Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

Day 10: Soap Carving

Soap is quite a multifaceted material.  While it is used primarily for cleanliness, we also us it to lubricate, to decorate, to entertain (bubble soap, duh!)  and even to discipline.  It can be found as a solid, a liquid, and now even as a foam.  And don't even get me started on the cornucopia of colors and fragrances.  It's no wonder that soap is the medium of choice for many a would-be sculptor.

I always thought soap carving sounded like a fun activity, so once again I figured now would be an ideal time to try my hand at some not-so-fine art.  Thanks to my years of traveling for work I had quite the stockpile of hotel sized toiletries, but nothing large enough to be considered a suitable canvas, so I bought my first bar of soap in about 6 years.  My research told me that Ivory soap would be the best choice for my skill level due to its neutral pallet and its unassuming size and shape.  I also made a stop at one of my favorite retailers, the 99 cent store (the other favorites being Goodwill and of course Target) and picked up some high quality soap carving utensils, otherwise known as a cheap manicure set.  I have no idea what half the implements are traditionally meant to be used for but I can tell you they make ideal companions to the basic paring knife to round out my artist's toolbox.

Next I had to decide what to carve.  It had to be something basic because, lets face it, I'm a true novice.  But I didn't want it to be too simplistic, I still wanted something worth making.  Again I turned to my friend the internet for ideas.  There certainly is a vast array of extraneous information floating around on the world wide web, but once you filter through the excess it can actually be quite constructive.

After sketching out a basic design on the soap I began the slicing and scraping and scooping and so on and so forth.  A little bit here and little bit there and a big pile of shavings later, and voila....


 

Okay, so I'm no Michelangelo, but I think for my first attempt I didn't do to shabby.  I don't think soap carving is going to consume a great deal of my spare time (what little of it I actually have these days) but I wouldn't rule it out as a rainy day standby.  So, don't be surprised if you find some fancy new guest soaps next time you come for visit at the Wiser Girls B&B.