Seashell Altered Paintbrush by Steph Ackerman

Seashell Altered Paintbrush

Designed by Steph Ackerman

Hey everyone, Steph Ackerman here today to get you in a summer mode. Can you hear the waves crashing the beach? Are you ready to go hunting for sea shells that have washed up on the shore? Are you going to soak up the sun? Hopefully my project will get you thinking summer.

Supplies:

Makin's Professional® Cutting Mat
Makin's Clay® - White, Brown, Black
Makin's® Push Mold - Sea Shells
Makin's Professional® Ultimate Clay Extruder Deluxe Set
Plaid Milk Paint
Paint Brush
Gauze

Instructions:

I painted a paint brush with Plaid's Milk Paint in Jamestown Blue as it reminded me of the ocean. I love the Makin's® Push Molds - they are so easy to use and are very detailed . You can create an assortment of embellishments for your projects in no time at all. I love the Sea Shells Push Mold so I had to use it again!

I mixed assorted colors of clay together to achieve the colors I wanted. Sea shells come in assorted colors depending on how long they've been in the ocean, so work with several clay colors until you achieve the colors you desire. I mixed black clay with white clay to get gray clay. I also mixed in some brown to get the mottled effect. Using clay in this manner is a great way to use up your left over scraps.

I placed the gray clay in the Ultimate Clay Extruder™ to create a variety of clay lengths that I could wrap around the paint brush. Once extruded, I wrapped assorted lengths around a pick to create spirals. While still damp, clay elements will adhere to clay elements, but I added a little adhesive to be sure the shells adhered well to the paint brush. Once in place, I added additional spiral sprays amongst the shells.

I placed some gauze along the left side of the paint brush to add some visual interest.