Sandpainting

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The Ancient art of sand painting is a form of religious expression of the Indians of the Greater Southwest and has been done in other forms by many indigenous people around the world who live close to nature. In its original form, Sand Paintings were created to exist only a few hours. But a movement by Native Americans in the latter half of the 20th Century created permanent Sand Painting as an art form. You can find many resources for Sand Painting techniques online and in books. Here we offer some additional techniques for working with sand you have colored yourself using powdered pigments.

Craft sand that has already been washed and specifically chosen for its fine grain can be mixed with one or more colors of pigment to create natural, vibrant colors.

Place sand in a glass jar and add the desired amount of pigment. The amount given is only an approximation. Shake vigorously to coat. The use of a glass jar instead of plastic helps minimize the amount of pigment that sticks to the sides of the container rather than to the sand. Since pigments are not dyes, their fine 50 micron size mixes with the sand to coat it, but does not actually dye it. Therefore this is not a colorfast application. However, coloring sand by hand and choosing single or combinations of pigments gives you an infinite range of colors that cannot be matched by store bought craft sand. Because the pigment can transfer, we do not recommend this recipe for children's sand art.

Tips for sandpainting

• Work with only one sand color at a time. Finish all areas of that color before proceeding to a new color.
• Once a color has been completed, allow it to dry completely before starting a new color.
• It is preferable to do dark colors before light ones.
• Upon completion of all colors, you may notice some powder or sand has invaded other areas of a different color. The use of a can of compressed spray air, such as that used to clean computers (found in Office Supply) will blow this excess off once all areas are completely dry. Compressed air is also useful for dusting and cleaning sand paintings.
• When complete, spray your sand painting with a charcoal spray fixative to finish.

Painting on Rawhide, Bone and Wood : Paint for Buckskin and Leather
Sand Painting : Color Mixing : Our online store for pigments & other ingredients : Intro