Quiet Ocean · Plate 32 of 45

Sand dollars color reference

Sand dollars are flat sea urchins that live partly buried in sandy sea floors. The five-petal pattern on top marks the rows of tube feet they use to breathe. Living sand dollars are covered in fine purple-brown spines, and the white shells found on beaches are their bleached skeletons.

Colors to reach for

For beach shells, use cream and white with soft sandy shadows; for living ones, use purple-brown with a slightly fuzzy texture.

• cream
• white
• sand
• purple brown
• light brown

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