How to Color Sand

Sand is defined in the dictionary as, 'A loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral'. Sand is found near beaches and also in the desert. The natural colors of sand are white, light brown, dark brown, green, dark to black and even deep yellow. These naturally occurring colors are due to the presence of different mineral contents of the sand. Creative minds love to experiment with colored sand. Children can create mesmerizing crafts using colored sand. There are many craft stores that sell colored sand. But wouldn't it be more fun, if you could make your own colored sand? The following instructions will help you learn how to color sand.

Sand Coloring
It is very easy to color sand. All you need to do is:

• Fill half a bowl with sand. Pour water into the bowl till it covers all the sand particles.
• Add your favorite food color to the bowl in generous amount. Stir with a spoon. Keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.
• Once the sand reaches the desired color tone, pour the excess water out and dry the sand on a dry towel.
• Fill different colored sand in different jars. Keep shaking the jars from time to time or your colored sand may turn to a solid hard mass.
• Your colored sand is thus ready to use, as per your craft.

Uses of Colored Sand
This simple yet multipurpose craft material can be used to make paintings, sand sculptures,vases and various other art forms. Colored sand is used in the beautiful and unique matrimony ceremonies of Hawaii. The Native Americans of the tribe Navajo Indian create the most creative traditional paintings by coloring sand. It is also used to color sand car.

How to Color Sand Car?
The first thing when color sanding a car is applying a clear coat. Color sanding helps smoothen out the clear coat, which gives a mirror-like finish to the buff paint. Color sanding a car is not a very difficult job and requires a lot of patience and time.

Before starting with color sand painting, keep a bucket of water handy with a drop of dish washing soap to lubricate the sanding surface. Use a 600 grit sandpaper to remove the orange peel which is due to the multiple clear coats. Sand in different directions to even out the sanding and it reduces too much sanding in one spot. Dip the sandpaper block in water and keep the surface lightly wet. After sanding, wipe the area clean with a dry towel. Look for high spots, that is, dull areas and low spots, that is dark, unsanded areas. If you observe this, then you will need to sand again with the 600 grit sandpaper until all the spots are gone.

Apply a guide coat very lightly after sanding through the clear coat. Guide coat is a non-metallic based color that will show the scratches left from sanding. Now, using a 2,000 grit sandpaper, wet sand the surface. This helps remove the 600 starches left behind by the 600 grit paper and leaves a finer scratch after color sanding. Once you have properly sanded the surface with the 200 grit sandpaper, clean the surface using soap water. Now, the surface is ready for finish-buffing using a variable speed buffer.

How to Color Sand Paint?
Sand painting is a very easy art. All you need to do is trace a design on a piece of paper or cardboard. Apply clear glue to the various parts of the design. Sprinkle colored sand over the glue till it fills up the background. Allow the sand to dry, then reverse the design on a rough newspaper to remove the excess sand. The sand will stick only to the places where glue is applied. Continue painting the design in the same manner using color sand. You can also apply a coat of water color over the sand to make the painting more bright. Finally apply a coat of varnish. With the last step over, your painting is ready.

So now you have learned to color sand and the different ways to use it. Color sanding is a delightful hobby that will keep you and your kids busy for hours. Go ahead, have fun sand painting a Picasso with your kids.