Dry the soap by unwrapping it and leaving it in the open air for 24 hours.
Remove any branding or imprints on the top surface of the soap by skimming the knife across this area. Alternatively, choose a soap that is blank.
Draw the outline of your bear claw design onto the bar of soap using a pencil. Choose a claw design with a simple outline if you are new to soap-carving.
Cut away small pieces of soap around your drawn outline, until you have a rough version of your bear claw shape. Avoid carving large pieces of soap, as this will risk the bar splitting.
Scrape the knife from the front edge outline to the back edge of the soap outline to create a smooth, curved surface around the edge of the soap.
Draw finer details onto the soap with orangewood sticks. For example, you could draw on nails or create a furry-looking texture over the entire surface of the carving.
Buff the carved bear claw with a paper napkin to create a polished-looking surface. Rubbing your fingertips over the surface of the soap carving will create the same effect.