Rinse your bucket of seashells with water to clean the shells thoroughly. After rinsing the exterior and interior portions of the seashells, place them on a towel in the sun to dry. After a few hours, turn them over to dry on the opposite side. Allow them to dry completely.
Arrange the shells on top of your prepared canvas, while the canvas is laid down flat. Consider the overall composition, or arrangement of the seashells, on the canvas. Observe the colors and shapes of the shells as your arrange them. Use broken shells in formations, such as lines or shapes.
Step back and look at the overall seashell artwork. Make any changes to the arrangement if necessary. Plug in your hot glue gun with a glue stick if you are satisfied with the seashell composition.
Squeeze a few dabs of glue onto a seashell starting from one edge of the canvas. Use a small amount of glue on a flat edge of the back of the seashell. Press it onto the canvas where you planned its arrangement. Adjust its position quickly before it dries completely.
Pick up the seashell next to the glued one. Squeeze glue onto its back and press it onto the canvas. Continue gluing until you have glued all the seashells down onto the prepared canvas.