Soap Carving – TAEA 2013
Eloiese Krabbenhoft and Jessica Porter – Texas State University
Carving in the Round (Grades 3 – 8)
Students in grades one and two do not understand carving in 3-D but can do simple negative relief carving then press clay into it
to make a positive.
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Soap is the least expensive and easiest medium to carve and it can be carved safely with
metal nail files and fingernails. The drawback is there is no way to repair broken parts
and, since soap has no tensile strength, it breaks very easily. Much care must be taken to
shave off small pieces at a time.
Stiff foam is available in school supply catalogs. Never having used it, I do not know
whether it can be repaired without showing the damage.
Harder materials such as wax and plaster can be used but they require actual knives so
involve risk of injury.
o I melt, strain and cast old candle wax in aluminum trays and when cool I score the
slabs deeply all around. Then, with the score resting on a broom handle or dowel, I
press down firmly to break it into four pieces. Using a propane torch to heat the
knife, I can melt/weld any broken parts back onto the students’ sculptures. Then I
lightly fan the surface of the repair with the flame to flash smooth it.
o Students cast their own plaster in containers of a size and shape that will best suit
their planned sculpture. They can add pigment if desired. If tempera paint was
used to color the plaster, it will discolor student hands so acrylic is better. Keep the
sculpture in an airtight plastic back until it is finished and it will be easier to carve.
It also will help prevent dust in the air. One can build up new plaster or, once dry,
use glue to repair broken parts.
Degrees of Difficulty
 A fish seems to be the subject that allows most students success because parts can break
off and it can get smaller and smaller and still be recognizable. So I started all beginners
in grades 3 and up with fish.
 Experienced fourth graders carved a standing four-legged animal.
 Experienced fifth graders carved a walking four-legged animal.
 After three years of experience I allowed students to do carving that involved more relief
work such as human faces or owls.
Pattern
 Simple patterns can be found in wood carving books or more experienced students can
draw their own. However, subjects with long thin parts should be avoided. If drawing
your own pattern, trace around the soap on copy paper and draw the pattern in the
rectangle.
Transfer the Pattern to the Soap
 Cut out the pattern
 Align the edges of the pattern with the edges of the soap.
 Trace around the silhouette but NOT along the edges of the soap.
 Flip the pattern and the soap over and trace again on the other side of the soap. Be certain
the nose is on the same end of the soap before starting to trace carve.
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Carve the Profile First
Always begin at the edges and take small slices. In concave areas start by making small, shallow
V cuts there is more room to maneuver the nail file. A cut does not have to be very deep for the
file to act like a wedge and pop off pieces you need so take a little at a time.
Carve Top and Bottom Views Next
Students often were thoroughly confused as to which edge they should cut at this point and some
ended up cutting off the head so I found it necessary to do several things to guide them:
1. I scratched lines to define areas that needed to be removed (as shown in the video and
below), I poked holes in the parts that were to be removed and told students to remove all
the damaged soap.
2. If a student ended up cutting off the head anyway and needed a second piece of soap, after
they finished the profile again, I drew a line along the middle of the profile, all the way
around and told them they needed to leave that line there. I also defined the areas that
needed to be removed. Eventually they figured it out.
3. I also made students hold the soap in their hands to complete this step and demonstrated
how to cut as one would in order to peel potatoes.
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Tips
 Make it clear that the file will cut and dig in if the edge in contact with the soap is leading
the way. But if it is dragging, it will not dig in. It will and smooth.
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It is good to have soap examples of each step. Some students can handle them and figure
out what to do on their own.
Most students cannot do a single thing without the teacher right there.
o I would call these students to come watch a demonstration of the next step. I let
students choose their subject so I had to demo several animals and have adequate
soap for that.
o Some students still will not understand. I resigned myself to carving one side of the
soap for those students and telling them to make the other side match. If you
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demonstrate like this always demo on the same side so you can distinguish the
student’s work from yours and be able to give the student a grade.
o I parked myself in one place and students came to me for help. There always was a
line of students waiting. Don’t let them bring their nail files to the line or there will
be a mess on the floor.
Engraved details are best done with a pencil rather than the nail file. Hair can be
scratched with a scoring tool used for clay. The curved part of fish scales are towards the
tail, not the head. But the fish could have stripes or spots instead of scales.
Have students work on newspaper so they can get rid of the scraps easily.
Soap will get on the floor. Rulers are a good way to “sweep” up the bits. Left on the floor,
they are slippery and could cause a student to fall. They also do not come up with the
custodian’s dust mop but do make the mop flip over and irritate the custodian.
Always take the nail file from each student as a signal for that student to clean up. Before
I began to do that there were many times I had to sift through the trash to locate files
students had wadded up along with their newspaper and discarded.
Work usually took more than one class period. Students often were so proud of what they
had done, they would mistake another student’s more skillfully done work as their own
and take it to continue carving. All work must be clearly identified – possibly stored in
plastic sandwich bags with names written on them in permanent marker as well as
initials carved into the tummy or bottoms of feet.
As the small details are carved, the sculpture becomes very fragile so I always took the
soap from the students and very carefully put it on a tray or in a box. If students are
allowed to put the work away themselves, someone will just toss theirs and damage a
handful of others.
Art History
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Michelangelo, Henry Moore and others
Egyptian, Mayan, Inca, Indian, Native American, Greek, Roman, African, Asian, and more
You do have permission to make copies of this handout as well as the DVD. Find the digital file online by doing a
Google search for Krabbenhoft handouts.
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