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Join the adventure into the world of midsummer magic, wildflowers and fantasy cats. Sandcastle.fi blog follows the path to fascinating art, where dreamy elements are playing with the reality - and illustrations are completed with Finnish wildflowers. Artist Sanna of the Sandcastle takes you into a journey to creativity, art and illustrations.

Light into her blue reality

Memories of the moment when the warm spring light entered that blue reality…

This spring themed floral dress was completed with flowers of blue grape hyacinths and carnations. The drawn character was designed to have soft bluish style that was highlighted with warm color layers and yellow highlights. The floral dress was completed with vivid yellow-red carnations that seemed to light up the whole design.

And in her floral dress those carnation flowers were almost like radiating light...

And the flowers of grape hyacint were perfect choice when building soft blue spring mood... Below in the pictures you can see more details also of the blue flower tail of the blooming dress.

And then below in the wip picture is captured the moment when I was bringing light into her blue reality. By adding that small petal of carnation flower into the upper part, it was giving that final touch into the whole floral dress design. In the detail picture below one can also see more clearly how the yellow colored pencil layers were also adding light into the the drawn character.

Especially when drawing the character I used this time several colored pencil layers to create that miniature face where the blue colors melted softly together with the more warm skin tones.

The character was colored to match the colors of her floral dress. And as a result the floral dress became a memory of the moment when the sunrays after winter finally color that blue reality with warm tones.

Sending you light and energy!

Fairy of the fallen tree

Fairy of the fallen tree ?

One might see her wandering there on the fallen tree, on that softest green moss.

Sometimes in the primeval forest one can almost hear echoes of those past moments, when the old trees fell years ago. But now the soft moss is gently embracing those fallen giants. And in November, when all the autumn colors have already faded, the forest is still unbelievably green. Colored by that green moss carpet.

Those ancient forests are just enchanting. And exactly there, one can also find that perfect place for sketching and dreaming…

And in there, if you just squint your eyes... the fairies can come alive.

Fairy of the Autumn Maple

Fairy of the autumn maple...
Please, let those maple leaves keep their colors for a while more ??

Fairy of the autumn maple tree had her dress created with layers of  fallen autumn leaves. And creating this layered dress style was all about the different colored maple leaves...

And that´s why this creation started with a search for maple leaves. And what a colorful adventure it was! Starting from green tones to yellow ones. And on the way I wondered how marvellously the fall light played on those maple leaves.

And on my search I found so many fallen treasures under the maple trees....

And while my adventure continued, my path finally took me under that amazing multicolored maple tree. And that tree seemed to have all the stages of autumn in it.

And the most precious treasures of the adventure were those fallen red leaves. Those deep red leaves formed then also that bottom part of the fairy´s leaf dress, and that darkest red hem. And those same red and orange colors were then repeated in the top part of the character´s drawn costume.

The finished dress became multicolored like that maple tree, having all those autumn colors in it. Also the other colors of the drawn character and the upper part of her costume were adjusted to match the leaf dress. In the finishing drawn layers also the fairy´s eyes became vivid green.

Flaming fall colors are always inspiring. And this time the bright and colorful maple leaves brought also a bit of that autumn magic to this fairy´s dress.

Wishing colorful and creative autumn to you all!

Fairies of the winter forest

The winter fairy was confused… What was it? Something orange in the snowy forest!
Was it only her reflection or really another fairy?
Or maybe even a twin?!


Do you still remember that hiding winter fairy from the blog post several years ago?

.. Well, this year the bluegreen winter fairy found a friend from her favorite hiding place!

When the coldness is whispering in the forest and everything is covered in snow...
Oh, how lucky it was to find another fairy!

Although every now and then the fairies are both freezing, it is still so much cozier to hide together in the magical forest. And so much more fun, when one can share the adventure! 

... And even search some new hiding places in the winter wonderland!


And there´s so many hiding places to be found in that enchanting winter forest…

So, if you are going into the forest, remember to look a bit closer. Because deep in the snowy fairytale forest you just might find the place, where the fairies hide.


Wishing exciting and creative winter moments to you all ❤️

Ode to the Finnish forests

? Ode to the Finnish forests ?

Every season you can walk into the fairytale storybook - and maybe even see some fairies...

I have had so many adventures in the magical Finnish forests. And in those forests I have been inspired every time... Inspired by the incredible nature and animals - and of course about the forest myths and mythology.

And several years ago, mesmerized by the magical midsummer in Finland, the Dryad (below) was created. That forest maiden iIllustration, which was then completed with Finnish wildflowers.

Could those sweetest summer memories bloom forever?

Thank you Finland for the great forests and for the wonderful wildflowers - and for all the inspiration.

Spring is in the air!

Spring is in the air!
Happy May to you all!



And below is a detail from the Spring Fairy drawing (work in progress). The miniature face and features compared to the size of the colored pencils and brush are here seen more clearly.

Blossoming

Detail from an older fantasy portrait called "Blossoming".

Fairy fantasy portrait of a young girl. The face, dress and pose were drawn from a reference photo and rest of the fairy tale rose world was created from imagination. Work in progress picture at the stage where adding more layers and details.

Where do all the fairies hide during the winter?

Snowy forest treasures all the frozen memories.
But under the snow there´s already a silent promise of the spring.

But have you ever wondered where all the fairies hide during the winter…?

Look a bit closer…

Because deep in the snowy fairytale forest
you just might find the place,
where the fairies hide.

Travelling with the fairies in Italy

“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train. ” - Oscar Wilde

Sketchbook tells stories about life and can become almost like a diary... Travelling with the fairies somewhere in Italy.


Close-up from the sketchbook.

Magical Midsummer in Finland

Magical Midsummer Eve to all of you! May the midnight sun bring you light and joy <3 Spending the fairy-tale Midsummer in Finland… and collecting all the summer colors to my sketchbook as a memory.

And below close-ups from the fairy drawing (straight from the sketchbook).

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