Sand casting was such a big hit in our school that even the teachers got into the act! Our principal, Jim Leonard, had never clone a piece of artwork in his life, but there he was in the art room, digging in the sand. Later, the staff enjoyed seeing their sand castings displayed in a special showcase. But, let's get back to the children.
A sand casting is a decorative plaster piece of art that has been cast in a mold made in damp sand. The teacher needs to collect large flat bowls, baking pans or pie tins in which to put the sand. I collected a few bags of ocean beach sand for my classes, and have used it over and over again. You can also get it at sand and gravel companies, as well as home building and garden supply stores.
Ocean beach sand is quite fine, and with it you can achieve excellent detail. But rougher sand types are also usable, giving a different but still wonderful effect. One option for achieving excellent results is to do this project with eight students at a time, all around one table. The rest of the class can work on other things, with a Mom-helper standing by. They will all get their turn!
To begin, the children think of an appropriate subject for their sand cast. Thinking is done on sketch paper and ideas range from animals, birds, butterflies and fish, to abstract shapes, letters, hands, vehicles and aliens. The teacher can stimulate ideas with samples of sand castings that show how imprinting with gadgets enhance the shape, and also how the use of mirrors or beads add rich detail.
I demonstrate to the students the technique of carefully cutting out the mold shape, patting it to smooth out any crumbs of sand, and then how to press in the gadgets to achieve decorative effects. They can hardly wait to get started!
Now the children are ready to pat down their damp sand and draw the outline of the idea lightly on the surface with a pencil. Then, carefully, they use their spoons to dig out the shape about a half-inch deep, putting the sand into the empty bowl. The bottom of the mold should be flat and smooth, and the walls should be firm.
The students then use the collection of gadgets to imprint various design shapes into the sand, pressing firmly but not too deeply. "Gadgets" are little plastic, wood or metal objects that yield a shape for printing. These can be tops from discarded markers and pens for small circles, film cases and jar tops for bigger circles, the list goes on.
Plastic thread spools often have fancy ends, and used-up watercolor pans make ovals or squares. Discarded pieces from games may turn up stars, triangles or octagons. It's amazing what you can find. Cardboard edges are used for lines, as drawing in the sand will create tracks of loose sand. It is these imprints that give each sand casting the unique textured surface that is so beautiful.
Beads or tiles can be pressed into the sand for accents, if desired. Many children like the idea of incorporating mirrors. This is a bit tricky. First the mirror has to be placed in the mold face down without pressing it into the sand. Then the student needs to press a cardboard edge gently all around the edge of the mirror, creating a little ridge. This "frames" the mirror nicely when done. Another trick is to form a little flat mound about a 1/16 of an inch high in the shape of the mirror. By raising the mirror in this way, it comes out recessed a bit in the final product.
To be ready for the plaster, the students need to check their molds to see if all imprints are clean and neat, and the surfaces free of loose sand bits. When ready, nametags are placed at the center top, in the margin. That way, children know where to insert their hooks after the plaster is poured. It's now time for plaster.
When there is time, the children can be shown how to mix and pour their own plaster, but in the usual rush that we art teachers have, I find it simpler to demonstrate the process while doing it. The children watch with bated breath as I fill the cut-down half-gallon milk container half full of water, and then spoon the plaster in--not stirring--until it mounds up on the surface. Then I stir the mixture with the wooden spoon until it is
I pour the liquid quickly into a pint container and then slowly and carefully into each mold. After about two minutes, the plaster begins to set up, and the children can insert their wire loop or hairpin at the center top. I have them bend the loop or hairpin into a "sitting" position, and lower the "legs" into the plaster gently. (Do not clean any plaster mess in the sink!)
Later in the day, right before dismissal, the sand-casting artists come back to the art room to take out their treasures (I arrange this with the teachers). They pry them up using a spoon, and then wash them in a pan of water, rubbing extra sand off with a toothbrush. Ooh's and ah's fill the room, as the beautiful shapes with their complex designs and shiny mirrors emerge.
They place their sand castings on a paper towel with the paper name tag, and reluctantly leave them to dry. When completely dry, I write their names on the back with a black crayon, and save them for the display. The next thing I know, the experienced sand casters are begging me to come down to the art room at recess to make another sand casting! Well, we'll have to see about that....
MATERIALS
* Baking pans or pie tins of damp sand
* Plaster of Paris
* Water
* Plastic bowls to put sand in
* Pencils
* Hairpins or small pieces of wire
* Paper name tags
* Spoons
* Empty pint and gallon milk containers
* Containers of printing gadgets: bottle tops, little pieces of cardboard, plastic spools, old game pieces--anything you can find that will print a little shape!
* Small scrub-brushes or toothbrushes
* Beads and small mirrors, optional
* Wooden spoon
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will ...
* learn how to create a mold in sand. design a pleasing graphic idea for a mold. learn how to create beautiful patterns and designs by imprinting gadgets into the damp sand mold.
* experiment with use of beads and mirrors in the mold.
* gain dexterity in handling varied materials, increasing excellence in craftsmanship.
* observe the process of mixing and pouring plaster.
