Aquarium, Whale Shark, and a Boy

This is another challenge that I am glad that I didn’t give up. 

I wanted to do the following 3 things this time.

   1.  to show the depth of water, using different colored isomalt

   2.  making bubbles in isomalt candy to express airs

   3.  making waves with isomalt candy

This is the biggest cookie (project) I have ever made, 18.5x16.5cm ( 7.3x6.5 inch)

I made 4 of them, they are very fragile for me and I asked Samantha of @Aproned Artist  how she made such a delicate cookie for her tutorial:https://cookieconnection.julia...ist-special-delivery

Mines were broken here and there, I think I put too much flour in my dough. 😅

To strengthen  the cookie frames, I put icing on, inside is blue because it is going to be inside the water pool and the surface, well I could put the same blue, though somehow I put light beige colored icing.  But still my cookies were fragile...😱

I put the tapes on my silicon mat to show how big the cookie is then I decorated some rocks, corals and sardine on silicon mat directly. 

1. I put the frame cookie on the silicon mat then poured 3 different colored isomalt candy one after another while they are still liquid. 

light color isomalt for up and dark color isomalt for bottom

This cookie is the down bottom cookie. 

2.    I place another frame cookie then poured isomalt when it has many bubbles

 there are so many small bubbles!

This is the second layer from the bottom cookie. 

3.   I shrink wax paper and stretch it a little then put another frame cookie on it.

Pour isomalt on it.  I need to be careful to remove the wax paper, if I remove it when the isomalt is still warm, the paper sticks to isomalt like old sticky candy sticks to wrapping paper.  I forgot to take a photo after I poured the isomalt, I was very concentrate on removing the paper.    This is going to be the second from the top cookie. 

For the surface of the water pool (the glass part) I turn over the frame cookie (face is down) and pour isomalt, try not to make bubbles with isomalt to make flat surface.  The glass isomalt is the same level as the cookie frame. 

The whale shark and a boy are icing transfer.  The whale shark is attached to the second layer from the top (wave isomalt one) and a boy is attached to the surface of aquarium tank (first layer of cookie)    

I am very glad that I could make bubbles and especially waves with isomalt but where are sardine and jelly fish???  They are deep in water. 

WoW, this is Amaaaazing! I am totally in love with this project of yours. You did a fantastic job showing different layers and depth of water. Again, amazing. 🤩🤩🤩😍😍😍

Absolutely great idea, perfect job, fantastic tutorial,I can see the depth of water, all inside 

really love it👏👏👏

great work

carouselselsel posted:

WoW, this is Amaaaazing! I am totally in love with this project of yours. You did a fantastic job showing different layers and depth of water. Again, amazing. 🤩🤩🤩😍😍😍

Thank you, Zara.  I let a boy wear Christmas colored clothes😄

Petra Florean posted:

Absolutely great idea, perfect job, fantastic tutorial,I can see the depth of water, all inside 

really love it👏👏👏

Thank you, Petra🦈🦈 

PUDING FARM posted:

great work

Thank you

Absolute genius, Ryoko! I love all of the “movement” of the water. That wax paper layer is brilliant. Well done!

So adorable and clever! Really glad you persisted and entered too!

Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. posted:

This is another challenge that I am glad that I didn’t give up. 

I wanted to do the following 3 things this time.

   1.  to show the depth of water, using different colored isomalt

   2.  making bubbles in isomalt candy to express airs

   3.  making waves with isomalt candy

 

This is the biggest cookie (project) I have ever made, 18.5x16.5cm ( 7.3x6.5 inch)

I made 4 of them, they are very fragile for me and I asked Samantha of @Aproned Artist  how she made such a delicate cookie for her tutorial:https://cookieconnection.julia...ist-special-delivery

Mines were broken here and there, I think I put too much flour in my dough. 😅

To strengthen  the cookie frames, I put icing on, inside is blue because it is going to be inside the water pool and the surface, well I could put the same blue, though somehow I put light beige colored icing.  But still my cookies were fragile...😱

I put the tapes on my silicon mat to show how big the cookie is then I decorated some rocks, corals and sardine on silicon mat directly. 

1. I put the frame cookie on the silicon mat then poured 3 different colored isomalt candy one after another while they are still liquid. 

 

light color isomalt for up and dark color isomalt for bottom

This cookie is the down bottom cookie. 

2.    I place another frame cookie then poured isomalt when it has many bubbles

 there are so many small bubbles!

This is the second layer from the bottom cookie. 

3.   I shrink wax paper and stretch it a little then put another frame cookie on it.

Pour isomalt on it.  I need to be careful to remove the wax paper, if I remove it when the isomalt is still warm, the paper sticks to isomalt like old sticky candy sticks to wrapping paper.  I forgot to take a photo after I poured the isomalt, I was very concentrate on removing the paper.    This is going to be the second from the top cookie. 

For the surface of the water pool (the glass part) I turn over the frame cookie (face is down) and pour isomalt, try not to make bubbles with isomalt to make flat surface.  The glass isomalt is the same level as the cookie frame. 

 

I am very glad that I could make bubbles and especially waves with isomalt but where are sardine and jelly fish???  They are deep in water. 

When I have made thin rectangular frames, they broke as well (tried to make a billiards table once and it was a total disaster). Maybe a round shape is just inherently stronger.

WOW! WOW! WOW!!!!! Ryoko, it's breathtakingly beautiful!!!!! So super great idea and above all implementation!!!! Love the totally realistic looking sparkling water in such a sea aquarium !!! The child in front rounds it off perfectly!!!! I really love it totally!!!!!!!! So great dear Ryoko!! ❤️😘  @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave.

So so precious!!!

Aproned Artist posted:

Absolute genius, Ryoko! I love all of the “movement” of the water. That wax paper layer is brilliant. Well done!

Thank you, Samantha.  Rectangular frames really scare me, I need to hold my breath while I move them from here to there.  I will try circle cookie💛 Thank you, again for your comment❣️

Julia M. Usher posted:

So adorable and clever! Really glad you persisted and entered too!

Hi Julia, I had been thinking how to make waves in pretty big area (for me) for over one month, probably with fork? heated fork? it should be done within a minute... I don't want to make rectangular cookie frame again...

It came out much better than I expected with big bubbles😊I was too excited to take the photo of wave candy part😅

Icingsugarkeks posted:

WOW! WOW! WOW!!!!! Ryoko, it's breathtakingly beautiful!!!!! So super great idea and above all implementation!!!! Love the totally realistic looking sparkling water in such a sea aquarium !!! The child in front rounds it off perfectly!!!! I really love it totally!!!!!!!! So great dear Ryoko!! ❤️😘  @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave.

Thank you, Gabi, actually it is very fun to make waves with wax paper.  Well now I can say that but it took soooo long for me to come up with that.   

Kim Damon posted:

So so precious!!!

Hi @Kim Damon  thank you.  You come up with many ideas with many ways, that's brilliant!  I could think only one.  

This is incredible... 🥰

Michy D posted:

This is incredible... 🥰

Thank you

Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. posted:

Kim Damon posted:

So so precious!!!

Hi @Kim Damon  thank you.  You come up with many ideas with many ways, that's brilliant!  I could think only one.  

Ryoko,

I love your style! Xoxo This is truly stunning, and your technique is masterful!

Such a great idea!  Thanks for the tutorial.

Silver Cloud Cakes posted:

Such a great idea!  Thanks for the tutorial.

 

Thank you 😀🐠🐠

Absolutely STUNNING! Wow!!!

Evelindecora posted:

Absolutely STUNNING! Wow!!!

Thank you Evelin 😍

Ryoko @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave., you've outdone yourself! This is so outstanding and brilliant! The depth you were able to give by layering isomalt is fantastic... those bubbles and waves ❤️❤️❤️!

Moving fragile things can be a challenge. The way I do it with large fragile royal icing transfers is to slide a thin but quite rigid sheet of clear plastic underneath and then move it onto wherever it needs to go. The kind of plastic I'm talking about you get by cutting the clear front off a report folder like this (it needs to be clear for accurate placing):

If you only have to transfer a cookie onto a mat for further work, sliding it from the baking sheet onto a piece of cardboard would surely work as well.

And if the cookie is not intended for consumption, but as a keepsake, you always can bake it longer to harden and dry it more .

Your are great !!! 👍🏻👌🏻🥰  @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave.

I love all of the layers that have been used to create depth. There is just so much movement in that water that everything seems to come alive.  And I was wondering about the sardines...I thought maybe the whale shark had eaten them. 

swissophie posted:

Ryoko @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave., you've outdone yourself! This is so outstanding and brilliant! The depth you were able to give by layering isomalt is fantastic... those bubbles and waves ❤️❤️❤️!

Moving fragile things can be a challenge. The way I do it with large fragile royal icing transfers is to slide a thin but quite rigid sheet of clear plastic underneath and then move it onto wherever it needs to go. The kind of plastic I'm talking about you get by cutting the clear front off a report folder like this (it needs to be clear for accurate placing):

If you only have to transfer a cookie onto a mat for further work, sliding it from the baking sheet onto a piece of cardboard would surely work as well.

And if the cookie is not intended for consumption, but as a keepsake, you always can bake it longer to harden and dry it more .

Hi Sonja!   Thank you sooo much for your very helpful tips 💕 @iSugarfy (aka swissophie)

The good thing is that I didn't burn anything this time, too with isomalt ❣️   Making long and thin (oh, thin for me) stick like cookies were nightmare, especially for the same size of 4 frames.  It is very hard for me to bake the same size of cookies first of all so I had to scale them to adjust the size, and that was 😱😨😱  

Now I know I should had baked longer and dry them more.  I really couldn't come up the "dry" part, thank you💕

It is very hard for me to handle isomalt, I cannot make thin isomalt like you do so the cookie got really heavy after I poured isomalt.   That made me sweat to move the frame.  I used a flat sheet of plastic but mine is weak, yes I need the rigid one.  I wonder you could see what I was doing😅

Once I started working Isomalt part, I had to finish as fast as I can since they get cloudy so fast.  How do you keep them so clear??

Icingsugarkeks posted:

Your are great !!! 👍🏻👌🏻🥰  @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave.

Thank you, Gabi😍😍 I couldn't think more.   I wonder how you could make so many cookies @Icingsugarkeks that's amazing.

Sweet Prodigy posted:

I love all of the layers that have been used to create depth. There is just so much movement in that water that everything seems to come alive.  And I was wondering about the sardines...I thought maybe the whale shark had eaten them. 

Hi Christine @Sweet Prodigy   Thank you for your comment 😍

The whale shark gulped all sardines at a time, watch! he is going to give us a big burp😅😂That vibrates the tank!  

First, let me say that this is absolutely adorable. That shark is the cutest! But then let me say that this whole project is mind-boggling! As with all of your entries, Ryoko, the level of planning and detail here is staggering. I am so glad that you included the mini tutorial in the comments to share your process because it is extremely helpful. For clarification, I have a couple of questions... (1) are there four layers of isomalt? (2) is the shark a royal icing transfer that sit atop all of the layers of isomalt?

Questions aside, I think the way you used three (four?) different colored and textured layers of isomalt really makes this shark tank feel like it is quite deep, when in fact it is only about 1-2 cm (right?). I also love how both the shark and child are drawn/created with perspective (shout-out to Practice Bakes Perfect Challenge #36!). I could go on and on, but really, you outdid yourself on this one! Superb!

Bakerloo Station posted:

First, let me say that this is absolutely adorable. That shark is the cutest! But then let me say that this whole project is mind-boggling! As with all of your entries, Ryoko, the level of planning and detail here is staggering. I am so glad that you included the mini tutorial in the comments to share your process because it is extremely helpful. For clarification, I have a couple of questions... (1) are there four layers of isomalt? (2) is the shark a royal icing transfer that sit atop all of the layers of isomalt?

Questions aside, I think the way you used three (four?) different colored and textured layers of isomalt really makes this shark tank feel like it is quite deep, when in fact it is only about 1-2 cm (right?). I also love how both the shark and child are drawn/created with perspective (shout-out to Practice Bakes Perfect Challenge #36!). I could go on and on, but really, you outdid yourself on this one! Superb!

Thank you, Chrisitne, @Bakerloo Station   Thanks to Challenges, my cookies and skills have being improved!  

I have 4 cookie frames, 1 cm thickness each.  I usually bake 5mm-thickness cookies but I needed the space for the royal icing between each frame, so they are 1cm thickness.

 3 frames are for water and 1 frame for the tank.  From the bottom, the first one is 3 colored isomalt to express deepness of water, next one is small bubbles, then waves with wax paper.    I tried to express how the water looks like when there are many sea creatures in it (movement and bubbles)  The top layer is the glass of tank (the 4th cookie from the bottom)

Whale shark and a boy are royal icing transfer.  Once I started pouring isomalt, I wanted to make this done as soon as possible to avoid the cloudiness of isomalt.  So I prepared them as transfer.  The whale shark was attached to the wave isomalt  (second layer from the top) and the boy is on the surface of the tank.    The boy wants to touch the whale shark but actually he is touching the glass, and the whale shark is looking at the boy through the glass.  😃

I wish I could clarify things in the first comment of mine but it is very hard especially when I forgot to take a photo of the wave frame with a whale shark 😰  I hope I explained this time ....

"Superb" is one of my favorite words, thank you again. 

Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. posted:

 

Hi Sonja!   Thank you sooo much for your very helpful tips 💕 @iSugarfy (aka swissophie)

The good thing is that I didn't burn anything this time, too with isomalt ❣️   Making long and thin (oh, thin for me) stick like cookies were nightmare, especially for the same size of 4 frames.  It is very hard for me to bake the same size of cookies first of all so I had to scale them to adjust the size, and that was 😱😨😱  

Now I know I should had baked longer and dry them more.  I really couldn't come up the "dry" part, thank you💕

It is very hard for me to handle isomalt, I cannot make thin isomalt like you do so the cookie got really heavy after I poured isomalt.   That made me sweat to move the frame.  I used a flat sheet of plastic but mine is weak, yes I need the rigid one.  I wonder you could see what I was doing😅

Once I started working Isomalt part, I had to finish as fast as I can since they get cloudy so fast.  How do you keep them so clear??

Baking the same size cookie without a cutter is not easy for anyone, I think , especially if you use dough with a leavening agent. Most ovens usually don't have even heat distribution, so even if you bake them all on the same sheet and rotate them, you would get some differences. I've noticed that some doughs will even pull together (get smaller) a bit if you just leave the cookies in slightly longer than other batches.

To get larger areas of isomalt in a thin layer, you cannot just pour it, but you do need to spread it somehow. A heat gun would be my go-to tool with this size cookie. If you've got the heat and blower level just right, you even could make waves with it (not too hot, or the isomalt would just level out again).

About the cloudiness: you know it's the air humidity that gets to Isomalt. The easiest time to work with it, of course, is when the weather is nice and dry. I've noticed that Isomalt work done during such times will not cloud as much even after long times. It's like it's been cured.

If the weather doesn't play along, the only solutions are:

1) Silica gel packets: Amazon has them, but if you don't have the time to wait, one can find them sometimes in vitamin bottles or other food items like beef jerky. Maybe your local pharmacy has some? If the cookies will be eaten, only use food-grade silica gel. Otherwise, you could use those that come with electronics and such as well. Keep the cookies with the packets in an airtight container, as soon as you've finished them.

2) An edible glaze spray: PME makes one, but there are other brands. Most of them will leave a yellowish hue on white royal icing, so be careful. Now I wouldn't let people eat cookies with this stuff on it since you'll find it hard to get off of even smooth surfaces. The spray I use I only can get off with a metal scraper, so I wonder what this does to a body...

Hope this is of some help to you .

swissophie posted:

Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. posted:

 

Hi Sonja!   Thank you sooo much for your very helpful tips 💕 @iSugarfy (aka swissophie)

The good thing is that I didn't burn anything this time, too with isomalt ❣️   Making long and thin (oh, thin for me) stick like cookies were nightmare, especially for the same size of 4 frames.  It is very hard for me to bake the same size of cookies first of all so I had to scale them to adjust the size, and that was 😱😨😱  

Now I know I should had baked longer and dry them more.  I really couldn't come up the "dry" part, thank you💕

It is very hard for me to handle isomalt, I cannot make thin isomalt like you do so the cookie got really heavy after I poured isomalt.   That made me sweat to move the frame.  I used a flat sheet of plastic but mine is weak, yes I need the rigid one.  I wonder you could see what I was doing😅

Once I started working Isomalt part, I had to finish as fast as I can since they get cloudy so fast.  How do you keep them so clear??

Baking the same size cookie without a cutter is not easy for anyone, I think , especially if you use dough with a leavening agent. Most ovens usually don't have even heat distribution, so even if you bake them all on the same sheet and rotate them, you would get some differences. I've noticed that some doughs will even pull together (get smaller) a bit if you just leave the cookies in slightly longer than other batches.

To get larger areas of isomalt in a thin layer, you cannot just pour it, but you do need to spread it somehow. A heat gun would be my go-to tool with this size cookie. If you've got the heat and blower level just right, you even could make waves with it (not too hot, or the isomalt would just level out again).

About the cloudiness: you know it's the air humidity that gets to Isomalt. The easiest time to work with it, of course, is when the weather is nice and dry. I've noticed that Isomalt work done during such times will not cloud as much even after long times. It's like it's been cured.

If the weather doesn't play along, the only solutions are:

1) Silica gel packets: Amazon has them, but if you don't have the time to wait, one can find them sometimes in vitamin bottles or other food items like beef jerky. Maybe your local pharmacy has some? If the cookies will be eaten, only use food-grade silica gel. Otherwise, you could use those that come with electronics and such as well. Keep the cookies with the packets in an airtight container, as soon as you've finished them.

2) An edible glaze spray: PME makes one, but there are other brands. Most of them will leave a yellowish hue on white royal icing, so be careful. Now I wouldn't let people eat cookies with this stuff on it since you'll find it hard to get off of even smooth surfaces. The spray I use I only can get off with a metal scraper, so I wonder what this does to a body...

Hope this is of some help to you .

Oh Sonja @iSugarfy (aka swissophie) thank you for another great tips.  

I really need to be friend of heatgun but still hard 😰.... but I can guess we could make wave with heatgun😍 and I guess I should work on warmer (heated) flat place so I can move (handle) isomalt easily after I poured it into my frame, I guess.  

I think I am learning!  thank you😘😘

My aquarium is really cloud and cannot see whale shark anymore.  Somebody should clean the tank😨  All those fish made the water dirty.  

Next time, I plan very carefully and prepare enough silica gel.   Thank you again. 

Wow...This is absolutely wonderful! 🦈 🌊 💕 So amazing! Love the realistic water effect.

Thanks a lot dear Ryoko!!! @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave.
I bake cookies every Christmas for the whole family and friends. For you it is a unique gift that cannot be bought. Yes, I really have to plan a lot of time for it, but it's worth it !

Awesome work dear Ryoko @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. !!! I love all the steps and levels of detail that you included in this project. The wave effect is brilliant!! And you're right..it is a large sized project. I always love reading about your processes when creating cookie art. You are amazing my dear cookie friend. This is so fun and fabulous ❤️

Kanch J posted:

Wow...This is absolutely wonderful! 🦈 🌊 💕 So amazing! Love the realistic water effect.

Thank you🐠🐠🐠💕

Cookies Fantastique by Carol posted:

Awesome work dear Ryoko @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. !!! I love all the steps and levels of detail that you included in this project. The wave effect is brilliant!! And you're right..it is a large sized project. I always love reading about your processes when creating cookie art. You are amazing my dear cookie friend. This is so fun and fabulous ❤️

Hi Carol @Cookies Fantastique  thank you for your comment😍😍 and thank you for reading the procedure of this aquarium.   I always wonder whether my comment is read since my English isn't enough and I am not sure that my project is interesting  but many people read it and leave comment, you are one of them.  I really appreciate it.  ❤️❤️❤️  Thank you❣️ Carol.