Favorite Soaping Patterns

[SoapSap]

I have been soaping for about three years and have still not experimented with a lot of soap designs. I think this is because I have a few favorites that I really like so much that I stick with them. I love to do spoon swirls and pot swills and then third in line maybe a hanger swirl.

I am curious to know what other soarers enjoy doing the most and generally what is the most popular pattern techniques among us here on the forum.

 

[toxikon]

I haven't tried a ton of techniques either, but I'm quite fond of a good subtle gradient and geometric designs.

The most enjoyable (simple and very cool looking) design technique I've tried so far is the wall pour. I used it for the Black Background challenge: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showpost.php?p=638119&postcount=2

 

[ibct1969]

That is SO cool toxicon!

 

[IrishLass]

My absolute favorite swirling technique to use is what I personally call, "Ione swirls", named for the soaper who came up with the pattern (it's not an official name of the swirl or anything like that- it's just my nickname for it). Here is a pic of my very best attempt at it so far:

And here is a video where Ione herself demonstrates how to do the swirl. In some of her other videos she executes the swirl with a slightly different pattern, but the pattern she uses in the below video is the one I used to achieve the swirls in my soap above:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPSn56mdDvQ[/ame]


IrishLass

 

[Millie]

I mostly do hanger swirls, taiwan and modified taiwan swirls, all freehand pour. Quick, easy and fabulous I would like to get a little more Picasso though. I love looking at the soap designs on this blog http://elomar-pasitoapasito.blogspot.fr/?wref=bif
Look at the post from July 5th 2010

P.S. Just added two more photos to my inspiration folder. Thanks T and IL !

 

[SoapSap]

These are all so nice. I am getting inspired already.

 

[Dahila]

Eve is my inspiration she is so cool and really creative, I love her tutorials

 

[dibbles]

I would have to say I am very partial to hanger swirls - like IL's example, a drop swirl with a hanger run through it, a butterfly swirl, which usually doesn't work out to be a butterfly. Because even if the result isn't what I set out to do, it is usually pretty.

Last year I made a '16 things to try in 2016', and did the same this year. I think I managed to try 14 of the things on my list last year and moved the remaining to the '17 in 2017' list. It's not always a technique - one from last year was using avocado puree. One from this year was to try a dual lye soap.

If you want to branch out, you could try one of the monthly challenges. It gives you an idea to work from, and trying something new with others is fun.

 

[Nao]

I haven't actually tried it yet but to me the cosmic wave have to be the coolest thing ever :mrgreen:

 

[BattleGnome]

I second the monthly challenges. I only make 1-2 batches a month and the challenges have pushed me so every batch is different. Left on my own I like to pretend that I can perfect stripes or drop swirls, it's a flip of the coin if I get it right.

 

[SunRiseArts]

I haven't actually tried it yet but to me the cosmic wave have to be the coolest thing ever :mrgreen:

Pictures please?

 

[Nao]

Pictures please?

Sure!

 

[Nao]

Apparently I can't figure out how to attach more then one picture per post~

 

[Nao]

Love this one!

 

[penelopejane]

Apparently I can't figure out how to attach more then one picture per post~

Go down to manage attachments below the new message box.
Click on choose a file and select only one photo.
When it loads go back and click on the "choose a file" button below.
Keep going until you have selected all your photos.
Then click "upload" at the bottom of the whole choose a file box.
Then right down the bottom click close this window.
Then click submit reply at the bottom of the message window.

 

[penelopejane]

Nao, are both the soaps you posted in post #13 and #14 cosmic waves?

 

[Nao]

Go down to manage attachments below the new message box.
Click on choose a file and select only one photo.
When it loads go back and click on the "choose a file" button below.
Keep going until you have selected all your photos.
Then click "upload" at the bottom of the whole choose a file box.
Then right down the bottom click close this window.
Then click submit reply at the bottom of the message window.

Oh, thank you!

And yes, all three of them are cosmic waves! At least if I haven't misunderstood the whole thing, the basics of cosmic wave is that you have your jug with base colour, add your complementary colours and pour. You will have different patterns depending on how you pour but all is considered cosmic waves.

There are a couple of videos on YouTube that better shows how it's done, I would have posted a link but I haven't figured out how to do that on an iPad yet. Lol.

 

[penelopejane]

There are a couple of videos on YouTube that better shows how it's done, I would have posted a link but I haven't figured out how to do that on an iPad yet. Lol.

They are beautiful.
To copy a video open it in safari, click on the link at the top to highlight it, copy the link and paste it directly into the body of a message.

 

[toxikon]

I need to try a cosmic wave sometime... it looks so cool!

 

[Nao]

They are beautiful.
To copy a video open it in safari, click on the link at the top to highlight it, copy the link and paste it directly into the body of a message.

No, I no that. It's just that my iPad insists on opening YouTube in the YouTube app no matter what and I don't know how to copy links from the app or if it is at all possible. But I had someone help me with that, so now it's all good. Thank you anyway!

Here are a couple of people making the cosmic wave swirl:
[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lVQZJr_U4N0[/ame]
[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GOWlkd_7Qm0[/ame]
[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hig364h2njs[/ame]