Turkish Ebru Design Challenge

My submission for the June Soap Challenge Club: Ebru Tree. It’s dreamy and whimsical, with a touch of sparkle.

Attempting soapy greatness after a lengthy break is like trying to run a 5k with little to no prep. You’ll probably get it done, but will you really be happy with the results? For this month’s Soap Club Challenge, I was so delightfully surprised by the results of my first “5k” that I rushed to test out another design to give myself options. First attempt = booyakasha! Second attempt = not too shabby….until I cut into it. I made some rookie mistakes, but I’ll own it, since I am a rookie.

My second attempt at a more random design. This is the most vibrant soap I’ve ever made, but I dig it!

The technique chosen for this month’s challenge was Turkish Ebru, an ancient paper marbling art form that uses colored oils suspended on the surface of a tray water. In doing research for this challenge, I saw that there was a broad span of designs and techniques within this category: Large Ebru, Tide or Wave Ebru, Shawl Ebru, Comb Ebru, Floral Ebru, Nightingale Nest Ebru, Light Ebru, Sandy Ebru, and Written Ebru (please see this interview with Turkish artist SONGÜL SÖNMEZ). With so many options out there, it was difficult to narrow down what I would eventually attempt.

This is an example of Wave Ebru, from an artist in Portland. You can check out more of his work here: http://dannyebruarts.blogspot.com.

This is another piece by Danny. I love how fine the lines are, but I think it would take several more attempts with different pouring methods to achieve this look.

This is an Ebru tree, and my inspiration for the first soap I made. I was intimidated by the trunk/branches/roots, but having to make it small helped simplify that aspect.

Typically, I’m drawn to symmetry, but I found that I was more enraptured with the styles that appear haphazard. My favorite style was Wave Ebru, but I think it’s darn near impossible to achieve this particular look in soap. Artists have to bend and wave the paper to achieve the ripple effect, so I didn’t chance it. After drooling over tons of Ebru images online, I finally chose the two that made my heart skip a beat when I saw them: the Ebru tree (above center) and the pink and yellow super swirls (above right).

I was pretty amped up when getting set to make my Ebru tree because there were so many “firsts” that I was attempting: first time using squirt bottles (for the orange and yellow background), first time using so many colors (8 micas, yikes!), first time using pipettes for a drip/drizzle effect, first time drawing something on the surface of a soap (I cannot draw, nor can I paint), and first time using glycerin to create sparkly rivers on the surface of my soap. But for all that anxiety, preparing my lye, oil, and colorants were 75% of the process. Layering my dots for the trunk and leaves went rather quickly. I wasn’t initially planning to add a layer of grass to the bottom, but the leftover soap was begging to be added somewhere, so I obliged. And I’m glad I did, because I think it helps balance the more top-heavy tree.

My “Sparkle Plenty” from Mad Oils, mixed with a tablespoon of glycerin. Ooh-la-la!

Getting my soap counter prepped and all of my pretty micas lined up.

The squirt bottles helped give my background finer, more clearly defined lines than if I had dropped it straight from my usual pyrex cups.

All of my little droplets and drizzles are in place. Now for the hard part!

I had to nix the gloves to feel like I had enough control of my chopstick.

I was SO delighted when I uncovered my soap the following morning and found this waiting for me.

Ahhhhh. Deep sigh of relief. I had no idea that the glycerin would evaporate and leave little divots of sparkly goodness in my tree leaves, but that wasn’t a bad surprise. I really love these close-up shots. Hopefully you can see the strands of silver clearly:

Love, love, LOVE!

Fitting that I should show these off in a handy-dandy wooden bowl.

My success with the tree had me feeling ambitious. I tend to be overly ambitious anyway, so I figured why not do another soap (I actually had plans for a third, but time got away from me). My second attempt, though vibrant and beautiful, was disappointing in the following regards: my pouring method did not allow for the very thin striations I was hoping for; I was a knucklehead and dove my chopstick down to the bottom of the mold, leaving striations where I didn’t want them; and a few of the colors over-blending on the surface, leading to some brownish spots. But all in all, it was a great learning experience. I know exactly how I’ll improve my second design for future use. My tie-dye-loving neighbor is already offering me free mani/pedis in exchange for these soaps, so I call that a WIN!

On the surface, it looks pretty decent!

But on the bottom…tsk, tsk. What was I thinking?!

These are hypnotic, but I could do without those darn stripes I left behind with my chopstick. Doh!

Until next time, soapy friends!