Throbbing Heart Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is coming! I made a big heart cookie for this challenge.

The size of my cookie is about 15 x 16 centimeters.

I got the idea from Itokake mandala art that is the art with strings and nails.

https://www.itomandala.com　　

The basic idea of itokake mandala art is, you start from one nail (a string starts there) and add a certain number, put the string there from the starting point and add that certain number again, put the string from the previous point to added number….. until you reach the starting point.  For example, start from 0 and if you choose 3, the next is 3, 6, 9, 12… till you reach 0.  (a circle mandala)

Since I am not good at counting numbers each time, I wrote down numbers on the paper and put my cookie on it.  I also wrote down all calculated numbers beforehand, that shows from where to where the icing goes.

I want to put the center of circle to the left upper side of heart. ( I hope I am explaining well…)

I colored pale pink to the first layer of icing but it was too pale.  

This is the second layer of mandala.  I chose a different number to add from the first layer to make mandala.  Since I am not good at making straight lines and this cookie is enormous for me, I use paper ruler of colored paper for the guide.  I just cut colored paper.   Paper is light and can be curved so it won’t break icing.  

The third layer of mandala, I chose another number that is different from the first and second layer.   

* For the first layer of icing, I used powdered sugar that contains oligosaccharide.  It seems like easy to be broken when I make long line.  For the second and third layer, I used powdered sugar that contains cornstarch, that makes less hard for me to make lines.

Now I wonder what original design is… this is not unique at all, I think I am going to try another one.  

So perfect done!!!!Dear Ryoko what a wonderful entry❤️Love your perfect thin stringwork!!!!

Beautiful piping. Thanks for your detailed explanation.

Love this Ryoko.  Thank you for sharing all of the details!❤️

Wow, so beautiful! I'm so impressed by these string work creations.

So well done! Congrats!

Looks amazing. Mandalas are new to me. Great instructions. Just to make sure - you started at 0, went across to 24 (because you have 48 numbers so half),then up to 3, back down to (24 + 3) so 27, then back up to 6, down to (27 +3) so 30, etc.  Is that how you get the third point?

@Sylvianne posted:

Looks amazing. Mandalas are new to me. Great instructions. Just to make sure - you started at 0, went across to 24 (because you have 48 numbers so half),then up to 3, back down to (24 + 3) so 27, then back up to 6, down to (27 +3) so 30, etc.  Is that how you get the third point?

Hi @Sylvianne

This is what I have learned from Mandalas.   If I have numbers from o to 48, I have divided 48 by 2, that's 24.  The numbers I was supposed to choose are prime numbers that are less than 24, so they are 23, 19, 17. ....

Choose 23 (Prime number)   I start from 0 then 23.   Next one is 23 + 23 =46   Then 46 + 23 - 48 since it passes 0 the number where I should go from 46 is 21.   21+23 = 44 the string goes from 21 to 44    (0  23  46  21  44  19..... till it goes back to 0)

I really wanted to know this works or not so I made 0 to 10 numbers on a circle and chose the number 3.  It worked.  ❤️

@Julia M. Usher posted:

So well done! Congrats!

Hi Julia, this is my new record of making straight lines   but not unique and I feel uncomfortable. 
@Julia M. Usher  I answered to Sylvianne's question, but I am not sure about my English, does my answer make sense? 

@The Psyched Baker posted:

Wow, so beautiful! I'm so impressed by these string work creations.

Thank you @The Psyched Baker

@LisaF posted:

Love this Ryoko.  Thank you for sharing all of the details!❤️

Hi Lisa,  thank you for leaving comment❤️

@Zeena posted:

Beautiful piping. Thanks for your detailed explanation.

Thank you @Zeena

@Petra Florean posted:

So perfect done!!!!Dear Ryoko what a wonderful entry❤️Love your perfect thin stringwork!!!!

Hi @Petra Florean  They are so fragile, when I dropped my brush accidentally on the strings, I thought everything stopped. 

@Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. posted:

Hi Julia, this is my new record of making straight lines   but not unique and I feel uncomfortable.
@Julia M. Usher  I answered to Sylvianne's question, but I am not sure about my English, does my answer make sense?

Yes, I think your explanation makes good sense. As for the design's originality, I haven't seen a mandala quite like this on a cookie, so I think it's fine. But if you want to stretch yourself with another pattern not so directly inspired by mandala techniques, then we will certainly eagerly await it! @Sweet Prodigy, what do you think?

@Julia M. Usher posted:

Yes, I think your explanation makes good sense. As for the design's originality, I haven't seen a mandala quite like this on a cookie, so I think it's fine. But if you want to stretch yourself with another pattern not so directly inspired by mandala techniques, then we will certainly eagerly await it! @Sweet Prodigy, what do you think?

Thank you, Julia.  Yes, I would love to try another one.  

@Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. posted:

Hi @Petra Florean  They are so fragile, when I dropped my brush accidentally on the strings, I thought everything stopped.

Yes,I know.You must be focused and very careful. This is a masterpiece. Outstanding work 👏 Bravo Ryoko❤️

Just wow! Stunning 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

@Evelindecora posted:

Just wow! Stunning 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Thank you, Evelin❤️

Wow!! What a masterwork, dear Ryoko!! ❤️❤️ @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave.

@Icingsugarkeks posted:

Wow!! What a masterwork, dear Ryoko!! ❤️❤️ @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave.

Hi there, Gabi  Thank you❤️

You did an excellent job of explaining how you created this stunning stringwork heart - and the pictures also help a lot. It's really interesting to see all of the math and calculations behind your design. Unlike real string art, mistakes can't be as easily corrected, so I would imagine that planning is a really important part of the whole process.

I love how the layers have been built up with each added line. Using different colors really helps to emphasize the dimensional work.

As far as originality goes, I'm sure there are countless itokake mandala heart designs out there, but the same can be said for Australian and oriental stringwork, which are both based on specific techniques. The most important thing is to take the elements of that technique and make it uniquely your own. And your description and photos clearly show that that's what you have done. Having said that, it would certainly be wonderful and welcoming to see another one of your stringwork creations.

@Sweet Prodigy posted:

You did an excellent job of explaining how you created this stunning stringwork heart - and the pictures also help a lot. It's really interesting to see all of the math and calculations behind your design. Unlike real string art, mistakes can't be as easily corrected, so I would imagine that planning is a really important part of the whole process.

I love how the layers have been built up with each added line. Using different colors really helps to emphasize the dimensional work.

As far as originality goes, I'm sure there are countless itokake mandala heart designs out there, but the same can be said for Australian and oriental stringwork, which are both based on specific techniques. The most important thing is to take the elements of that technique and make it uniquely your own. And your description and photos clearly show that that's what you have done. Having said that, it would certainly be wonderful and welcoming to see another one of your stringwork creations.

Thank you, Christine.  💕

Such a wonderful cookie. So perfect and creative. Love this. ❤🤍💕 Congrats Ryoko!!

@Kanch J posted:

Such a wonderful cookie. So perfect and creative. Love this. ❤🤍💕 Congrats Ryoko!!

Thank you, Kanchana.  I have never thought I would make so many long straight lines on my cookies. 

Oh I missed this entry Ryoko @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave.! This is gorgeous and so delicate . I just love how you created the side circle and used it as the "center" for the stringwork on this cookie. I've always been intrigued by mandalas. They're always so intricate and gorgeous! Thank you so much for your explanation of how you created the number of strings for each layer of different colors. Simply beautiful work as always my dear ❤️❤️❤️ Hugs...

@Cookies Fantastique posted:

Oh I missed this entry Ryoko @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave.! This is gorgeous and so delicate . I just love how you created the side circle and used it as the "center" for the stringwork on this cookie. I've always been intrigued by mandalas. They're always so intricate and gorgeous! Thank you so much for your explanation of how you created the number of strings for each layer of different colors. Simply beautiful work as always my dear ❤️❤️❤️ Hugs...

Carol, thank you for your lovely comment.  Thanks to this challenge, I learned a bit about how to make very basic Mandala art,  that is profound and complicated😍

Very impressive

@Joanna Manuel posted:

Very impressive

Thank you