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Welcome to March'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 entry 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 black background soap.
I think we forget about black as base color for soap and what it can do to pop colors and make for elegant, stark, mysterious, lovely designs. Therefore, this month is the month to remember and use lovely BLACK.
SMF Challenge Specific Rules
*You soap must use 60% or more of black soap and it must be obvious that it is the background against which the other colors play.
*You may use any style of mold- individual, loaf, slab, upright, round, whatever. You may use any design technique you'd like. Embeds are fair game. M&P soapers are welcome to join!
*For your entry, you must show at least one picture of the soap, minimum of one bar but more pictures are always welcome.
*You may include information like colorants and fragrance used (though this isn't a requirement).
Challenge Entry Thread Opens March 18, 2017.
Challenge Entry Thread Closes March 25, 2017 (11:59pm CST)
Survey for choosing the winning choices opens March 26th.
Winners Announced March 31, 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.
· After the closing date, the winning entry will be chosen using survey monkey and the winner announced on both threads. 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.
I did not make a video because I am a slacker, plus this is not a technique challenge. Pictures of examples of black-based soaps are included.
Tips: To get a good black, you can use activated charcoal, black mica, black mica with a touch of black oxide, black oxide, or a black pigment. It can be difficult to get a deep deep true black if you are light-handed.
If you choose to use AC, I strongly suggest that you mix it with oil or water at least an hour before you soap. It absorbs both mediums and will thicken up as it absorbs. If you put it in soap batter too soon, that portion of your batter is very likely going to thicken up before your other colors as it absorbs liquids. You can start with about 2 tsp ppo and see how that looks. I add AC, stir well, and then dribble a little more on the top. If I can tell the difference between the drops and the batter, I add more AC bit by bit until I can't tell the difference between the AC in water/oil and the batter. The batter will look oily black, which is fine. With new soap, you may get a hint of gray in the lather but once it's cured, your batter will be white or so slightly off that you can't tell.
Be aware that oxides are easy to overuse and they can color the lather. I would titrate the black into the batter bit by bit
Adding a touch of blue or red can make your black seem blacker.
If you end up with deep gray as the background, I will still accept it. If your background seems too light to you, send me a pic for a verdict.
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 entry 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 black background soap.
I think we forget about black as base color for soap and what it can do to pop colors and make for elegant, stark, mysterious, lovely designs. Therefore, this month is the month to remember and use lovely BLACK.
SMF Challenge Specific Rules
*You soap must use 60% or more of black soap and it must be obvious that it is the background against which the other colors play.
*You may use any style of mold- individual, loaf, slab, upright, round, whatever. You may use any design technique you'd like. Embeds are fair game. M&P soapers are welcome to join!
*For your entry, you must show at least one picture of the soap, minimum of one bar but more pictures are always welcome.
*You may include information like colorants and fragrance used (though this isn't a requirement).
Challenge Entry Thread Opens March 18, 2017.
Challenge Entry Thread Closes March 25, 2017 (11:59pm CST)
Survey for choosing the winning choices opens March 26th.
Winners Announced March 31, 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.
· After the closing date, the winning entry will be chosen using survey monkey and the winner announced on both threads. 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.
I did not make a video because I am a slacker, plus this is not a technique challenge. Pictures of examples of black-based soaps are included.
Tips: To get a good black, you can use activated charcoal, black mica, black mica with a touch of black oxide, black oxide, or a black pigment. It can be difficult to get a deep deep true black if you are light-handed.
If you choose to use AC, I strongly suggest that you mix it with oil or water at least an hour before you soap. It absorbs both mediums and will thicken up as it absorbs. If you put it in soap batter too soon, that portion of your batter is very likely going to thicken up before your other colors as it absorbs liquids. You can start with about 2 tsp ppo and see how that looks. I add AC, stir well, and then dribble a little more on the top. If I can tell the difference between the drops and the batter, I add more AC bit by bit until I can't tell the difference between the AC in water/oil and the batter. The batter will look oily black, which is fine. With new soap, you may get a hint of gray in the lather but once it's cured, your batter will be white or so slightly off that you can't tell.
Be aware that oxides are easy to overuse and they can color the lather. I would titrate the black into the batter bit by bit
Adding a touch of blue or red can make your black seem blacker.
If you end up with deep gray as the background, I will still accept it. If your background seems too light to you, send me a pic for a verdict.
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