sand art.. "_"

 Sand art is the practice of modelling sand into an artistic form, such as a sand sculpture, sandpainting, or sand bottles. A sand castle is a type of sand sculpture resembling a miniature building, often a castle.
The two basic building ingredients, sand and water, are available in abundance on a sandy beach, so most sand play takes place there, or in a sandpit. Tidal beaches generally have sand that limits height and structure because of the shape of the sand grains. Good sand sculpture sand is somewhat dirty, having silt and clay that helps lock the irregular shaped sand grains together.

 If you only want your sand sculpture to last a day then beach sand is great as it is free, clean, and quick to use.  Beach sand is rounded due to tidal wash and wind, and has very little silt and clay.  This makes it more suitable for workshops.  However, if you want a semi-permanent sand sculpture then you must use building sand made from fluvial deposits that has angular grains mixed with silt and clay.  These three factors enable the sand to bond better but cause it to be slower to work with than beach sand, as the water does not drain as quickly.  The best beaches for sand sculpture tend to be those that are near estuaries, as the sand is constantly replenished with new fluvial sand.

 Beach sand sculptures will last for as long as they are damp; it is the water that bonds the sand.  Semi-permanent sand sculptures when outdoors can last for a month but are often kept for three months.  Sculptures kept indoors will last indefinitely.  Details are protected by a screen which is sprayed onto the surface of the sculpture during carving.  In addition, the sculptor engineers the piece so that water drains from it easily.
Prolonged downpours can damage sculptures, but the nature of the medium and the experience of the sculptor allows for repairs.
    Hand stacking is a technique largely used with beach sand sculpting.  You take very, very wet sand and plop it down, patting it gently and then wobbling it into the shape of a pancake with your hands.  Stop any vibrations once the sand is no longer like jelly, as you will break it otherwise.  Repeat the process by stacking one pancake on top of the other until you have achieved the desired height.  The larger your base the higher you can go.  Amazing Walter of the USA pioneered this technique, his work can be seen under 'hand stacking' in the gallery..

Sand Art by Sudarsan Pattnaik:

 Sudarsan Pattnaik: As an impoverished child, Sudarsan Pattnaik would go to his local beach and build sand castles. Little did the youngster from Orrisa, India, realise his hobby would make him famous and wealthy. 

   Orissa born noted sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik is India’s world champion when it comes to making sculptures from sand. Sudarsan utilized the sand available at the local beach to give shape to his artistic skills. 

  He got the Young Indian leader award on Monday by CNN IBN at New delhi. Including Pattnaik eight  young achiver were awarded for their unique initiatives like Chhabi Rajawat, Akhil Gogoi, Aga Ruhullah, Krushnna Patil, Udaya Kumar, Indrani Medhi, Irfan Alam in this ceremony.  Sudarsan receive this award from the chairman of UIDAI, Nandan Nilekani who was the chief guest of the event. 33 year Sudarsan started this unique art form  from the age of 10 and has represented India in  more than 42 countries by participating sand sculpture competitions and won many prizes for our country.