Everyone shows such beautiful cakes here! They are wonderful inspirations. I would very much like to master this skill of making a "professional looking" cake. I know some people just have that "nack" , while others of us have to work at it. Alot of people can decorate a cake, but not everyone can produce that "spectacular quality". Would some of you consider sharing your tips/techniques/secrets for making a professional looking cake??
There are several forums that can help with this "How Do I", "Cake Decorating" & even "Cake Disasters" is helpful as you will learn preventative measures. There are even tutorials. This entire site is dedicated to decorating, so you'll find something just about everywhere. You just gotta look. 
There are several forums that can help with this "How Do I", "Cake Decorating" & even "Cake Disasters" is helpful as you will learn preventative measures. There are even tutorials. This entire site is dedicated to decorating, so you'll find something just about everywhere. You just gotta look.
I can't think of anything to add this. Other than.....practice!
And Bella, LOVE your quote. Dang shootin man....how much?? How much? Not THAT much, surely I can't charge that much....oi vey! I want to put that on my tagline too. Debi must love being quoted. I think we all need to quote that one. 
Cathy - Here's the list of acronyms to help you understand what's going on in the forum's. Hope this helps!
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-2926.html
And I agree with Superstar and Lurvely! Everyone is going to have a flaw here and there. It's cake - we aren't going to be 100% perfect. So you hide your flaws when you need to.
To me, a lot of what makes even a so-so cake look good is how it is photographed. Even a gorgeous cake looks less so when I see a coffee cup, stove, piping bag or other decorating supplies, sippie cup, etc. scattered all around. You can buy those science fair three-fold cardboard things to put behind your cake for not too much. I see them at walmart, Michaels, etc. all the time.
A covered cake board is important too. It finishes the cake. I've seen some great cakes on just plain cardboard, with the grease stain coming out from beneath the cake. Doesn't have to be fancy, just covered with something that won't allow the fat content of the cake or icing to stain it.
Just doing those two things can help (and please note that this is only my opinion).
Oh shoot. I don't think there's a time I haven't seen a bulge or two on one of Duff's cakes. Seriously. Sometimes, it's smoke and mirrors. Even he has said "you decorate to hide the flaws"...something to that effect.
I heard Sylvia Weinstock say once that what makes a professinal cake artist is'nt whether or not they make mistakes but how well they cover up those mistakes!
Of course that's not the exact quote but pretty close, and I remember her words everytime I make a mistake and just do my best to cover it up.
a little tip that I've noticed between professional cakes and amatuer cakes is proportion. I know that many amateur decorators use the same size tips because that's all they have. When you make a bigger cake, you may need to use bigger dimensions.
Also, really think about the board as part of the cake. Having a clean, finished board really makes a cake look good.
Lastly, "strategic placement" is a must.
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