediately, but when it did, I immediately got down to business. The first result is in front of you.

Seashells love to be photographed. Both individually and in groups. This photo shows a set of shells in a grid and a large branched shell, which were the first to appear on the panel. The teddy bear remained sitting, watching and silently approving. I photographed all the stages of assembling the panel so as not to forget what I did and how. And now I thought that maybe my photos would be useful to someone else, and I decided to publish them, providing explanatory text.
So, we present to your attention a photo report about the process of creating a panel from shells.

The basis of the panel is a piece of hardboard (aka fiberboard), 55x45 cm in size, which I found and I don’t even remember where. First I made the background.
The background for the panel is an important moment, and here you can’t do without an idea. The idea was this: beautiful shells and various “riches” accumulated on the seabed. And a fishing net is thrown into the sea, which has caught all these deposits and is dragging them up. Therefore, the background should indicate, as it were, the depths of the sea, the sandy bottom and fishing nets.
How to depict the depths of the sea is, of course, an interesting question. I didn’t want to draw, and without thinking for a long time, I cut the blue and green fabric into pieces and glued it to the hardboard in several layers with PVA glue. The lower part of the future panel was also smeared with PVA and dry sand was poured onto it. What stuck, stuck, I shook off the remains. The result was a picture in the style of Pablo Picasso, cubism in its purest form.
Read more about sand. First, it was brazenly rubbed in the children's sandbox, then washed, dried and sifted through a sieve. Two fractions were formed - fine sand and coarse sand. First the small one got involved.

I developed the idea further - I finally formed the sandy bottom, planted algae and cast the net. To do this, sand was mixed with PVA glue and poured onto the panel. An amoeba-shaped layer was formed, about 3–5 mm thick. And I sprinkled this layer with coarse dry sand, pressing it into the sand-glue mixture with my palm. Several small shells also went there. The result was a textured coarse-grained bottom. It’s just a bit dark... I wish I could have added lighter stones, but there weren’t any. We'll have to look for another sandbox.
I made the plants from dirty green yarn, dipped it in PVA glue and applied it to the surface with wavy lines. Something that could not be used for several years because of its ugly color turned out to be right on topic here. Next time it will be possible to spin the whole Sargasso Sea from these threads.
A string bag from under a set of shells was used to make a fishing net. It was made from some kind of plant fibers, all in intricate knots, it was a pity to throw it away. I steamed it in hot water until soft, soaked it in PVA glue and put it on the panel. It took two days to dry! Patience was already running out. Here in the photo is a drying “fishing net”, covered in whitish PVA glue. Periodically, the mesh tried to lag behind the panel, and I had to press it down with pebbles and strong words. It helped - it dried tightly, you can’t tear it off.

Well, everything is finally dry. The creation of the painting took almost a month, and all because something always had to dry thoroughly. Well, there's no way to speed things up here. The next stage was to cover everything with colorless matte nitro varnish NTs-2139. Matte varnish has almost no shine, is hardly noticeable, and at the same time creates a fairly strong protective layer. What is it for? – For more convenient care of the future finished product. As you know, all these panels are amazing dust collectors and a monstrous problem for cleaners. There are even such touchy crafts that you just have to blow off the dust, literally, with a hairdryer, and there’s nothing else you can do. But for me it’s a different matter; you can also drag the panel into the shower and spray it with a stream of water. Nothing will happen to the shells anyway, but now the background won’t get wet either.
After the varnish had dried, I began gluing pieces of yellow Baltic amber here and there. In the photo they look like corn kernels. Then I peeled them off, then glued them again, but in different places, and re-glued them again. Reciprocating movements are everything to us...

To avoid many annoying alterations, I tried several options for placing objects on the panel, and photographed each option. Then I chose the one I liked best. The final version is noticeably different from the samples; I felt for the direction in which I would further compose the composition.
Two basic rules for composing panels that I followed: 1) I’ll put this here, and this one there; 2) if I put it here and I like it, then so be it. There are also rules of composition in fine arts, such as the “golden ratio”, etc., but this is already for 80 LEVEL...
Here are some of my photo tests.

I made the remains of two branched murexes the center of my composition. This stunning mollusk lives in a vast region of the Indian and Pacific oceans. The first shells were brought to Europe back in the 17th century and since then have invariably attracted admiration from lovers and collectors. The shell is equipped with three rows of branching outgrowths. Black and white or white samples are more common. Branched murex is included in the “standard” set of souvenir shops of any seaside resort. A few years ago I made this photographic still life with murex, a jug and boxes of flax. Now the murexes are posing on the panel.

The question immediately arose of how to attach these sinks. They are large - up to 20 cm in length and heavy - no glue will hold them. And I decided to tie them to the fiberboard with wire using the branches. I chose a suitable branch, wrapped it with wire, the ends of which I brought to the back side of the panel and twisted there. Plus I glued the sink itself with a hot glue gun at several points. Holds strong!

I disguised the wire by covering the attachment point with small shells and pebbles.

And I also disguised the mounting location.

A few words about drilling and other methods of perforating shells. It would seem that everything is simple - I took a drill and drilled a hole in the sink. I thought so too at first. After twenty minutes of working with an electric drill, I examined the resulting hole, a quarter of a millimeter deep, and realized that shells are an extremely thankless material for drilling. Having googled this topic on the Internet, I discovered a second problem - a possible chipping of the edge of the shell. And I needed to drill a lot of these holes. An ambush, in short.
But another method of making holes was discovered - picking with nail scissors or a syringe needle. Chuckling to himself, I tried all the methods on a thin scallop shell, and finally picked it...
It takes the longest time to make a hole with a needle. Drilling gives a more accurate and predictable result; in this case, you need to stick masking tape on the sink and periodically interrupt the drilling so that the sink and the drill cool down, then there will be no cracks. I was patient and finished what I wanted. In general, everything worked out.

I still planted most of the shells with a hot glue gun. This comb with a pearl was also glued on first. The next day it fell off...
Again I had to drill, secure with wire, and disguise the wire with pearls. To one modest pearl, several more were added, and such a “multiple” shell appeared - a pearl oyster. But I still think that one pearl looked more stylish.

This porous thing is the remains of coral, I picked it up on one of the beaches in Thailand. The coral turned out to be much softer than shells, and was drilled and attached in a couple of minutes. I sent him to the corner; he asked himself to go there with his form.

And this is a clay jug in which a genie should sit, thrown into the abyss of water. At first his appearance was not planned, but without the genie, I think it would be a little boring. To prevent him from getting out, I plugged the jug with a stopper. All that remains is to find the genie who would agree to sit in this vessel. I should add more sealing wax later...
Attached with hot glue gun and wire to one of the handles. To keep the jug more secure and prevent it from rolling from side to side, I shoved small shells and pebbles under its sides.

The horned sea star (Protoreaster nodosus) unexpectedly became the superstar of the composition, making it festive and colorful. The star came to me by mail with a set of small shells. Upon arrival, it was a pale, dusty pink color and looked rather plain. But as soon as I coated it with varnish, it suddenly turned into a beauty of rich lingonberry color. And against the background of green and blue rags, it simply shone!
I made fish out of paper glue, painted them and placed them around the stars, but, alas, the fish looked alien, so I replaced them with glass balls (more precisely, hemispheres), called “marbles.” Usually they imitate drops of water, but in mine they represent air bubbles. I glued twenty transparent marbles with a hot gun, but their transparency was not lost at all - and a circle of bubbles began to swirl around the starfish. So that the star would not have to blush alone, a piece of red jasper was placed not far from it.

Another artifact, the appearance of which was also not initially planned, is a real silver fifty-kopeck piece from 1924. We will assume that he was thrown into the sea for good luck. It looks quite organic next to the round mother-of-pearl pyramids.
Glued with a heat gun. Before gluing using this method, it is recommended to warm up the metal products a little, which is what I did by putting the coin in boiling water. While I was carrying it to the panel, the fifty-kopeck piece was still hot, and the glue securely grabbed it to the surface.

It’s not for nothing that Renaissance artists came up with the idea of ​​enclosing their paintings in a carved baguette. The frame is not just a decoration, it is also part of the picture, giving it completeness and style. To be honest, I wanted a frame from the “expensive - boHato” category, but the master framer, after rummaging through his bins for about five minutes, pulled out this frame, applied it to the panel, and the search stopped there. The frame, in my opinion, fit very well, adding something like a vintage touch to the work.

In this photo there is a framed panel hanging on the wall. Together with the frame, its dimensions became 70 x 60 cm. The panel turned out colorful and elegant, just as I wanted. It contains all seven colors of the rainbow: red starfish, orange scallops and brine, yellow amber, green, blue and dark blue scraps of fabric, purple sea urchin shell. Every hunter wants to know where the pheasant sits...

A little to the side

Sobsna, that’s it...