Soap Squirrels I & II

Soap Squirrels I & II

Carving miniatures from large soap blocks required me to think 3-Dementionally and work much slower than my normal pace. Smaller areas, such as the ears and feet, were the most fragile to carve. I used two different brands of soap; one that proved to be a more creamy texture and one that was more flaky. Treating the soap with caution as it continued to get smaller was a challenge in itself. After the project was done I recycled my shavings into a ball of soap so large that I have been using it for weeks. 

Final (1) Soap squirrel I

Wooden base

9 Changes to a squirrel

The first "trial" squirrel was later used to make drastic changes that could reflect a transformation. The requirements focused on at least 4 changes that were additive and 4 changes that were subtractive. 

1. (+) Gold leaf

2. (+) Red Paint

3. (+) Wire wrap

4. (+) Tail feathers

5. (+) Septum piercing

6. (-) Holes in tail

7. (-) Shaved tail and back legs

8. (-) Blown dry

9. (-) Microwaved

Final (1) Soap squirrel II

Glass vase

Final (2) Soap squirrel II

Changes (1) Gold Leaf (+)

Changes (2) Red Paint (+)

Changes (3)  Holes in tail (-)

(4) Shaved back legs (-)

Changes (5) Wire Wrap (+)

(6) Septum Piercing (+)

(7) Tail Feathers (+)

Changes (8) Blown dry (-)

(9) Mircrowaved (-)

Comparison: Model & Soap

In process (1) Multitasking

(Surprisingly, nothing started to melt)

In process (2) Creamy soap