Project 02: Soap Carving Animals

Viktor The Hippopotamus

Viktor and the original model side-by-side.

The second project of the semester was similar in difficulty to its predecessor, the masking tape shoes, but rather than building something outwards from nothing -- we'd instead be carving away from something to make something else. When presented with the challenge of replicating an animal out of soap, the hippopotamus came to mind, knowing that it would be somewhat easy to replicate with its smooth skin and amphibious habits. And so, Viktor was born, alongside his poor disfigured brother Pinn.

The main issue I encountered was that the soap I had chosen was far too short for the snout of the hippo, which forced me to try multiple methods to extend the soap past its physical barriers. The result on Viktor was very successful, while his brother suffered from constant crumbling face disorder. As such, the red soap hippo's face lacks the details presented in the white soap and was held together primarily using pins (hence the nickname, Pinn). Overall, a very challenging project that tests patience (as it does take a long time to carve and rushing may ruin your animal completely) and provides the student with a unique skill of relief carving from life models.