Ya know when i watch these cake programs on tv i see the cake designer whipping up a really great sketch of the desired cake. It really does look true to the end result. I know i definitely can't draw to save my life. I've heard of software that can help with sketching but man would i love to have the ability to sketch my designs so freely. I don't do alot of cakes but it sure would be nice to take a pad and paper and put my ideas on a page. Normally when it's done it looks like a child sketched it. Can this be taught or am i just hopeless? Do you think a beginners drawing class would help or am i just wasting my time?

I think it can deffinitely be learned I have a 5 yr. old daughter who now designs her own birthday cakes and sketches them VERY WELL......she started sketching cakes when she was 3 or 4 after seeing me doing it in my freetime. A really easy and helpful time saver is to print out the basic shape of the cake (there are many in the templates section, most of which are from Doug) if you need a 3 tiered stacked round cake, print out that template....then all you have to do is fill in the details.
When I do sketches I don't get super detailed with the flowers and such, my roses are usually a swirl with some ruffly edges...it's just so that you get the idea.....other things like ribbons and such are just lines with a little curve to match the edge of the cake shape.

Try printing out some of the templates and make sketches of cakes you've already made, then you can compare the sketch to the cake.
I keep my sketches of wedding cakes in my files and show future brides an old bride's sketch and then a photo of their cake so they can see that it's not always EXACT but it looks very much the same!

Oh and by the way, cal java online

are selling wedding cake design pro program for 40 bucks right now........I just ordered one!


here you go!

http://www.caljavaonline.com/wcd1.htm

If you're doing it just for you, it doesn't matter how good or bad it looks, as long as you understand what you have down.

I dont' sketch cakes. I dont' give brides sketches. I don't pretend to sketch. THe closest they get is a "stick figure" cake I make in excel with a narrative description written out next to each tier. No bride has ever asked for a sketch, ever expected a sketch, nor were they surprised when they didn't get a sketch.

My canvas is a cake covered in icing, not a sketchpad or a canvas. If I was talented in the sketchpad or canvas category, you could call me Piccaso!

no one calls me Picasso!

KHalstead, you give me some great suggestions. I didn't even think to look in the sketches/template section. That would be so helpful to have the shape of the cake already done for me as i can't even do that properly.

Indydebi, i guess i just want to play around with ideas for cakes on paper so that i have a better idea of what i'm doing when it comes to the cake making. Kinda like a map for myself. I just felt so inferior when watching these programs..like i should be able to do it in order to be a professional decorator. I also would think it would help the client visualize what the end cake will sorta look like. I'm glad those that you have worked with don't expect a sketch. whew! ;0) I feel better now knowing it's not expected.

Thanks guys.

OK, so where do I find the templets section?

Yeah sweetcraving I wish I could do those kinds of sketches but some of us are not gifted in that area. And Indydebi I love ya! I get a good laugh everytime you say something but I agree. Most brides could care less and I know they are not calling me Picasso either. When we were in school they gave us templates of cakes to put our ideas on them.

just got my wedding cake design pro program.......how much fun is this cake toy???

I messed around and did a cake that I've already made to see how closely you can get it to look on the comp. image.....I'd say it's decent...here's a side by side

first one is the actual cake, second one is the computer generated one (like you couldn't tell lol)