Jehan-Benjamin Tarain, better known as Jben, has been using the beach as his canvas since 2014. But his masterpieces are as fleeting as the tides, which is why he uses drones to immortalize them. “I was the first beach artist ever to use a drone,” Jben tells DroneDJ. “Other artists used to take pictures from cliffs.”
Born on the southwestern coast of France, the beaches of Charente-Maritime are Jben’s home turf. It’s where you will find him this summer too, since travel right now is restricted. But in the pre-COVID era, Jben’s work has taken him to New York, the Netherlands, England, Portugal, and Morocco too.
Immortalizing fleeting beach art with drone videos
The 39-year-old Frenchman typically starts drawing two hours before the low tide is completely down and spends around four to five hours each on detailed designs.
But it wasn’t always so. Before Jben took on beach art as a full-time profession, he was working as a project manager and a web designer. Drones, in a way, helped him to make the switch.
The concept of beach art really appealed to me. I was flying drones before I started exploring the use of sand as a medium and I thought my drone will bring a new perspective to this kind of art. So, I did some tests with rakes on the beach and took their pictures with my drone. The first attempts were promising enough, and it soon became a passion for me.
Jben used to fly a DJI Phantom 4 Pro but has recently switched to Mavic Air 2. “It’s a simpler drone to bring to the beach. It’s compact and very effective in taking the footage I need, so it’s kinda perfect for me,” he says.
Does he use the drone as part of the creative process as well? “No, flying the drone is the last thing I do and I use it only to capture the completed art. Honestly, I don’t have time to fly while I’m drawing in the sand; I’m busy chasing tides! But yes, there have been times when drone footage has helped me to notice an imperfection or two. And I have been able to fix them quickly because I have a drone photo for reference.”
To date, Jben has completed numerous projects for individuals, brands, businesses community centers, educational institutes, and hospitals alike. He also conducts beach art workshops regularly for all kinds of audiences. His advice to budding sand artists is to “practice, practice, and practice.”
Says Jben, “If you discover a passion for beach art, you will need to work hard on your techniques and skill. You will also need to be patient, and not become overly critical of your own work. The magic will come. But it will take some time. I regularly put out videos of my work on Facebook and Instagram. Maybe have a look at them to see if this is your calling?”
And while you’re at it, you can also check out Jben’s website here.
Photos: Jben
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