Cookiepocalypse update/progress report!
So, since my past post, I have spent a minimum of 7 hours a day on cookies, and I'm still not done. I might finish by this weekend. But I thought I'd take a short break and post my progress.
For those of you who've ordered cookies, I swear, they shall be in the mail soon. Many are done, and most are in progress. I think I only have seven left to do which have yet to be started. Whee!
OMG, this was a project that kind of went out of control >_<;; I wasn't really expecting all that many orders, and I said I would stop at 25, but then it just . . .
Well. I made and am still making a lot of cookies. I've logged well over 100 hours, 45 eggs, 10 pounds of flour, 4 pounds of butter, 12 pounds of confectioner's sugar, and I don't even know how much regular sugar.
Also half a bottle of vanilla vodka, none of it imbibed (I use it to suspend and carry the glitters and powders for painting).
Also, this, which emphatically was imbibed:
Funny story about that. When I got home from this escapade (and it was only day 4 of Cookiepocalypse), I went back to work.
The results:
Apparently, drunkenness and baking don't mix.
But you know does apparently mix with drunkenness?
I don't even know. This makes no sense to me. I can't get to the oven with a timer telling me when to take a cookie out, but I can perfectly frost a cookie and add 15 nonpareils in very precise formation without a hitch.
This is why I should never do a field sobriety test, sober or not.
Anyway.
Supplies!
I decided to start out with the Dome trenches because they were fairly simple compared to a lot of the other designs requested, and they were familiar, so I thought I'd go faster. I still have yet to do their hair or buttons/silver detailing. There are 19 of them, and I know the hair will take at least an entire day just by itself, and I haven't been able to bring myself to do it . . .
I love the glitters! I forgot to take a picture of Nino's though ^^;
Since I've done them before, I'm not going to add process pics here, because they'd seem kind of repetitive ^^;
Other repeats included Disco! Jun and Disco!Aiba, and Friendship!Aiba:
. . . it was only after I took the picture that I realized that I had forgotten the cowboys and donkeys on Aiba's suspenders O__o
This has been a continual issue with this project--I'm at any time working on 4-8 different types of cookie and sometimes I can be a little . . . absent-minded.
I had to remix the green for Disco Aiba's details 3 times, because I kept getting rid of it and then noticing I had missed something--like the cuffs--or the collars. ^^;
It's been that kind of month.
Anyway, most of the cookies requested weren't repeats, which was challenging. One of the first ones I worked with was Ohmiya SK:
Reference shots (because who doesn't need a bit more OhMiya SK in their lives?)
The hardest part of these was figuring out how to do the feathers since I wanted everything to be edible, but none of my cookie cutters quite worked.
I settled on basically using the cookie cutter to sketch the shape of the body, and then adding the feather shape--then we had to hand-cut the Franken-cookie out of the dough.
Then, the painting!
As a group, they were a bit overwhelming:
To do the feathers, what I decided to do was to paint the feather base in the appropriate color (red or blue) and then pipe strings of the colors from a center line to mimic feathers.
Then I added hair:
Some finished cookies:
I like that thisis reminiscent of a CanCan line. I would so go to see that performance ^^;
Ohmiya SK!
Though Ohno's costume has a gold sheen to it under the black and Nino's a silver sheen, I couldn't quite figure out how to get that look and still keep it edible. I have some powders that would be awesome, almost mirror bright, but they're not officially cleared for eating, and . . . no. I content myself with the knowledge that a) I haven't poisoned anyone, and b) photos of the costume seem to focus on the black. It's really in the videos that the gold and silver seem so prevalent.
That said, if I ever make these again, I'll check ahead of time if edibility is an issue; I'd kind of like to see what they'd look like with the gold and silver sheens.
Probably my favorite cookie made for this was Kenta-kun from UtaOni.
Ok. How did I forget the #$%@$%@ stars on the hat and scarf??? I thought I was going to be all cute and ask Circee if she wanted the sequins from the concert performance or not and then I saw the checks on the stripes and about cried. I abandoned that detail from the get-go.
So here is the concept sketch and a template cookie:
For the hat, I just used the cookie cutter and then smushed on the glops of extra dough I needed to get the shape I wanted. It was . . . very precise >_>
I avoided the hard parts for a while by playing Paint-Inside-the-Lines:
Then I went drinking:
And ruined cookies:
And then won at life.
I still can't believe that this came out. I also can't believe that the Boy didn't try to stop me when I reached for a pointy object while inebriated. I've been known to lacerate myself with a butter knife while sober. I had no business near a pointy thing O__o
This is not to say that there weren't any casualties:
That poor cookie. It has been used as a guinea pig, dismembered, and now has a face with three different black finishes (I was testing different options for the GANTZ cookies). It's still there. I think I'll finish eating him when this is all over.
Anyway, the next morning, I added the stripes and the name tag and painted on the stars.
The process of the star-making was pretty simple; I just added a glop of icing to the cookie, and then used the pointy takoyaki pick to draw out the points. By the end, I had gotten pretty decent at it.
The results:
Finally, I added the hair:
I dare you to click on him and not squee. I know I shouldn't be so giddy over him, but dammit, he's cute&hearts But the stars are much more visible on the blown-up version.
So cute!
After I took these pictures, I realized I forgot the bright yellow buttons on his waistband. They're scheduled for as soon as I mix up the yellow for the cookies I'm doing now; I think it's a match.
As I made Kenta, I swore he would be a one-time cookie, but now, I'm not so sure. It took me until the 5th (of 6) before I felt I'd figured out how best to do the stripes on his inseams, and I'd kind of like to try him again sometime.
So, I am actually pretty much incapable of drawing a straight line, which is why this request was so funny:
This one is all about the lines and the glitter and having a really steady hand.
Midway through, I got really worried that Jun was going to look like the Michelin Man at Mardi Gras. Happily, this did not happen.
The "MJ" on the jacket was probably the hardest part ^^;
The cat inspects:
You know how Jun always loves animals and they don't like him back? I think if he were to get a pet, he should get a Ragdoll or a Ragdoll mix (which is what we assume our former stray is). They are the friendliest damn cats ever. A pair, though, so they can keep each other company. These cats are the most whorishly affectionate animals I have ever seen. Jun might actually have a chance with them.
Anyway. Close ups!
As you can see, the hair was a bit hit or miss ^^;
While I was between UtaOni and Yabai, bitterbee came to visit and totally saved my life by taking over icing and dough-making and helping with some of the painting&hearts It can't have been the most exciting Spring Break ever for her, but she was awesome&hearts
I understand she took much perverse joy in painting cookie crotches ^^;
After Yabai, we went with something a bit more simple: DOUBLE PARKA.
I'm pretty happy with how he came out:
The other cookie bitterbee really helped out with was Kaibutsu-kun.
Someone does not necessarily approve:
The only really tricky part of this cookie was the plaid on his pants.
In retrospect, the plaid is so bright it's not really accurate ^^; I think if I were to do it again, I'd see if I could dilute it with the blue a bit to see if we could get it closer without suggesting that it's a green. But I still think he came out well:
A digression, but I just wanted to mention that not one but three people wanted Nino's solo from Scene O__o
FYI, that costume has SEVEN PLAIDS >_<;;
Just one about made me cry, so I said no.
I . . . just . . . no.
I think my favorite part of this cookie was his little red tie thing&hearts
Trouble incarnate!
After that relative breather, I put bitterbee back on a plane and tackled a cookie I knew was going to be a bear:
To be fair, this cookie wasn't a fundraising cookie, but a thank you cookie for nepheliads, who had done me a favor something like a month ago ^^; Better late than never?
Because I knew it was going to be a pain to get right, I actually made 3.
Midway through, I was highly amused to realize that they were taking on a distinct air of bondage:
The Boy decided that bondage looks perkier with a straw hat made of crackers and cheese.
Frankly, this seemed appropriate. The icing didn't want to cooperate, my other cookies I was working on at the same time weren't working out, and three of my previously-made cookies died in storage (Disco Aiba, Dome Trench Ohno and Dome Trench Jun; it was very sad. I seriously almost cried, because the whole project was getting overwhelming even without mishaps and the Spring Break was now over, severly shortening my available time to paint cookies. It was a bad day. There may have been alcohol.
Just maybe.
Without his hair, Kurono looks a lot like Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi.
For the glowy circles, I used pearlescent sugar pearls and coated them with the same silver glaze used in other places on the cookie. I had gotten this cool iridescent powder that glowed a blue-purple in the the right light, but it sadly didn't adhere to the pearls. Now I will have to think of a proper use for it . . .
They look a lot better with hair:
Group shot!
The one on the right needs a bit of touch-up work. We'll see if I can't make it a bit sharper.
Individual shots:
I cannot tell you how happy I am that these are done. They turned out okay, I guess, but despite using only 2 frostings and a couple of other items, they took around 10 hours to do and . . . made me want to cry about 5 times in that period. I won't be making these again ^^;
Speaking of nightmares not to be repeated:
I'm still in the middle of these, and tears are close. They're hand-cut out, and then the baking kind of distorts them a bit.
To make them, I made stencils of printouts of the sketches, and then used the takoyaki pick to pointillate them out (yes, I used it as a verb. Sue me).
I'm still in process with these, but they've been a bit of a pain, mostly because the icing has taken on some sort of mutant texture wherein it gets weirdly rubbery and refuses to stick to the cookies well. I may have to make a new batch. I know it's the same stuff, but . . . it's being weird and makes me kind of want to cry. Clearly, I need to incorporate glitter somehow and all will be fine. I think it may be jealous of its flashier buddies. In any case, it hates me.
Some in-progress shots:
I made doubles, just to be sure things turned out moderately ok. We shall see.
And there you have it up to this point. I have a play to go to tonight, but will work on Yattaman a bit more when I get back. I'd at least like to get the black done.
Cookies left to start:
Dondake!Sho from Shiyagare (on the bottom right):
(Yes, those are the Right Back to You hakama cookies there, too. I am aspiring ^^; This was what I meant to do over break before fundraising came into the picture. I hope to make them soon.)
Jun's outfit from the opening set of Scene:
What I call "Marching Band Jun" from 5x10 (God help me, this one is going to be a pain in the rear >_<;;)
*weeps*
TABOO
That one is going to be a bitch, but I think I will enjoy it . . .
And others I haven't even gotten around to sketching, like Naruse (EASY!!!) and Love Situation Jun and Nino from Time (the pink and white camo outfits that hid under the prom dresses). Those, I think, are going to be pretty doable, too, though the lettering should be fun.
Anyway, thus went the past two weeks (exactly!) of my life. bitterbee and doctoggy have been awesome in their help and company keeping, as well as in the loan of baking implements and tables, and the Boy has been fabulous at not only not getting crabby that I've all but ignored him for two weeks (and counting), but also in being totally supportive (though he thinks I should have charged more for the cookies ^^;). I am way behind at work, and I'm still not done ^^; I'm hoping to finish everything by the end of this weekend and get life back to normal. On the other hand, I still haven't done the hakama cookies . . .
Hey there, flist! How are things going on your end?
For those of you who've ordered cookies, I swear, they shall be in the mail soon. Many are done, and most are in progress. I think I only have seven left to do which have yet to be started. Whee!
OMG, this was a project that kind of went out of control >_<;; I wasn't really expecting all that many orders, and I said I would stop at 25, but then it just . . .
Well. I made and am still making a lot of cookies. I've logged well over 100 hours, 45 eggs, 10 pounds of flour, 4 pounds of butter, 12 pounds of confectioner's sugar, and I don't even know how much regular sugar.
Also half a bottle of vanilla vodka, none of it imbibed (I use it to suspend and carry the glitters and powders for painting).
Also, this, which emphatically was imbibed:
Funny story about that. When I got home from this escapade (and it was only day 4 of Cookiepocalypse), I went back to work.
The results:
Apparently, drunkenness and baking don't mix.
But you know does apparently mix with drunkenness?
I don't even know. This makes no sense to me. I can't get to the oven with a timer telling me when to take a cookie out, but I can perfectly frost a cookie and add 15 nonpareils in very precise formation without a hitch.
This is why I should never do a field sobriety test, sober or not.
Anyway.
Supplies!
I decided to start out with the Dome trenches because they were fairly simple compared to a lot of the other designs requested, and they were familiar, so I thought I'd go faster. I still have yet to do their hair or buttons/silver detailing. There are 19 of them, and I know the hair will take at least an entire day just by itself, and I haven't been able to bring myself to do it . . .
I love the glitters! I forgot to take a picture of Nino's though ^^;
Since I've done them before, I'm not going to add process pics here, because they'd seem kind of repetitive ^^;
Other repeats included Disco! Jun and Disco!Aiba, and Friendship!Aiba:
. . . it was only after I took the picture that I realized that I had forgotten the cowboys and donkeys on Aiba's suspenders O__o
This has been a continual issue with this project--I'm at any time working on 4-8 different types of cookie and sometimes I can be a little . . . absent-minded.
I had to remix the green for Disco Aiba's details 3 times, because I kept getting rid of it and then noticing I had missed something--like the cuffs--or the collars. ^^;
It's been that kind of month.
Anyway, most of the cookies requested weren't repeats, which was challenging. One of the first ones I worked with was Ohmiya SK:
Reference shots (because who doesn't need a bit more OhMiya SK in their lives?)
The hardest part of these was figuring out how to do the feathers since I wanted everything to be edible, but none of my cookie cutters quite worked.
I settled on basically using the cookie cutter to sketch the shape of the body, and then adding the feather shape--then we had to hand-cut the Franken-cookie out of the dough.
Then, the painting!
As a group, they were a bit overwhelming:
To do the feathers, what I decided to do was to paint the feather base in the appropriate color (red or blue) and then pipe strings of the colors from a center line to mimic feathers.
Then I added hair:
Some finished cookies:
I like that thisis reminiscent of a CanCan line. I would so go to see that performance ^^;
Ohmiya SK!
Though Ohno's costume has a gold sheen to it under the black and Nino's a silver sheen, I couldn't quite figure out how to get that look and still keep it edible. I have some powders that would be awesome, almost mirror bright, but they're not officially cleared for eating, and . . . no. I content myself with the knowledge that a) I haven't poisoned anyone, and b) photos of the costume seem to focus on the black. It's really in the videos that the gold and silver seem so prevalent.
That said, if I ever make these again, I'll check ahead of time if edibility is an issue; I'd kind of like to see what they'd look like with the gold and silver sheens.
Probably my favorite cookie made for this was Kenta-kun from UtaOni.
Ok. How did I forget the #$%@$%@ stars on the hat and scarf??? I thought I was going to be all cute and ask Circee if she wanted the sequins from the concert performance or not and then I saw the checks on the stripes and about cried. I abandoned that detail from the get-go.
So here is the concept sketch and a template cookie:
For the hat, I just used the cookie cutter and then smushed on the glops of extra dough I needed to get the shape I wanted. It was . . . very precise >_>
I avoided the hard parts for a while by playing Paint-Inside-the-Lines:
Then I went drinking:
And ruined cookies:
And then won at life.
I still can't believe that this came out. I also can't believe that the Boy didn't try to stop me when I reached for a pointy object while inebriated. I've been known to lacerate myself with a butter knife while sober. I had no business near a pointy thing O__o
This is not to say that there weren't any casualties:
That poor cookie. It has been used as a guinea pig, dismembered, and now has a face with three different black finishes (I was testing different options for the GANTZ cookies). It's still there. I think I'll finish eating him when this is all over.
Anyway, the next morning, I added the stripes and the name tag and painted on the stars.
The process of the star-making was pretty simple; I just added a glop of icing to the cookie, and then used the pointy takoyaki pick to draw out the points. By the end, I had gotten pretty decent at it.
The results:
Finally, I added the hair:
I dare you to click on him and not squee. I know I shouldn't be so giddy over him, but dammit, he's cute&hearts But the stars are much more visible on the blown-up version.
So cute!
After I took these pictures, I realized I forgot the bright yellow buttons on his waistband. They're scheduled for as soon as I mix up the yellow for the cookies I'm doing now; I think it's a match.
As I made Kenta, I swore he would be a one-time cookie, but now, I'm not so sure. It took me until the 5th (of 6) before I felt I'd figured out how best to do the stripes on his inseams, and I'd kind of like to try him again sometime.
So, I am actually pretty much incapable of drawing a straight line, which is why this request was so funny:
This one is all about the lines and the glitter and having a really steady hand.
Midway through, I got really worried that Jun was going to look like the Michelin Man at Mardi Gras. Happily, this did not happen.
The "MJ" on the jacket was probably the hardest part ^^;
The cat inspects:
You know how Jun always loves animals and they don't like him back? I think if he were to get a pet, he should get a Ragdoll or a Ragdoll mix (which is what we assume our former stray is). They are the friendliest damn cats ever. A pair, though, so they can keep each other company. These cats are the most whorishly affectionate animals I have ever seen. Jun might actually have a chance with them.
Anyway. Close ups!
As you can see, the hair was a bit hit or miss ^^;
While I was between UtaOni and Yabai, bitterbee came to visit and totally saved my life by taking over icing and dough-making and helping with some of the painting&hearts It can't have been the most exciting Spring Break ever for her, but she was awesome&hearts
I understand she took much perverse joy in painting cookie crotches ^^;
After Yabai, we went with something a bit more simple: DOUBLE PARKA.
I'm pretty happy with how he came out:
The other cookie bitterbee really helped out with was Kaibutsu-kun.
Someone does not necessarily approve:
The only really tricky part of this cookie was the plaid on his pants.
In retrospect, the plaid is so bright it's not really accurate ^^; I think if I were to do it again, I'd see if I could dilute it with the blue a bit to see if we could get it closer without suggesting that it's a green. But I still think he came out well:
A digression, but I just wanted to mention that not one but three people wanted Nino's solo from Scene O__o
FYI, that costume has SEVEN PLAIDS >_<;;
Just one about made me cry, so I said no.
I . . . just . . . no.
I think my favorite part of this cookie was his little red tie thing&hearts
Trouble incarnate!
After that relative breather, I put bitterbee back on a plane and tackled a cookie I knew was going to be a bear:
To be fair, this cookie wasn't a fundraising cookie, but a thank you cookie for nepheliads, who had done me a favor something like a month ago ^^; Better late than never?
Because I knew it was going to be a pain to get right, I actually made 3.
Midway through, I was highly amused to realize that they were taking on a distinct air of bondage:
The Boy decided that bondage looks perkier with a straw hat made of crackers and cheese.
Frankly, this seemed appropriate. The icing didn't want to cooperate, my other cookies I was working on at the same time weren't working out, and three of my previously-made cookies died in storage (Disco Aiba, Dome Trench Ohno and Dome Trench Jun; it was very sad. I seriously almost cried, because the whole project was getting overwhelming even without mishaps and the Spring Break was now over, severly shortening my available time to paint cookies. It was a bad day. There may have been alcohol.
Just maybe.
Without his hair, Kurono looks a lot like Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi.
For the glowy circles, I used pearlescent sugar pearls and coated them with the same silver glaze used in other places on the cookie. I had gotten this cool iridescent powder that glowed a blue-purple in the the right light, but it sadly didn't adhere to the pearls. Now I will have to think of a proper use for it . . .
They look a lot better with hair:
Group shot!
The one on the right needs a bit of touch-up work. We'll see if I can't make it a bit sharper.
Individual shots:
I cannot tell you how happy I am that these are done. They turned out okay, I guess, but despite using only 2 frostings and a couple of other items, they took around 10 hours to do and . . . made me want to cry about 5 times in that period. I won't be making these again ^^;
Speaking of nightmares not to be repeated:
I'm still in the middle of these, and tears are close. They're hand-cut out, and then the baking kind of distorts them a bit.
To make them, I made stencils of printouts of the sketches, and then used the takoyaki pick to pointillate them out (yes, I used it as a verb. Sue me).
I'm still in process with these, but they've been a bit of a pain, mostly because the icing has taken on some sort of mutant texture wherein it gets weirdly rubbery and refuses to stick to the cookies well. I may have to make a new batch. I know it's the same stuff, but . . . it's being weird and makes me kind of want to cry. Clearly, I need to incorporate glitter somehow and all will be fine. I think it may be jealous of its flashier buddies. In any case, it hates me.
Some in-progress shots:
I made doubles, just to be sure things turned out moderately ok. We shall see.
And there you have it up to this point. I have a play to go to tonight, but will work on Yattaman a bit more when I get back. I'd at least like to get the black done.
Cookies left to start:
Dondake!Sho from Shiyagare (on the bottom right):
(Yes, those are the Right Back to You hakama cookies there, too. I am aspiring ^^; This was what I meant to do over break before fundraising came into the picture. I hope to make them soon.)
Jun's outfit from the opening set of Scene:
What I call "Marching Band Jun" from 5x10 (God help me, this one is going to be a pain in the rear >_<;;)
*weeps*
TABOO
That one is going to be a bitch, but I think I will enjoy it . . .
And others I haven't even gotten around to sketching, like Naruse (EASY!!!) and Love Situation Jun and Nino from Time (the pink and white camo outfits that hid under the prom dresses). Those, I think, are going to be pretty doable, too, though the lettering should be fun.
Anyway, thus went the past two weeks (exactly!) of my life. bitterbee and doctoggy have been awesome in their help and company keeping, as well as in the loan of baking implements and tables, and the Boy has been fabulous at not only not getting crabby that I've all but ignored him for two weeks (and counting), but also in being totally supportive (though he thinks I should have charged more for the cookies ^^;). I am way behind at work, and I'm still not done ^^; I'm hoping to finish everything by the end of this weekend and get life back to normal. On the other hand, I still haven't done the hakama cookies . . .
Hey there, flist! How are things going on your end?