The knack’s simply ingrained

How do you build a 60-foot sand dragon? Definitely not with a bucket and a plastic shovel.

In fact, Kent Trollen spent plenty of hours prepping before he and his 20-member crew began constructing the creature that will serve as the centerpiece for this weekend’s Sand Castle Festival at Huntington Beach, a competition for families, clubs and corporations.

First, Trollen built a scale model. Then he sat down at his computer to work out logistical concerns. And finally, he broke out heavy machinery -- Bobcats and earthmovers -- and pushed around what he estimates was 900 tons of sand.

“Sand sculpting is a lot of long, hard hours,” says Trollen, principal owner of Sand Castles Unlimited in Seal Beach. “A lot of people come out one time and say, ‘I’ll never do this again. It’s too much work.’ You really have to love to do it.”

Trollen does. He entered his first contest more than 20 years ago. Since then, he has sculpted for movie companies and advertising agencies, worked on projects for Guinness World Records and taught classes he refers to as “Sand Sculpting 101.”

Not surprisingly, when people find out what he does, they hit him up for advice on how to keep your basic, everyday sand castle from crumbling at the first touch of foamy water. To those inquiries, he offers two tips. One: Use more water. Two: Pack down the sand for a sturdier foundation.

“It’s like you’re stomping grapes,” he says. “You may look like a moron, but it’s a lot of fun.”

Some members of Trollen’s dragon-building team are architects and artists who have worked with him for 17 years; others are rookies who simply want to get an education in what it takes to build a gigantic, granular work of art.

Trollen expects similar diversity in the contest, which will benefit “Save our Beach,” an organization dedicated to improving the quality of Southern California’s coastal waters. But he views even novices as a source of intrigue and inspiration.

“You see all these different-size kids and adults working together,” he says. “It’s amazing what everyone comes up with in such a short period of time.”

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Sand Castle Festival

What: Viewing of sculptures built by contestants and professionals

Where: Huntington Beach, south side of the pier

When: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Price: $5; children under 12, $1

Info: (562) 799-0179