SMF May Challenge- Interpretation, not Imitation

[SuzieOz]

Don't you love the way people on youtube just throw a bit of powder in and the colour comes out perfectly (but they never reveal what they added)? None of this premixing or measuring caper. I don't know how they do it. And I have no idea how they repeat it.

No, I'm not very good with colours ... yet?? ... I'm still experimenting with kinds of colourants and am usually not sure what to use to get what effect ... pigment dispersion, mica, oxide, clay, something out of the pantry ... ?

Which is why I'm so impressed with your entry, you got the colours pretty much perfect. I just showed my daughter and she's like "Wow! She even got the speckles like the owl." Well done PJ

 

[penelopejane]

No, I'm not very good with colours ... yet?? ... I'm still experimenting with kinds of colourants and am usually not sure what to use to get what effect ... pigment dispersion, mica, oxide, clay, something out of the pantry ... ?



Which is why I'm so impressed with your entry, you got the colours pretty much perfect. I just showed my daughter and she's like "Wow! She even got the speckles like the owl." Well done PJ

I am trying to stick to at least lip safe colours but it is tough. I have trouble because I use EEVO and the cream/yellow changes the silly things. I have to do exact amounts and experiment. It's so very wasteful and some colours are just silly $$$ here in Oz.

I've got AC right now. (Im counting grey as a colour as it took 5 batches to work out.) I'm pretty sure I have ultramarine worked out but reds/rose/pink are tough. Try adding a bit (3 specs of UM oxide or 3 specs AC) of blue or black to see good differences.

I have no idea how to get a nice green/blue. I bought some micas today for the first time.

 

[TeresaT]

Here's my failure and the photo I used. I'm actually happy with the way it turned out. I'm just not happy the colors didn't stay the way they looked when I mixed them.

ETA: This is the first time I used squeeze bottles to pour the batter. I like the control it gives. I might have to play with them a bit more. I realized when I was layering the soap that I did not leave out enough plain batter, so there's not as much white in it as I had wanted. But overall, I'm happy with it. It's soap. It'll get me clean. (I used Peak's Key Lime FO; smells great. No acceleration whatsoever.)

 

[penelopejane]

I like the green in the bottom half! Great colour. Your red is great and so I'd the design!

 

[mintle]

Ha, time for the "something went wrong" soaps
Violet/pink bird inspired:
1. Slab mold attempt (not cut yet). I was not happy with the top layer and I poured three layers of colours to achieve what I had in mind, but to no avail.
2. Second attempt is the pre-beta version of my final design submitted for this challenge; here also I have tried to combine bird's beak colours with the colour of feathers. Nothing spectacular but you could see how I went crazy with the hanger!

Scary picture of an owl and its prey inspired:
3. This one I like most. The blue/grey feathery soaps are a ITP swirl of blue colours mainly with a drawing on top - feathers and lots of yellow eyes . It did get a lot of ash on top and the colours were not what I had actually planned.

The penguins from the soap batch leftover just wandered into my photo...

Thank you for the challenge! again, a great fun.

 

[KristaY]

^^^In the lower left bar I see a purple/blue flamingo wearing a top hat (this made me giggle really loud!) and the next bar looks like an abstract campfire. Love those mintle!

 

[Steve85569]

Here's my failure and the photo I used. I'm actually happy with the way it turned out. I'm just not happy the colors didn't stay the way they looked when I mixed them.

ETA: This is the first time I used squeeze bottles to pour the batter. I like the control it gives. I might have to play with them a bit more. I realized when I was layering the soap that I did not leave out enough plain batter, so there's not as much white in it as I had wanted. But overall, I'm happy with it. It's soap. It'll get me clean. (I used Peak's Key Lime FO; smells great. No acceleration whatsoever.)

Our local Walmart has squeeze bottles in the barbeque section for under a buck. I got 6 for soaping.

 

[TeresaT]

I like the green in the bottom half! Great colour. Your red is great and so I'd the design!

Thanks!! Believe it or not, that was Indigo powder mixed with a little bit of bright blue mica. I thought the indigo would look like jeans and wanted it a bit brighter than that, so I put in a bright blue. I ended up with a sea-green. I've got lots of practicing to do with colors.


ETA: Thanks for the tip, Steve (Our local Walmart has squeeze bottles in the barbeque section for under a buck. I got 6 for soaping.

) The bottles I have were purchased at Michael's and they only hold about a cup of batter. I've got to pick up a few things from Walmart on my way home tonight, so I might look for those squeeze bottles if I remember. (The mind is such a terrible thing to lose.)

 

[TeresaT]

^^^In the lower left bar I see a purple/blue flamingo wearing a top hat (this made me giggle really loud!) and the next bar looks like an abstract campfire. Love those mintle!

Krista, this made me laugh. I looked at that same thing and thought, "Hmm, that's a crowned crane. Oh, look! The other one has an egret!! How'd she do that?" Hmm. How did you do that, Mintle?

 

[lenarenee]

Mine is way too soft to unmold yet; guess I shouldn't have used lavender eo since it slows the batter so much. But I thought the herby/woody/floral scent fit the picture well.

What's the absolute time deadline?

Btw, I was given a brand new Canon elph type camera yesterday!! How's that for timing? Since I know my other digital camera is in this house somewhere waiting to be found, I never replaced it.

 

[mintle]

Krista, this made me laugh. I looked at that same thing and thought, "Hmm, that's a crowned crane. Oh, look! The other one has an egret!! How'd she do that?" Hmm. How did you do that, Mintle?

I have no idea how did that happen! I did not see these creatures until you all brought them to life so thank you!

 

[penelopejane]

Thanks!! Believe it or not, that was Indigo powder mixed with a little bit of bright blue mica. I thought the indigo would look like jeans and wanted it a bit brighter than that, so I put in a bright blue. I ended up with a sea-green. I've got lots of practicing to do with colors.

Please let us know if it morphs back. I am now looking at colours I buy and rejecting "not CP stable" and I have a feeling Indigo is like that? It may be that it morphs as it cures then turns out perfectly in a few weeks.

 

[Saponista]

There are two types of indigo, if you get the powdered leaves then it will stay a green colour. Perhaps that's what happened Teresa.

 

[DeeAnna]

I've been following all your hard work and struggles with avid interest. Kudos to everyone who has taken up this challenge!!!!

--- Standing ovation from the peanut gallery ---

 

[jules92207]

Well it's awful, so no entry for me. If I had more time I'm sure I could have gotten somewhere closer but something about these challenges make me afraid to blend too much and I won't have time to create my design so I often end up with way to light of trace and my soaps become a muddled mess.

Here is my failed attempt...

 

[KristaY]

I've been following along looking at all the "fails" and I have to chuckle. I understand why each person thinks they failed but honestly ~ they're all beautiful! It's so funny when we're disappointed at the outcome when really it's wonderful. I'm guilty of it for sure so I know how it feels. :shock:

I applaud everyone for the amazing entries, and voting (once again) is going to be tough. Life completely got in my way this month so I wasn't able to get an entry done. I apologize for that, newbie. I feel like I shirked my responsibility. So well done to everyone who got the job done and made beautiful soap!

 

[mzimm]

Well it's awful, so no entry for me. If I had more time I'm sure I could have gotten somewhere closer but something about these challenges make me afraid to blend too much and I won't have time to create my design so I often end up with way to light of trace and my soaps become a muddled mess.

Here is my failed attempt...

Oh jules, I think these are totally cool soaps, and I wish you could see what I see! Dang! I wish you had entered this, because it is a uniquely awesome interpretation of the beauty and violence of that picture.

 

[SuzieOz]

@jules92207 ^^ What mzimm said!

I'm loving these so-called "fails" - we're a clever lot really aren't we??

 

[lenarenee]

Oh jules, I think these are totally cool soaps, and I wish you could see what I see! Dang! I wish you had entered this, because it is a uniquely awesome interpretation of the beauty and violence of that picture.

So true! Such a tumultuous soap - fits the drama of the life and death drama.

 

[lenarenee]

Sorry Newbie, so entry for me. I didn't cut until this morning, and wasn't all that pleased with the gray colors I used - sickly greenish instead of steel blue.