February 2017 SMF Soap Challenge- Ebru Soaps

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Welcome to February's 2017 SMF Soap Challenge!

PLEASE BE SURE TO READ THIS FIRST (and ALL Rules)-

General Rules:
1. The only members eligible to vote are those with their names on the sign up list - regardless of whether or not you have submitted an entry.

2. This months voting will be password locked. Passwords will be PM'ed to registered participants ONLY. So please check your PM's when the voting begins.

3. No posting your entry photos until the entry thread is made. Non enty photos are very welcome!

4. You are allowed to change your entry photo up until the entry thread closes. So if you decide after you post your entry you want another try, and you like the second better, you can change it up until the deadline.

NOW
This month’s challenge is ebru designs.

If you are unfamiliar with ebru art and ebru soaps, please take the time to read my second post. There are great videos listed with ebru art showing the many different designs that can be accomplished.


SMF Challenge Specific Rules
· You must use a slab mold. If you do not have one, you may use a loaf mold as a slab by poring your batter only as thick as a typical soap and cutting as you would a slab pour. If you pour a pattern design, like a dna swirl, into a loaf all the way throughout the soap, and then you cut horizontally and then make bars, that is also acceptable.
· You must use an ebru design. Drawing images like birds and scenery typical of ebru, or patterns: for example peacock and dna swirls, also flowers and sun bursts, and designs typical of ebru are all acceptable. Completely random designs are not acceptable. If you have a question whether or not your design will be accepted, please ask in advance.
· You must use only a skewer like tool to design your soap.
· You may pour a base that is solid or multicolored, you can even spin swirl the base, but the ebru designs on top must be the main attraction of the soap and predominantly cover any swirls that aren't ebru beneath (if a solid base or ebru patterns show through, however, that is ok).
· For your entry, you must show at least one picture of the soap in the mold along with the tool you used to design it. Other cut pictures are welcome but not a requirement.
· You may include information like colorants and fragrance used (though this isn't a requirement).


Challenge Entry Thread Opens February 13, 2017.
Challenge Entry Thread Closes February 21, 2017 (11:59pm CST)
Survey for choosing the winning choices opens immediately the 22nd.
Winners Announced February 28, 2017.


SMF Challenge General Rules
· To enter you must have a minimum of 50 posts and been a member for a month (sorry but no exceptions on this)
· Please add your name to the sign up list if you wish to participate (however, you don’t have to enter a soap at the end if you don’t feel happy with what you have produced)
· The challenge thread should be used to upload pictures of any of your challenge attempts where you can ask for advice and discuss the technique with other members.
· Constructive criticism is welcomed, but please try to keep your comments polite.
· Competition entries must be uploaded to the separate entry thread before the closing date. The thread will open on February 13, 2017 (Please follow the challenge specific rules as to what you need to enter).
· After the closing date February 21, 2017 the winning entry will be chosen using survey monkey and the winner announced on February 28, 2017. There is no prize attached to this challenge.
· If you fail to make the challenge deadline, you are still welcome to upload your soap onto the thread, but your entry will not be eligible for voting. We still love to see anything you have produced.
· Even though there is no prize, this is still a competition. If your entry is deemed not to fulfill the general rules or the rules specific to the challenge in any way, then you will be given the opportunity to amend your entry. If this is not possible then your entry will not be included in the voting.
· Newbie, Saponista, Lionproncess00, Sonya-m and GalaxyMLP reserve the right to have the final say on whether a soap is eligible for voting.

VIDEO 1 Introduction [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi56gT4HldQ[/ame]

VIDEO 2 DNA Swirl, Ebru
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMtL4CHMQVY[/ame]

VIDEO 3 Peacock Swirl with Flowers, Ebru
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw7yjmaNDvc[/ame]

VIDEO 4 Cut Pictures
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpIwGhVaboI[/ame]

20170131_085400.jpg


20170131_084713.jpg
 
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Ebru, per Wikipedia-
Ebru is the contemporary Turkish word for what is called marbled paper in English.

It is a form of painting on liquid and transferring the images onto paper. With soap this can be accomplished when you have a fluid trace (word of warning, too thin a trace can cause your design to break through the top layer, thin trace can work well with a very delicate hand, and thin to medium trace works well, so long as it isn't accelerating and getting too thick too fast. Keep this in mind).

Ebru designs vary widely, from the standard patterns we see in a peacock swirl, to mantra and dna swirls; from making hearts or flowers to making sunbursts; from birds or dragons to an actual scenic picture.

This is all accomplished with only a skewer. For this challenge we need to maintain a typically ebru design. Random swirl patterns that are not really cohesive can be beautiful but are not quite standard ebru. If you have a question as to whether or not your swirls qualify, pm me and I will discuss it with the other challenge hosts.

For those unfamiliar with ebru, check out this video. It focuses more on patterns seen with ebru art.
[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyga8VMWXKg[/ame]

For more organic designs, check out this YouTube video.
[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NDgzr8Rj8gU[/ame]

For a wide variety of designs including a scenic picture, this is a great compilation video.
[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ssCJBAZtWpY[/ame]

For a basic ebru soap design, see this YouTube video by Sergio Masala.
[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFuOjmqWgjQ[/ame]

Here are ebru soaps I have made in the past. The pink and green spin swirl with flowers is an acceptable technique, but I would require more of the ebru top design to cover up the spin swirl for my challenge.

20170126_115437.jpg


20170126_115639.jpg


20170126_115337.jpg


20170126_115739.jpg


20170126_115829.jpg
 
1. Soapprentice- it's never too early to try.
2. toxikon - first challenge, woo!
3. earlene - I've been wanting to try this
4. Newbie- infinite options lead to soap overload and much fun.
 
1. Soapprentice- it's never too early to try.
2. toxikon - first challenge, woo!
3. earlene - I've been wanting to try this
4. Newbie- infinite options lead to soap overload and much fun.
5. Mx6inpenn - have 2 ideas in mind already
 
1. Soapprentice- it's never too early to try.
2. toxikon - first challenge, woo!
3. earlene - I've been wanting to try this
4. Newbie- infinite options lead to soap overload and much fun.
5. Mx6inpenn - have 2 ideas in mind already
6. PenelopeJane - I'll give it a swirl, maybe. It looks tough!
 
1. Soapprentice- it's never too early to try.
2. toxikon - first challenge, woo!
3. earlene - I've been wanting to try this
4. Newbie- infinite options lead to soap overload and much fun.
5. Mx6inpenn - have 2 ideas in mind already
6. PenelopeJane - I'll give it a swirl, maybe. It looks tough!
7. BattleGnome - maybe I'll find time this month






Plus question- is there a minimum number of colors you would like. I have a two color idea but can rethink if needed
 
Plus question- is there a minimum number of colors you would like. I have a two color idea but can rethink if needed

Nope! You would obviously need two colors to draw a design, or two colors to make a patten. Beyond that, as long as it is an ebru soap with an acceptable pattern or design, two colors would be a bare basic minimum.

For example if you did the peacock swirl you could do it in black and white only and it would work great. If you made a white base and drew only black starburst, flowers, or birds on top, it would still work.

So I suppose it would have to have a minimum of 2 colors. Beyond that the sky's the limit as long as you do ebru soap designs.
 
Hi guys! Can someone add me? I really hope I have time to try this when I get home. I'll only have a couple of days before the entry thread closes to get something done, but this has been on my 'to try' list for a very long time.
 
1. Soapprentice- it's never too early to try.
2. toxikon - first challenge, woo!
3. earlene - I've been wanting to try this
4. Newbie- infinite options lead to soap overload and much fun.
5. Mx6inpenn - have 2 ideas in mind already
6. PenelopeJane - I'll give it a swirl, maybe. It looks tough!
7. BattleGnome - maybe I'll find time this month
8. Dibbles - this has been on my 'to try' list for a very long time
 
That is gorgeous, newbie. The artist is Susan Pogany and she has some videos on a Turkish Arts website. Maybe this one might give a clue as to how she obtains that particular design. Well, maybe not (after closer inspection.) But it still might hold a clue, just not the exact same technique.

video


I had said I've been wanting to try this, then while watching one of the many videos out there, I thought, my granddaughter and I actually did this with nail polish on water when we were making the nail polish design on coffee mugs. At the time, I didn't realize it was just like ebru. I think this will be even more fun, though.

ETA: I found Susan Pogany on FB, the face is the same person as on the website above. Maybe you can ask her how to create design. I know artists are usually pretty happy to share techniques with other artists.
 
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Lionprincess00, you said we can only use a skewer like tool for the design. Does that preclude a comb-like tool such as the ebru artist use for paper marbling? Or something with fewer teeth? For example, could I use a 5-finger type tool instead of drawing a skewer through 5 times? Or an actual comb (like a nit-comb) for part of the design?
 
1. Soapprentice- it's never too early to try.
2. toxikon - first challenge, woo!
3. earlene - I've been wanting to try this
4. Newbie- infinite options lead to soap overload and much fun.
5. Mx6inpenn - have 2 ideas in mind already
6. PenelopeJane - I'll give it a swirl, maybe. It looks tough!
7. BattleGnome - maybe I'll find time this month
8. Dibbles - this has been on my 'to try' list for a very long time
9. CaraBou - time to get elegantly artsy!
 
Lionprincess00, you said we can only use a skewer like tool for the design. Does that preclude a comb-like tool such as the ebru artist use for paper marbling? Or something with fewer teeth? For example, could I use a 5-finger type tool instead of drawing a skewer through 5 times? Or an actual comb (like a nit-comb) for part of the design?

Yes, since combing designs are very much ebru, comb tools are ok instead a lone skewer. I know places like Brambleberry sell them, but you can make your own which I have done in the past. You can also use a long toothed hair pick or comb to drag your design. Just be sure to include it in your entry photo. Good question!
 
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