How to Make Figures With Soap Bars

Soap carving can turn a boring bar of soap into a personalized work of art.

Soap carving is an art that has been practiced for centuries by soap makers and hobbyists alike. Bar soap's firm composition makes it ideal for carving figures or all shapes and sizes, from birds to fish and from people to flowers. Regardless of your experience carving soap or the figure you wish to carve, the basic procedure for carving soap figures is the same and, with a bit of practice, you can be creating works of soap art in no time.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Paper
• Scissors
• Permanent marker
• Paring knife
• Paper napkin

Instructions

1. Remove the soap from its packaging and let it dry for at least one day. This will ensure that soap is firm enough to carve. Cut away any designs that may be present on the bar of soap to give yourself a blank canvas to work with.

2. Sketch a pattern for the figure you wish to carve on a piece of paper. The pattern for a fish carving should only be the shape of the fish, any details such as eyes and scales should be left out. This rule applies to any other figurine patterns as well; only sketch the shape of the figure, leave the details to the carving process. Once you are finished drawing your pattern, cut out the shape with a pair of scissors.

3. Place the pattern on top of your dry bar of soap. Trace around the paper with a permanent marker to copy the pattern onto the surface of the soap bar.

4. Cut away any soap that lies outside of the pattern you traced onto it. Because of soap's tendency to break off in large chunks, cut the soap away in small pieces. After you are done cutting away the excess soap, you should be left with a piece of soap that is shaped like your pattern.

5. Cut away the soap to round out the sharp corners of the bar and give your figure a three dimensional look. The amount of time and detail you put into this step will determine the shape and accuracy of your figurine.

6. Carve any details into the figurine (such as the eyes, gills and scales in the fish figurine example). Constantly turn the figurine in your hands while you are carving to ensure an even amount of detail on the figurine.

7. Let the figurine dry for several days after you are finished carving. Polish the figurine with a paper napkin to give it a finished shine.

References

• YouTube: Soap Carving for Beginners
• Ivory: Soap Carving Instructions and Tips

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish