English

Hen

General info

hen 1 hen 2 hen 3 hen 4 hen 5
  • There's a standing hen and a sitting hen
  • The sitting hen is easy to carve
  • Can be used as soap for bathing or washing (remove the nail polish)
  • Difficulty: Intermediate

What you will need

supplies1supplies2supplies3
  • Soap
  • Carving or Exacto knife
  • Paring knife
  • Toothpick
  • Cutting board
  • Nail polish
  • Food coloring and water
  • Paint brush
  • Hen Template (download here )

Soap info

Floral mild soap

Used in tutorial

white soap
  • Available
  • White colour
  • Floral scented
  • Size: 7.5 cm (3") x 5.5 cm (2-1/8") x 2.3 cm (7/8")
  • Weight: 80 g (3 oz)

Persimmon soap

persimmon soap
  • Available
  • Sweet Fruity Scent
  • Size: 8.8 cm (3-1/2") x 5.5 cm (2-1/8") x 2.8 cm (1-1/8")
  • Weight: 100 g (3.5 oz)

Instruction video

Instructions

1. Cut out the hen templates.
Trace the hen's shape onto the soap with a toothpick.
Note: if you make a sitting hen, you don't need to trace the part of the legs.
step 1
2. Cut out the hen's shape a bit bigger than the outline you traced with a paring knife.
Then cut off the excess soap along the outline with a carving knife.
step 2
3. Placing the template on the other side of the hen, cut off the excess soap.
step 3
4. Holding your knife upright, cut off the excess parts of the top to create the comb.
step 4
5. Cut off the excess parts of the bottom to create the legs.
step 5
6. Round the edges of both sides of the body.
step 6
7. Draw the outlines of the parts of the hen's face (beak, wattle, earlobe).
Holding your knife vertically to the soap, cut along the outlines.
Tilting your knife, cut off the soap around the wattle. Then cut off the soap inside the part of the eye.
step 7
8. Carve the earlobe. Repeat previous step on the other side of the face.
step 8
9. Cut off the excess soap between the wattles.
Carve the beak.
step 9
10. Draw the outline of the wing. Holding your knife upright, cut along the outline, then tilting the knife, cut off the soap around the wing.
step 10
11. Carve the feathers in the wing. Drawing the outline is not necessary.
step 11
12. Repeat two previous steps on the other side of the body.
Round the edges of the body.
step 12
13. Thin the tail.
step 13
14. Cut the tail into a scalloped shape.
step 14
15. Shape the top of the soap into the comb.
step 15
16. Draw the outline of the legs and cut along the outline, then cut off the ecxess soap around the legs.
step 16
17. Carve the feet.
step 17
18. Carve a circle for the eye with a toothpick.
step 18
19. Paint the eyes with nail polish.
step 19
20. Paint the hen soap with food coloring. Done!
step 20