What is Sand Art?
When someone says sand art, what does that mean to you?
It could mean anything from beach sculptures
to Buddhist rituals to layering colored sand in bottles.
Not just Sand and Glue – and not just for young children.
Another type of sand art painting uses art sand and a dry adhesive that is covered by a sticker paper. A detailed picture has usually been cut into the sticker ahead of time so that it is easy to paint one section at a time. This craft is geared towards children, so the sand art pictures usually feature animals and other child-friendly imagery. Since this is similar to a paint-by-number technique, it is great for young children learning how to follow a pattern and step-by-step process while delivering a pleasing result.
Creative Adventures sand art painting is different – and better – than these pre-cut paintings, and it’s not just for young children!
For Creative Adventures® sand art is a way of painting beautiful pictures with colored art sand, Creative Adventures® sand art is similar in some ways to activities many children have done in art classrooms and summer camps– but with important differences.
In the classroom, sand art paintings are made by spreading glue onto paper or cardstock and then sprinkling colored art sand on top. These paintings can be quite complex and wonderful and have a textured look and feel after they are dry. The drawback is that the sand can’t be touched until the glue is dry
Creative Adventures sand art painting adds a level of artistry, so that paintings become distinctive and personal– and more exciting– for artists of any age!
With a few easy techniques (and some more advanced), artists of all ages and abilities can create wonderfully expressive pieces of art even while using a precut design.
There are three reasons Creative Adventures®
sand art paintings turn out so beautifully:
The quality of the adhesive board
We call our boards sand art canvases because they offer large blank areas for personal expression. They are sturdy and long-lasting, in contrast to the paper-thin cards found in most sand art craft kits. The adhesive is tacky enough to hold the sand, yet soft enough to allow special effects to be worked into it.
The quality of the sand
Our sand comes in a beautiful color palette with a natural sparkle that brings your sand paintings to life. It is made in North America from feldspar, one of the most abundant minerals in the earth. You can find other domestic sands that have bright colors, but a flat appearance when used for art. Some sands have glitter added, but when used for painting the glitter falls to the surface unevenly. Some sands are imported from other countries and have a texture almost like dust; the colors can also rub off when dry or wash out when wet. Our sand is permanently beautiful.
The designs
Most of our Creative Adventures sand art designs start with just an outline of an object. This outline is a launching point for the artist to make the picture as simple or as complex as he or she desires. We show you how with our original techniques. Some of our designs have many lines and look more complicated, but they are actually the easier ones for younger children to start with because more details have been pre-cut.
A full selection of sand art kits
Frequently Asked Questions about Sand Art
Learn How it Works!
Why don't Creative Adventures sand canvases have more details?
When we first started out painting with sand, the pictures we found had lots of details. You could choose what colors to use and where, but if you chose the same picture more than once, it would look essentially the same every time. We wanted more room for creativity. With Creative Adventures sand art canvases, the same picture can be painted in many different ways depending on how you remove the liner and the special effects you add. Look what can happen when you have the freedom to make your own details.
Isn’t this just paint by number? Where is the creativity?
While we do include precut outlines in our sand art design canvases, the basic design is just the beginning. By learning the advanced techniques we include in every kit, each person can find a way to express their own creativity even if they are using the same basic design. Take a look at these horse sand art cards below… Still think its the same as paint by number?
Besides the variety of options available to create your art with our techniques and assorted colors of sand, we also feel that especially for young children, having a guide is a great tool for teaching. What are seemingly simple outline shapes can evolve and be customized for different ages, and skill levels.
If you want full control over your design canvas we do also sell blank self adhesive sand art design canvases in different sizes. Artists will need to use an Xacto knife or similar tool to cut into the top layer. These boards are also preferred by collage artists and multimedia artists.
Isn’t this a mess?
Because we use a dry adhesive rather than glue, this type of craft is very clean. Any extra sand on your work surface can be easily brushed away. Compared to painting and glueing projects, Creative Adventures Sand Art is “no mess” and easy cleanup.
Won’t the sand get all mixed up?
Our basic sand painting instruction explain how to carefully pour back each color into a cup to prevent mixing, however some mixed sand is bound to happen during the creation process. Even adult sand art experts sometimes get so focused on the design, they forget to clean up each color. If mixed up sand gets created, simply keep the mix in a separate cup for later use. You can also purposely create multi-color sand by stirring colors together in a mix that you like. However, this uses up the sand more quickly.
Our sand art kits include instructions for advanced techniques such as “Marbling” that allow for mixed colors on your final art without mixing up your extra sand. We also believe that part of the process we want to teach during the creation of your artwork is to show respect for your materials by not unnecessarily wasting it. Plus any extra sand can be used for more art!