DIY sand paintings on glass. Sand graphics - a hobby for relaxation and new discoveries

There is no child who doesn't love sand. In any shape or form: in a yard sandbox, on the sea beach, in a strictly prohibited pile next to a dug trench in the yard. In a word, sand and a child are like two opposite-polar magnets; they attract each other and merge into one. This is not to say that mothers are very much against it or that they don’t like sand, just shake out the sand dunes from sandals, pockets, clean out behind and from the ears... And, unfortunately, playing outside with sand is limited to seasonal limits. But there is a wonderful thing that reconciles mothers’ passion for cleanliness and order, children’s love for sand and bad weather: this light table for sand painting.

What is sand painting on glass and everything you need to get started

One of the most accessible activities, and at the same time having unlimited opportunities for creativity and development of a little person, is sand painting on glass. Plastic, movable material that does not dictate its own strict rules (such as watercolors, felt-tip pens, plasticine, colored dough or any other sets for creative self-expression) allows the child to create without worrying about whether there is enough paper, whether the paints have run out, or whether it is dirty. whether it’s a table or a T-shirt, whether the work is damaged. What a beginning artist needs:

1. First of all, yourself sand.

What sand is best for sand paintings? – of course, ideally pure, quartz, “grain of sand to grain of sand” (optimal grain size 0.2-0.3 mm).

2. Special silicone brush.

It is useful for specific “sandy” special effects when creating paintings, and for thorough cleaning of the workplace.

3. . The table is sometimes called a “box for drawing on glass”, or a “tablet”, but no matter what the “sand easel” is called, no matter what size it has (optimal - 50x50cm), the basic structure is the same: matte, impact-resistant plexiglass is securely fixed in the box, equipped with illumination from below and side edges so that the working material does not spill. By the way, a backlit screen can be useful for other purposes: for example, to copy drawings.

4. Colored sand.

Drawing with colored sand will make the process even more exciting and vibrant.

How to draw (sand painting techniques)

A stream of sand pouring out of a small fist onto a luminous screen, the play of light and shadow can create bizarre, magical pictures. To begin with, you should leave the baby alone with his fantasies and such pleasant, simply bewitching sand flowing through his fingers. The main instrument is small fingers and palms. The baby can draw anything and any way he wants, even with ten fingers and two hands at the same time (which is very useful: symmetrical simultaneous movements of the right and left hands contribute to internal centering). As soon as the young artist “masters” the light table for sand painting and becomes familiar with the material, he can be offered options for games and tasks adapted to his interests and age characteristics.

It’s good to play “snake” with the little ones - draw a winding path with the edge of your palm, jump “like a bunny” with two fingers of both hands, run like a “spider” with all your fingers at once.

Then you can make drawing with sand on glass more difficult by giving tasks:

Make side fist prints that look like small foot prints;

Using undulating movements of the palms, placed flat, depict the sea;

Pressing your palm tightly with the edge to the screen, move the sand with your little finger - you get a regular, clear semicircle.

That is, the child must understand that you can draw not only with your index fingers, but with any part of your palm in any position, leaving imprints and drawing lines. The main thing is to stimulate the desire to find your own, non-standard solutions, and sand drawing for children will become their favorite pastime.

Why sand painting is useful for children

The prevailing opinion is that "sand therapy"- this is the latest development, not entirely true, or rather, not true at all. The healing, developmental, psychotherapeutic properties of this natural material are well known and have long been known. Playing with sand as a diagnostic technique was first developed in 1929 by the famous English pediatrician Margaret Lowenfeld. Later, in the middle of the last century, the outstanding psychoanalyst C. Jung studied the influence of playing with sand on the social adaptation, development, and emotional state of children and successfully practiced “sand therapy.” Swiss child psychotherapist Dora Kalff continued the research of Jung and Lowenfeld and created new developments. Later, T. Grabenko and T. Zinkevich-Evstigneeva formed a whole system of sand games.

Sand drawing for children has a lot of positive aspects: it perfectly develops fine motor skills, spatial coordination, tactile perception, which is directly related to the development of logic, speech, and thinking (this is why speech therapists and child psychotherapists so often recommend drawing with sand on glass). The plasticity, fluidity and flowability of sand makes it possible to undergo multiple transformations and instantly transform a picture into a completely different one, which turns the drawing process into something meditative.

Who really needs a light table for sand painting:

For young people who like to play in the sandbox and draw, including on the walls. Once a table for sand painting appears in the house, the wallpaper will become cleaner, and the psycho-emotional well-being of the young artist will significantly improve.

Family members whose professional activities involve long hours of sitting in front of a computer monitor, nervous overload and stress.

For elderly family members: an hour of sand exercises normalizes general condition, lowers blood pressure, and regular sand painting has a beneficial effect on memory.

To all creative individuals who love to create stunning paintings and post photos of their masterpieces on Instagram.

Drawing with sand on glass, or sand animation, is a very young, one might say, young form of art. It appeared in the 70s of the 20th century in the West, and moved to us quite recently. But thanks to its originality and entertainment, it immediately won many hearts. To paint with sand on glass you don’t need much: sand and a special table with lighting. The peculiarity of the technique of drawing with sand on glass is its interactivity - in front of the admiring audience, the pictures “sprout” one from the other, creating a bizarre row. This art requires great skill from the artist, because the creation of a picture takes place in front of the audience and leaves no room for error. At the same time, it is very important not only to be able to draw, but also to feel the sand, so as not to spoil the picture with a careless movement.

Sand painting for children

Like any other games with sand, painting on glass is very attractive to children. The sand is pleasant to the touch and easy to handle. In addition to developing creative abilities and spatial thinking, sand animation also has a positive effect on the child’s health, developing the motor skills of his fingers and relieving tension, relieving the child of stress and raising his spirits. Sand painting has been successfully used to correct behavior in hyperactive and very excitable children, leading them to inner harmony. Even very young children can master sand painting, creating countless drawings on one surface. Children develop a sense of symmetry, because they can draw with sand simultaneously with their left and right hands.

In order to teach a child how to draw with sand on glass, you do not need to conduct a special master class. It is enough to buy a table for sand painting, quartz sand and let your child’s imagination express itself. If it is not possible to purchase the necessary equipment, you can make it yourself, and as a material for drawing you can use ordinary sand from a sandbox, after first rinsing it with water and calcining it in the oven.

Master class on making a sand painting table

Drawing with sand in kindergarten

Sand drawing is very often used in educational activities. in kindergarten. Even children with special needs can easily cope with sand painting, because sand is a natural material for them, which they are not afraid of and enjoy fiddling with. In addition to drawing on glass, kids master the technique of drawing with colored sand. To do this, the outline of the design is drawn on a sheet of paper and the area that needs to be painted is first coated with glue, and then colored sand is sifted onto it. Drawing with colored sand is an activity that requires certain skills and perseverance, but the result is worth it. The resulting paintings are bright and unusual. You can also prepare sand for these purposes yourself by washing and calcining it, and then coloring it with food coloring.

A light table, a translucent matte surface behind which there is a light source, has been known for decades. Surgeons look at pictures on a vertical light surface, animator and comic book artists translate images on a light table, films are edited on an editing light table, photographers view negative and positive photographic films.

The light table was also useful for sand animation - in both cases: when an animated film is being shot, and when the artist draws “live” in front of the viewer.

First of all, I would like to note that all the exercises and drawing techniques discussed below can be carried out on any horizontal, dark, smooth surface (for example, on a regular polished table with light sand, fine salt or semolina - this will also be a powder technique.

Coarse yellow sand.

Fine sand with which I paint.

Fine sand the color of baked milk, very light.

Fine table salt.

Semolina.

A sketch made on a polished table with sand, which I usually use on my light table.

On the light table, the drawing turns out to be more contrasting and has more halftones.

If you still decide to have a light table at home, there are three options: 1) buy a ready-made one (there are many offers on the Internet); 2) build such a table yourself; 3) make it to order.

The technical characteristics of the device are also very varied: from a simple glass placed on books with a lamp placed downwards (it is advisable to build sides along the edge of the glass) to a complex design with programmable LEDs, as in my travel light tables.

You can choose a middle ground and not complicate the task.

Wishes for a light table.

Aspect ratio 16 X 9 - this format is the most popular and is used in television and projection technology. Most TVs today have a picture of exactly these proportions.

The sides on all sides must be at least 3 cm to prevent sand from spilling out. On the right and left (where the sand lies during work) - better than 5-7 cm. The side on the artist’s side is no higher than 3 cm, so that its height does not interfere with drawing details in the foreground.

On the right and left there is space for sand no wider than 15 cm. If the sand is scattered in a thin layer, it is inconvenient to pick up a handful of it, and this is an important point when drawing at speed.

The plane on which the sand lies should be on the same level as the plane on which the drawing process takes place. In many designs that are offered for sale, recess trays are made on the right and left for sand - in this case, some drawing techniques simply cannot be used (this will be discussed below).

For the surface on which you will paint, matte (milky) plastic with a thickness of 4-5 mm is best suited. A thinner one will sag greatly, a thicker one will unnecessarily add weight to the overall weight of the table.

The structure must be stable. When the table wobbles, it is inconvenient to work and the picture on the screen jumps (if the image from the video camera above the table is displayed on the screen).

The backlight color can be any, depending on your taste and tasks.

What you need to know about sand.

The material can be any sand. It must be sifted through a fine sieve, then, if necessary, rinsed. You can wash the sand in a bucket. Pour one portion of sand needed for drawing (about 3-5 kg) into a bucket and fill it with water to the top. Stir the sand intensively with your hand (spoon, spatula). Dust and dirt will dissolve in water. Light particles will float. Carefully drain the water. Repeat the procedure until the water becomes clear. You can dry the sand on a baking sheet in the oven (if you need it urgently), just in the room, on a windowsill in the sun, or on a radiator in a wide container.

Sand from a hardware store is usually highly contaminated and contains impurities. The sand from the beach is much cleaner. It has already been washed with river water. You can take quarry sand, from the desert, etc., or buy special colored sand in the store.

But each sand is unique in its own way and has its own special properties: the size of the sand grains, their color and mass. How sand manifests itself during the drawing process depends on these properties. For different tasks, you can use different types of sand.

The finer the sand, the more halftones can be achieved in the drawing. Dark sand has more contrast. White sand (or fine salt) can be used to paint winter landscapes. Coarse sand - drawings with large details.

It is convenient to store sand reserves in plastic bottles, and the sand that you constantly draw with (and carry with you) in thick fabric bags. If sand always remains at home, there is no need to constantly pour it into bags and containers. It can lie on the working surface of the light table, but in this case it is advisable to protect it from dust - cover it with a lid or cover it with a cloth.

Drawing for speed in front of the viewer and drawing for video recording for editing (or just a long drawing) will be different. When drawing at speed, an abundance of details and halftones is excluded, as well as the use of brushes and other objects (if possible). But all the techniques discussed will help you work in any technique.

A little about the tools.

When drawing for a long time, you can draw only with your hands, or you can use brushes, sticks and other objects that you deem necessary. For small parts, you can use wooden sticks (toothpicks or bamboo skewers) - wood will not scratch the plastic. When painting long-lasting halftone designs, I use a variety of brushes and sticks. Also, when drawing, use any objects that can give texture. We'll talk about this later. When performing in front of an audience, when drawing at speed, I use my nails for small details (for example, when I paint highlights in the eyes). The length of nails should be no more than 2 mm.

To collect sand after painting, a wide brush will be useful - sweep the sand from the corners of the table.
Before you start drawing and pour the sifted sand onto the surface, you need to spray the surface of the light table (plastic) with antistatic and wait a couple of minutes for it to dry. This is necessary so that the sand moves freely over the surface and does not stick to it due to static tension. The procedure must be repeated periodically. The more you paint, the more often you will need to spray the surface. Perhaps once every few days.

Techniques and exercises.

We pour sand from the fist.

Add lines. The lower the hand, the more precise and thinner the line can be. Let's try different options (straight lines, zigzags, spirals, etc.) with different drawing speeds. We get narrow, wide lines, as well as transparent and opaque - this depends on the different thickness of the layer of sand poured on the table. The higher the hand and the faster we fill the line, the more transparent and wider it is.

Depending on the properties of a particular sand, the lines lie differently - darker in the center or along the edge, etc.

Using only this technique you can, for example, draw flowers.

To enrich such lines, you can place accents in the right places using thin lines drawn with the edge of the nail.

The poured lines can be adjusted.

Exercise "Leaf".

Draw in the silhouette of a maple leaf and lines in the direction of the veins. Then we need to refine the edge of the leaf so that it is crisp and beautiful. To do this, use the tip of your finger or the side part of the first phalanx of any finger to draw at the edge of the line so that part of the sand moves towards the pattern.

Using the edge of the nail, we draw thin lines along the pattern of veins. At the tip of the petiole we place a dot with the tip of our finger. It turned out to be a beautiful leaf.

Sometimes you need to draw a thin, clear straight or winding line. To do this, we draw along the line poured from the fist with two fingers folded into a “house”.

In this case, the line is of the same thickness along its entire length. To get a similar line of slightly greater thickness, you need to fold your fingers a little differently. But the principle remains the same: to obtain a line of the same thickness along the entire length, you need your fingers to rest against each other.

Exercise "Text".

Let's try to write text.

If necessary, adjust the edges of the letters.

Exercise “Fried eggs”.

We consolidate the technique - draw a fried egg.

Due to the thickness of the layer, we get lighter and darker areas. At the final stage, we draw highlights - we get volume and shine! The highlight can be painted with a fingernail. Dots and circles. Place dots on the already drawn lines with your finger.

If you not only touch the sand layer with your finger, but also circle it clockwise (or counterclockwise), you get circles.

The part of the sand that remains under the finger can be moved to the edge or formed from it into its own shadow, which gives volume.

Exercise "Sun".

Sprinkle sand from a handful from a height of about 20 cm without moving your hand.

The grains of sand from the center will bounce off, forming a circle.

Sometimes it doesn't turn out perfectly smooth.

In this case, we can correct its edge from the inside with our finger.

The higher your hand is above the table, the larger the diameter of the circle.
We fill in the background. The background can be covered in different ways - it all depends on the task.

1. From left to right from the edge, quickly move the sand along the surface of the table. Then - from right to left. .

This can only be done if on your light table the sand box is level with the plane of the plastic you are painting on. If you have sand in a tray, pour it onto a flat surface at the edge and try this and the next three techniques.

2. We make the same movements, but in a spiral. We draw outer space - add planets and their trajectories with thin lines.

3. Draw mountains. From left to right (and/or vice versa) we move the sand in a quick movement along a zigzag path.

If the amplitude of the zigzag is small, the result is a desert with dunes.

We adjust the edge from above. Sometimes you need not just to adjust the edge, but to remove some of the sand so that it does not accumulate a lot along the contour. To do this, we move the plane of the finger, as if cutting off and pushing away the excess.

4. We fill the space in the sky with the same technique.

5. On the field of the light table from a height of more than 40 cm, scatter sand in a thin layer.

Quickly moving your hand from left to right and right to left. In this case, sand spills between the fingers.

You can achieve different layer densities. This technique is used when you need to sprinkle tone on an already made picture to transition to the next one, for example, to add detail or to create an evenly filled background.

We draw on a filled-in background. There are endless options here; fingertip, nail, flat of the finger, edge of the palm, palm, fist, as well as objects: thin and thick brushes, business card, chopsticks. Let's start trying. We fill the background with quick movements.

We draw lines and stripes in any direction with the plane of the palm, the edge of the palm, the tips of the fingers, the edges of the nails, the pads of the fingers, etc. We try to feel the sand to the touch - how pleasant the material is.

Try doing this with your eyes closed.

Exercise "Octopus".

We fill in the background. We draw the octopus' tentacles and its head.

Using the “circles” technique already known to us, we draw eyes, and put dots on the tentacles - suction cups.

Add bubbles near the head.

Let's draw water.

The first option is to draw wavy parallel lines with four (or even five) fingers.

The second option is to use the edges of your nails to draw horizontal lines from the background to the foreground.

Drawing clouds.

On an open field, sprinkle small areas with sand and draw clouds with your fist - with your right hand we make counterclockwise movements and move to the right, with your left hand - clockwise and move to the left.

We draw small details on a clean background.

This technique is necessary when drawing a face (eyes, nose, lips), as well as small details of various objects. Using two fingers, thumb and index, practically touching the surface of the table, we draw out the desired element. For example, let's draw a seagull.

Lips.

We draw texture with various objects.

Using different objects, you can get different textures. Different brushes produce different line thicknesses and different impressions.

With this brush you can paint, for example, hair.

Among sand artists there are many popular and world-famous personalities. Perhaps your place is among them!

Sand painting has not gone away in the last decade. Schools for children and adults are being opened in cities and towns. Despite the variety of artistic techniques and materials used for this, the method of drawing with sand is unique. Sand graphics are made using bulk material, which is located on glass illuminated from below. Depending on the sand layer, shadows of different tones are visible on the glass surface; the smaller the layer of sand grains, the lighter.

Sand painting

What are the benefits of sand painting?

Drawing pictures with sand calms you down, coordination of movements becomes better, and hand motor skills develop. The easiest way to confidently control your left and right hands is precisely sand drawing, since both hands are used simultaneously when drawing.

This type of art is useful for creative development because it develops imaginative thinking. Drawing to music gives double pleasure - I select it specially, creating a meditative background.

What you need to buy: materials and tools

For classes, a special table for sand animation and sand are used. Drawing sand is different from what you see on the beach. This is quartz sand, all grains of sand are as close as possible to the same size. Although the classic option for sand animation is usually called volcanic.

Sand for graphics

Over time, this material “works out”, the grains of sand break against each other, the sand becomes soft, and it is difficult for them to work. Therefore, it must be changed periodically.

Special materials for sand graphics can only be obtained in centers where this type of art is practiced. In large cities there are always several sand animation studios. Most often, their main activity is sand painting lessons for children.

A table for sand animation is not very expensive, but at home it can be replaced with a homemade one. The design is quite simple - glass, reflective film or a sheet of paper underneath, a lamp with diffused light. But it is necessary to make sides so that the remains do not spill onto the floor.

Sand graphics table

Table with lighting

Sand graphics technique

The technique of sand drawing in different schools has its own characteristics, but the basic techniques of sand graphics remain the same. The traditional one always uses pencils or brushes. But in sand animation, the only tools are the hands. The technique of drawing with sand is quite simple, but at the initial stage you cannot do without patience.

Sand is collected into a fist and the hand is turned so that it slowly falls out, as if pouring from one half of an hourglass to the other. The amount of material is controlled by squeezing and unclenching the palm. Fingers and different parts of the hands carefully leave marks on the sand scattered on the tabletop. You can convey the texture, tone of the depicted objects and objects, the main rule is smoothness. It is important not to leave large, dense piles, as they will be too dark against the background of the illuminated glass.

Sand graphics technique

How to learn to paint with sand from scratch? You should start with very simple exercises - dots and lines. When placing dots, control the number of grains of sand that wakes up. This way the dots will be of different sizes. Exercises with different lines - wavy, dotted, curved, allow you to get used to the technique of drawing with sand. Do not strain your hand or squeeze your fingers too hard. This unusual art is relaxing and relaxing, so excessive stress will become an obstacle to learning the technique.

A very effective technique, which is often used at performances and master classes, is filling up a smooth background. In this case, the action of the hands becomes a kind of strainer, and the sand, freely spilling through the fingers, crumbles in an even layer on the surface of the tabletop. The only condition is that the background cannot be touched or leveled with your fingers, as unaesthetic prints remain. Only on an even layer of grains of sand can you draw. This type of painting with sand looks very impressive!

Table layout for sand graphics

It’s worth mentioning separately about sand animation. This art is somewhat higher than sand graphics, since it is necessary to transform the image quickly and beautifully. The features of sand animation are the transformation of drawings with as few movements as possible. That is why the masters carefully think through and rehearse everything when creating videos and performances of sand animation.

At home, you can try painting with other bulk materials. For example, semolina on a black baking sheet. However, there is a special magic in sand graphics with table lighting that cannot be replaced by the visual similarity of techniques.

We wish you success in mastering a new hobby. Be sure to check out other hobbies on our website.

Drawing with sand on glass is a new direction in art that is rapidly gaining popularity. The whole magic of fascination lies in the fact that the picture appears before the eyes of the public. Light and uncomplicated movements at first glance draw out wonderful images, which can later be transformed into other objects or figures, leading the viewer on a mysterious journey following the artist’s imagination.

The view is presented with a story that always leaves a mark not only on the glass, but also in the hearts of the audience.

Typically these shows last from 5 to 15 minutes.

Popularity of sand shows

Thanks to these characteristics, the sand show has proven itself as a means of cultural recreation. Therefore, when organizing various events, animators are often invited to perform.

These could be corporate parties, weddings, and various other events. The customer can order his own individual story, which makes it especially unique.

Thus, the event organizer has a guarantee that none of those present will be bored watching this part of the program.

How to learn to paint with sand on glass

Due to such demand for sand painting performances, the need for specialists proficient in this art form is increasing.

This can be learned in studios that provide such conditions, or personally from a master. But you must remember that the one who teaches you will not just waste his time.

Firstly, no one is interested in preparing a competitor for themselves. After all, in order to learn from someone personally, you need to have daily meetings with him. This means that you must live in the same area, which means that soon there will be another specialist in your area.

Would you personally teach someone your profession just like that?

Most likely this will be a mutually beneficial cooperation.

Either you will want him to pay for training, or to share the income, working under your supervision, etc.

There is an exit

Now, if you lived far from the teacher, then he would not be afraid of competition, since the customer is not interested in ordering an artist from afar, paying additional travel expenses. Well, unless he is a very unique artist.

And this is where the Internet comes to the rescue!

With the help of the Internet you can get education at a distance. After training, you don't owe anyone anything. Learn how and when you want.

Do you like the idea?

Just think how famous you will become right away? You will be invited to all parties. You will be introduced as musical artists.

At school, all teachers will immediately respect you, since any event will require your presence.

Teacher's Day - You are asked to make a story about teachers.
The last call has its own story.

Every holiday has its own story. You are irreplaceable! Do you have such an artist at your school? Why don't you become this unique talent?

And after school, there is a greater chance of entering a university (like good athletes). When people (teachers) develop a good attitude towards you, your grades begin to rise and your sins are forgiven...

So, do you want to learn?

Do you want to find a teacher who is ready to give you the education you need, without then sharing with him?