Sand Painting

A creative, colorful abstract artwork with a yellow circle center, surrounded by various vibrant shapes on a white background.

I did it! I made my first sand painting. After reviewing the book Ice Cream Work by Naoshi, I decided to try out the SUNAE sand painting technique. You can read my whole review at this previous blog post.

The book is very Japanese in style and reminds me of other Japanese cartoons and illustrations. Her artwork is very colorful, fun and cute! I really like her style. You can see the book on Amazon (affiliate link) Ice Cream Work, by Naoshi.

A vibrant sand mandala featuring colorful petals in blue, green, orange, and red surrounding a yellow center.

I used a Sand-O Adhesive Board and an X-Acto knife to make my picture. First, I drew the design with pencil. Then I carefully cut one shape at a time (being sure not to cut all the way through the board.. a couple times the knife went all the way through). Then I peeled off the adhesive layer for one shape, sprinkled sand (some mixed with glitter) onto the sticky area, shook off the excess and returned the leftover sand to the container. I went shape by shape cutting away the protective layer and sprinkling with sand. This was super fun!! Here is a link to some Colorful Rainbow Craft Sand you can purchase.

Close-up of colorful sand art featuring vibrant petals in blue, red, green, and yellow on a white background. Close-up of a colorful sand painting featuring a yellow circle and vibrant abstract shapes, including blue, red, and orange. This therapeutic art piece radiates creativity and calmness.

Here is what a board looks like with only two shapes cut and sanded.

A close-up of a yellow star made of sand on white paper. Another smaller yellow star is nearby.

Since you need to cut away the adhesive with an x-acto knife, I would only attempt this project with older kids. My fifth graders would be ready for this task.

Soon I will show you a technique for creating sand paintings that do not use knives. Stay tuned!