Quiet Ocean · Plate 33 of 45

Scallop and clam color reference

Scallops can swim by clapping their two shells together and have rows of small eyes along the shell edge. Clams burrow into sand with a muscular foot. Both are bivalves, mollusks with a shell in two hinged halves.

Colors to reach for

Give the scallop warm orange, coral and cream ribs, and the clam tan, cream and soft brown growth lines.

• orange
• coral
• cream
• tan
• brown

How to color the scallop and clam, step by step

1. Read the gray shading guide first. It already marks where the scallop and clam is darkest, so the shadows are mapped before you pick up a pencil.
2. Lay a light first layer of orange and coral over the largest areas, with soft pressure and small circles, letting the gray show through.
3. Build depth with cream and tan, going over the gray areas a second and third time until they read as shadow and form.
4. Finish with brown for the smallest details and highlights, then step back and compare with the color reference above.

Questions about this page

What colors do I need to color the scallop and clam?

Start with orange, coral, cream, tan and brown. Give the scallop warm orange, coral and cream ribs, and the clam tan, cream and soft brown growth lines.

Where is the scallop and clam in Quiet Ocean?

It is plate 33 of 45 in Quiet Ocean. Like every Nibfern drawing it is printed on one side of the page, with a light gray shading guide under the lines and a dotted cut line at the spine.

Can I frame the scallop and clam page?

Yes. Cut along the dotted line and trim to the corner marks for a 7 x 9 inch print that fits a standard 8 x 10 frame.

More from Quiet Ocean

• ConchQuiet Ocean, plate 35
• Sea fan coralQuiet Ocean, plate 36
• Staghorn coralQuiet Ocean, plate 37
• Table coralQuiet Ocean, plate 38

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