As a kid, beach trips wouldn’t be complete without crying over sandcastles getting swept by the waves. But this artist based in Spain will make you cry for your sandcastles for a different reason. On the local beaches of Basque, Andoni Bastarrika adorns the shorelines with sculptures looking so real, you’d think they’re real animals lounging in front of the waves.

The self-taught artist has made hundreds of different pieces, from realistic-looking animals to people, and other sceneries. These sculptures contain so much detail that you’d be ashamed to build a sandcastle next to them.

1. Hittin’ the hay

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRpVjFAsXpq/

Bastarrika’s pony here is literally hitting the hay. While the hay is real, we can’t say the same for the pony. He created a sculpture so anatomically convincing, you can feel it talking to you with its eyes.

2. A grave warning

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRfB4s5sJ1B/

Bastarrika successfully recreates a Javan rhinoceros, the most threatened rhino species in the world. You can clearly see the folds and the texture of its skin as if you’re looking at the real thing. If we are not careful, these sand sculptures might be the last time we’ll ever see them.

3. A portrait of a good boy

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCEw7RdpOP9/

Bastarrika also offers a 3D sand model of your pet just like this one. Even if it’s just a sand sculpture, you can almost feel the dog’s presence. He even made the dog much more realistic with that finely colored coat.

4. Shark attack

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAi6mI0JDnm/

If you want to see these peculiar sharks, you’re in luck. You don’t need to swim deep and among them, because you have a life-sized replica just by the beach. This scene is a bit unlikely, though, as hammerheads are not known to attack humans.

5. Beachside safari

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAi1wEcJjMM/

No, Bastarrika is not in a pit with an elephant. Even if the reaction seems so dynamic, and the skin texture looks realistic, this model is made of the same thing they’re in. Step away from that snout, you might get drenched!

6. Good thing it’s just sand!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAi0dOxJQ_0/

Seeing a mountain lion in the wild can either be one of your greatest stories or a news segment waiting to happen. Good thing Bastarrika’s lion isn’t real. The only real trouble is the sand model isn’t going to last long out in the wild.

7. A call to action

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1pK1wBiayC/

This is just but one of Bastarrika’s turtle sand models. His other work features the same animal beset by plastic garbage. Through human actions, we have tipped the scales of survival against these wonderful species. Hopefully, through his works, children can appreciate other living things, especially those in the oceans.

8. Horsing around

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1pILLJiZVd/

Bastarrika can trick spectators with this amazing rendition of a pinto horse. This horse coat called pinto or pinta, features large white patches on brown. It means “paint” in Spanish.

9. Declining majesty

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1RHMwqC3qM/

Bastarrika names this creation as “Búfalo Americano” but in fact, buffalos and bisons aren’t the same. Bisons are found mostly in North America and have dominated the great plains for hundreds of years. Unfortunately, human actions have pushed a population decline. From millions, there are only 500,000 left in the wild.

10. Release the Kraken

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0613LriclI/

Hold your shovels, this eight-legged friend isn’t beached. We won’t blame you, though. The colors and the sprawling arms made this sand sculpture look more alive than it actually is.

11. Horns and Magic

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0mvwj2IK-u/

Bastarrika poses with one of his most majestic creations. Even if it’s just a sand sculpture, you can see how the bull rests on his tensed muscles. It’s amazing how sand can capture such subtle detail.

12. Who’s is this?

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Bastarrika poses with these two dogs behind a sand model bearing their resemblance. One of them even looks like it’s ready to lunge at the creature, seeing how realistic it looks. He better hold on to those two because they’re going to tear up that dog-shaped sand castle.

13. A big scare

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAkYe9xpIBs/

People on the beach would’ve been terrified at the sight of this life-size crocodile. While these amphibians are known to live in freshwater, the uncanny details of this sculpture can make anyone freeze in place. I don’t know about you, but I’m not gonna check if the “crocodile” is just a “hyper-realistic” sand sculpture.

14. Orangutan

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10215511597415219&set=pb.1597585738.-2207520000..&type=3

Sand has its own limitations, unlike plaster or cement that can support the weight of suspended appendages. This might be the reason why Bastarrika’s Bornean orangutan is “neck-deep” in concrete. The Bornean orangutan is the second-largest ape and the largest tree-dwelling primate. Even sand can’t fairly display this animal’s movements.

15. A mess

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10217733224274502&set=pb.1597585738.-2207520000..&type=3

Bastarrika shows a convincing rendition of a calf. Like his work on the bull, the sand captures the finer details of the animal’s anatomy, including the folds on its skin and its gentle face. Just don’t mind the mound of “dirt” on the backside. Who knows, it might be an accurate sand sculpture of digested grass.

It takes skill to mold the sand but it takes imagination to give it life. Bastarrika has both and he makes these ephemeral art pieces the power to last longer than the crashing waves.

Check out more of his work through his socials.

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Source: Facebook – Andoni Bastarrika Artista, Instagram – @andoni_bastarrika_artista