May Challenge Entry Thread

[newbie]

Please post a copy of the bird photo you used and a picture of at least one bar of your soap.

Please, no comments on this thread to keep it uncluttered. If you'd like to comment on any entry, please do so on the other thread.

Entries will close on the 25th.

 

[Saponista]

Here is my entry for this month. Abstract interpretation is something that is very hard for me so I hope my entry is suitable! The bird picture I have used is the one that most appealed to me. I love the colours of the birds feathers combined with the green background of the leaves. The colours I chose for my soap were a green from the background of the image and a couple of shades of blue from the feathers combined with the black and white which are also colours from the feathers.

I love the way the birds feathers are splayed open and the image gives a feeling of complete freedom. I have tried to reflect the lines of the long wing feathers in my soap design. I made it in a square soap mould, by placing dividers into the corners and filling with the different shades of color, then I filled the rest of the mould with the green and used a skewer to create the lines. My soap is scented with a mixture of pine and cedarwood essential oils with a touch of juniper as I felt it went well with the overall look and feel of the soap.

 

[BlackDog]

I chose the photo of the crane. I've always found them to be elegant, and I liked the calming colors of the photo. The vertical nature of it struck me, and I got the feeling of a small waterfall. It reminded me of being in the Japanese Gardens in Portland - a place that epitomizes silent reflection.

My orangey - brown looks pinkish in the picture, but it matches the photo color better in real life. Scented with White Tea & Ginger.

 

[MySoapyHeart]

Here is my entry, and how I tried to interpret this image into soap:

After my first try, I really wanted to go a completely different direction. So I wanted to try and do a doubble effect soap, which is one thing on top connected to the theme, and then flip it over and see the theme continued inside, but with another look.
The soaps that you see are of course the same soaps, just flipped over to see how both sides look.

I thought about how I could incorporate the air around the wings when the bird in the picture tries to land (or take off) and then as you flip the soap over you would see the inside (cut horisontally) how the colors from the bird itself would look, and with a sort of feathery effect. The feathers did not become the way I wanted, and the two lovely green colors morphed into something strange that was not the plan at all. And I could go on, and on... bla-bla-bla, yaddayadda...

Newbie approved the colors even though they morphed, so here is my official entry for May.

 

[penelopejane]

The soap I envisioned was not the soap I produced.
I was trying to get the texture of the owl.
There are two different colours in the blue at the bottom but they don't show in the soap or the photo.
It took so long to get the colours right that the mix moved and ended as a drop and plop, so no time for a hanger swirl.

 

[dibbles]

I loved the serenity of the photo of the crane. Although the tuft of feathers on his head is a focal point of the picture, what draws my eye is the curve of his body and the wispy layering of the ombre feathers, so this is how I tried to interpret that. The colors of black, white, gold and red are to represent his head.

 

[mintle]

This is my fourth attempt. Not perfect, but unfortunately I am running out of time.
My inspiration was this bird's stripey beck, in three colours (white-blue-black) in such a contrast to the rest of his featherly glory!

The photos lie a bit - the main colour of each bar is peachy beige instead of pink which I currently see on my computer.

This is a mostly lard recipe, scented with Brambleberry's southern peach which seems to complement the design and the bird very well.

 

[Steve85569]

Here's my closest attempt. I think I did okay considering DW says I'm colour blind...

Mango Pineapple FO and micas.

 

[mzimm]

Like Saponista, I found abstract interpretation very difficult!
But thank you, newbie, for choosing such a great theme to challenge my limitations.
I knew from the very first that I wanted to use the crane for my soap: that very real, very tangible PRESENCE emerging out of the murky, ethereal, nothing-ness of its surroundings. I was immediately struck by the contrasts in the photo: the smooth and nearly symmetrical shape of the bird set against the hazy, surreal foliage in the background, the frivolity of the wispy topknot set against the sober elegance of the bird. It was very difficult for me to avoid imitation, because I felt I needed to replicate these elements of the picture in order to preserve the overall impression they gave me. ****sigh***
This literal tendency led to a soap I am not unhappy with overall, but I can see how very much I have to learn! But oh, how rewarding it is to try, so thank you again to all of you who have supported and inspired me to keep learning and being challenged!

 

[SunWolf]

Well, I'm going to post my entry, if the powers that be determine the colors to be off, please delete my post. I hate how colors look so different from in person, in pictures and on the computer...

The minute I saw the hummingbird picture...wow, pretty birdy!! When I see hummy-birds, I always get a minds-eye picture of a whirlwind of shimmering colors, which is what I tried to reproduce. A few seconds too long with the SB and it ended up more plop and swirl, but I think it's still pretty close to what I envision.

 

[CaraBou]

I have never seen a Kea. I sincerely hope this is not as close as I ever come.

 

[newbie]

Closed, and with so few entries!

Link to survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XJW75CJ

Password will be PM'ed to participants.

 

[Judiraz]

Oh, I missed the cutoff...getting ready for vacation and time got away from me. I did try 3 times and here is what I got. The first two were with the macaw picture and I just couldn't get the colors where I wanted them.

The last one was the owl. I liked the black & white but especially the red and his yellow eyes. My black didn't get black enough & my FO blend really accelerated so what started out as a Clyde Slide ended up with plop & pray

 

[newbie]

Thank you to everyone who participated

AND

Congratulations to the winners!

1. Saponista
2. mzimm
3. dibbles