Is building an impregnable sandcastle on your family’s summer bucket list? Ted Siebertof the
) can dig you out of the holes in your technique.
Siebert, who wrote “The Art of Sandcastling” and “Sandcastle in a Box,” has built more than 600 professional sand sculptures in 35 countries and 42 states over the past 25 years.
Siebert and his teenage son Gus met us at a local beach recently to construct a 2-foot-tall, one-bucket wonder, drawing a crowd of young onlookers licking ice pops.
Basic tools: Shovels and tapered buckets
Consider graduating from a child’s pail to a larger bucket from a home improvement store. Siebert took it to the next level by cutting the bottom out of a 5-gallon bucket — “definitely not something I would even let a teenager do,” he said. “You will need a strong razor knife and lots of muscle.” Because 5 gallons of sand is too heavy and clumsy for someone to flip over, removing the bottom lets you fill the bucket when it’s already inverted.
Add-ons**:
Concrete-finishing trowel ($15-$40). Marshalltown trowels with super-thin steel are the best, Siebert said.
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Paint palette knife (around $4).
An artist’s loop tool, to create curved ornamentation or faces.
Compass (for carving perfect circles).
Level (for strict structural soundness)
Willysphere, a sand carving tool “invented by a guy in Holland,” Siebert said, to make, well, spheres. (We found videos, and retail sites, online.)
Spray bottle to keep sand moist.
Decorative figurines, such as dragons (and/or damsels and knights)
**Absent all of the above, a popsicle stick, ruler, straw or stick will do.
Steps
1: Judge quality of sand. Ideally, it’s fine-grained with silt, a natural binder. (Riverbed sand is ideal.)
2: Estimate the angle of repose — the steepest angle your sand can stand. Fine-grained sand can be compacted tightly, allowing you to build higher vertically. If it’s full of shells or other debris, lower your expectations.
3: Fill your bucket, or if it’s bottomless, invert it on a level expanse, out of direct sunlight for the most dramatic, final result. “The biggest tactical error is using sand that’s not wet enough,” Siebert said. He and Gus alternately shoveled sand into the 2-foot-tall bottomless bucket and dumped lake water over the top to pack the sand and reduce air pockets. Excess water will run through to the beach beneath.
4: Pound the top and gently lift bucket straight up; do not tilt it or twist it back and forth to cajole it.
5: Scan your structure for cracks; these could portend calamity. Pack more sand against them, lop off the top of the castle or shave the sides at an angle from the top with a trowel or other tool — a narrower top will reduce structural stress.
6: Buttress the foundation by pushing sand up around it at an angle. Use trowel (or ruler) to create a tidy slope around it, which also can be the basis for carving a stairway.
7: Begin windows, doors and, stairs, using various tools. Siebert carved windows by pushing his small palette knife diagonally inward from the sides of his window frame, so that the angles meet midway. He also framed a door that was pushed in on a diagonal. “It’s against code to have a door that opens to the inside,” he joked, “but this is artistic license.” When digging out any opening, don’t fuss over precision until you’ve removed the bulk of the sand. “Then it’s time to make that final cut, which will be the sharp edge.”
8: Scavenge for decorative objects – bottle tops for a crest over the door, sea glass for windows, etc. “Kids love this part,” he said.
9: Secure the perimeter with your fire-breathing dragon.
10: Builder’s remorse? If at any point you cringe over what you’ve created, contrive a “forced collapse” (kick, pummel or whittle structure into oblivion). Start over. “Like any art form,” Siebert said, “sand sculpting requires patience and practice.”
Try your hand
What: Sandcastle contest
When: 2-6 p.m. Aug. 9
Where: Lake Street Beach in Gary, Ind.
Why: Trophies for singles and groups in each category: (professional, amateur, teen, children 6-12)
Cost: $25 per team
Host: Miller Beach Arts & Creative District
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Details: MillerBeachArts.org