The Truth About Sand Dogs Revealed

How street artists create incredible sculptures of sleeping 'sand dogs' can now be revealed.

The figures, which have recently popped up on pavements all over Britain, were branded a con by some passers-by, leading many to believe they were made beforehand or even with a mould.

But today MailOnline can reveal the truth about how sculptors make their dogs - and there's not a mould in sight.

We watched one sculptor in London's High Street Kensington as he worked for nearly two hours to create the animal.

Robert Marian, from Romania, arrived just after 9am carrying two sandbags and a rucksack.

He set to work by placing a purple rug outside of H&M on the High Street before he laid down two empty one litre water bottles.

He then tipped the two bags of sand over them and got to work.

Using his hand he shaped the body of the dog, its paws and its head before creating the finer details with a trowel and a sharp knife.

Shoppers flocked to watch the artist - who told MailOnline he made £30 to £40 a day from his work - as his masterpiece evolved.

Mr Marian said it took around two hours to create the perfect animal and once finished they can last for around five hours. 

And when MailOnline showed him a picture of the a mould he replied: 'No we sculpt the sand.' 

Dogs like this one in High Street Kensington have been spotted all over Britain but there was growing doubt on how they are made. 

One Mail Online reader from St Annes, Lancashire, said she actually watched one of the artists arrive with a ready-made sculpture and sit outside a shop collecting money all day.

But another reader, from Belfast, said she watched the dogs being created by piling sand over two water bottles - but also saw the sculptor sit by it all day, simply brushing it while collecting money.