I need to make a cake for a 75th BD.. She lives to play Bingo, drink martinis and and loves her dog (dashund)...so I want to make" Maxine" and call her Bingo Betty.... I'm thinking making her holding a martini in one hand and the dog maybe holding a bingo card...??Can I take a piece of fondant and cut out the shape of Maxine and then paint her with food coloring and vokda?...I don't have a airbrush or a ediable printer...I want to make on a sheet cake..don't think it would look right on a stacked cake..(I like to make tiers better) I would like to kinda make it have a 3-D affect... I'm also thinking I want the saying to say" at 75 I'd rather be playing Bingo" whats your thoughts or ideas???
Thanks for your help

I think the ideas you have going are great. I am sure you could paint the drawing on fondant, but I never have.
If it were me I would figure pipe the design on. That would give you the 3-D look you are looking for. You can just draw a rough outline on the cake with a toothpick then fill in with icing, letting it build up as you go. This cake is one I did of a deer using that method.

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=643563

I like your ideas, I can't help you with the fondant work, but like the saying.

sounds like you've thought it through just great.. would love to see the pic when it's finished.

I agree about piping it instead of painting it though.

Good Luck and great ideas!!

Your design ideas sound very funny (but appropriate).

Here are some "Maxines" from the CC gallery:

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&meta=search&type=full&search=maxine

Maxine images:

http://tinyurl.com/yphdpx

http://tinyurl.com/28luaa

http://tinyurl.com/23qefl

BCJean, your cake is fabulous.
Might I ask how long it took to complete the picture.

BCJean, your cake is fabulous.
Might I ask how long it took to complete the picture.
Thank you JanH
I have been doing cakes for a long time using this method. It takes me about 20 minutes to do one.

BCJean...your cake is really cool...love your work.
Can you explain a little more to me how to do it?

here's a picture of what I was thinking.....

Thank you for the interest in the 3-D drawings. I do almost all of my cakes this way. I don't have many pictures because I do the cakes at work and don't have time to take pictures. I do have one on the tip of the month thread, using only one tip to decorate the whole cake.
I first make the picture the size I want it on the cake, then I cut the figure out and place it on the cake and outline it with a toothpick. If you need more guidelines for the inside..for instance the picture of Maxine...I would then cut off her head (sorry that sounds bad) place it on the outline and outline around the chin where her head will end. Then I would cut out the coat and do the same thing with it. When you have it all marked off you fill in with buttercream icing. I usually use either a #5 or #10 tip, depending on the width I will need to cover. I go just inside of the line and squeeze with a firm swueeze until the icing flows to the line drawn. I don't think I am making myself very clear. You have to move your decorating bag very slowly so the icing has time to spread out and fill the area. You also have to make sure the end of the tip stays inside the icing so it builds out and up from the inside. You don't want layers of icing. Sometimes it comes out smooth enough you don't have to do any smoothing. If it is a large area I go over it with a small spatula, dipped in hot water, and smooth it. The one with the deer, I touched up with some airbrush shading also but I don't always.
Experiment with it and I think you will find it really isn't hard at all. ...And I am pretty sure it doesn't take talent or I wouldn't be able to do it.

BCJean- Thanks so much for the excellent explanation. I can't wait to try this! Your cakes and cookies are awesome- you are so talented!

Thanks for the advice,
So is it similar to doing royal icing, color flow or whatever it's called. Look in my photos at Hello Kitty and see if that's similar to how I did that..
so do you add a little corn syrup to make it flow??? sorry

after thought....

There is no reason you couldn't do that design with color flow. It would look good that way. Your Hello Kitty cake is very nice. I have just always thought it was more fun doing the 3-D pictures and it is a lot faster because you don't have to wait for anything to dry. I have always done my work in commercial bakeries and we can't have cakes in different stages of completion. When we start a cake we finish the whole thing and move on to the next cake. Because this is done with buttercream we don't have to mix any other icings to do it.

see what you think of this so far, this is a pratice one I made with fondant and then painted.. her face is NOT that pink...Be honest I am asking for it.....

She looks great!

She's fantastic-I love it!!