Tips for a Novice to Create Sand Sculptures Like a Pro

_Elsa_

‘Summer may be coming to a close as kids are heading back to school; but that doesn’t mean the days at the beach are over. If you find yourself exploring a local beach after the summer season; or live at the beach year-round, here are 4 tips for sand sculptures like the pros make.

Make the most of household items - You likely already own most of the best sand sculpting tools available. They are common household goods that can typically be found in your garage and your kitchen. In the garage look for small paint brushes; gardening spade shovels and something flat and 2×4 in size. In the kitchen, look for spatulas, melon ballers, cake icing spreaders, measuring spoons, straws and wooden shish kabob spears. All of these are great carving tools. We always take our own spade and mini shovel (not plastic) to the beach with us. My husband is not one to just whip a castle together, he takes hours to work on a masterpiece.

Use a bigger bucket - If you want a bigger sculpture, you’ll need a bigger bucket. Those plastic children’s sand buckets offer the right idea; put sand inside a bucket and turn it upside to start your sculpture, however they aren’t nearly big enough to get a good starting block to carve. Instead, take a 5-gallon bucket and cut the bottom out. Filled with sand, the bucket would be too heavy to flip. But with the bottom removed, you can pack it with sand from the bottom up once you place it upside down in the sand.

Tip: You can use an empty paint bucket or buy one at the local hardware store; we use ours to carry sand tools to the beach.

Sand consistency is important - As you pack your sand, be mindful of the consistency. The sand should be wet, but not too soupy and not too dry. Pack in the sand 3 inches at a time, tamping it down with a 2×4 piece of plastic or wood to make sure it is packed in tightly. Keep adding sand 3 inches at a time until you’ve filled your bucket. If your sand consistency is good, you should be able to tap the sides of the bucket with your piece of wood and remove the bucket to have your starting sand block. 

Tell a story - As you decide what to create, remember that creating a collage of several shapes is easier and more interesting than holding yourself to one shape. Instead of a person saying, “It’s a dog,” try to get them to say, “It’s a dog that’s dug a hole where you can see a snake has been because there’s a snake coming out of a hole on the other side of the plot and it’s biting at the dog’s tail.” (Source)

That’s enough reading for now! Tiffi and Kimmy need to set a date and time to get together with their friends. She calls Yeti and asks him to make some phone calls with her. She suggests that they meet at the beach this coming Saturday. 

Let’s continue - It’s beach day!

Start at the beginning - Let’s build a sandcastle!