Painting Two Turtle Shells

If there is one thing that is great about spending time in Namaqualand, it is the plethora of new and strange things I encounter. The other day I was walking through the veld when I came upon a number of turtle shells upon my route. Not all of them were in good condition, but I managed to find two that were near perfect. I brought these home with me and today I share some ideas on painting these as garden ornaments.

I started by giving the two turtle shells a thorough wash and let them dry completely.

I used a flat brush and some craft paint that I found in Corna van Wyk's studio, in Koiingnaas.

I painted the bottom of the shell first as I would have to put the shell down to dry afterwards.

Then I painted the top of the shell and set it aside to dry.

I chose a muted green for the other shell.

It was also painted and set aside to dry.

I opted to reinforce the lines of the shell in gold.

I used a rigger brush to paint the lines with.

Coming along nicely.

For the other shell, I used copper.

Again the rigger brush was used.

Progress.

I then used the same rigger brush to paint dots on the 'skirt' of the shell.

This was repeated on the other shell.

Just for fun, I signed the bottom of the shells, as I intended to leave it in Corna's garden as a reminder of a fun-filled week of friendship.

I used the rigger brush to sign the shells with.

I then opted for a vibrant pink to paint some flowers with.

I used a flat brush turned sideways to dollop some petals onto the shells.

The actions were repeated on the second shell.

I left the paint to dry.

I wanted to add a bit more shimmer to the green shell to prevent it from disappearing in the foliage in the garden. I used a metallic green to 'shade' the segments with all around the flowers.

I added a vibrant yellow for the centers of the flowers.

Then I was done.

The two shells in their spot in the garden.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
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