Welcome to my ever-expanding collection of sand sculpting tips and tricks.

We think the world would be a better place if more people were having fun in the sand. Seeing a completed work by a polished professional may make you think there is a certain amount of magic involved... how do they make the sand stand like that?

Well here is your invitation to peek behind the wizard's curtain. All we ask in return is that you get out there and move some sand and make sure you have fun while you are at it.

First - a few words about "what makes sand stand." The secret to throwing sand up in the air and convincing it to stay there long enough to be carved into something spectacular is compaction. There are three ways to compact sand: "softpack" is the most intuitive: pack and pat moist sand into a mound that roughly resembles the shape you are envisioning. "Handstacking" will help you reach greater heights in altitude while letting water and gravity do the compacting for you. But if you want to "go big", then you will want to give forms a try. Serious sand sculptors usually use a combination of these three methods.