The cake will look something like this (it was emailed to me) I dont know who made it or where the image came from but HOW did the make the words on this. It is made of gumpaste I think but it is not am edible image.Or at least I didnt think it was. What would you all do?
and I dont know how to "paint" on things with color...could someone tell me how or is it just dip and paint like any other painting?

Thanks a bunch

Looks like it was painted on. I think most people just use watered down gel colors. Maybe an edible marker for the black border? It was probably done on dried gumpaste.

so for the "paint" just add water to the color? I use mostly americolor..
seems simple enough...
So when do ,or what application, would you mix like alcohol (lemon extract) to the gels??
Or am I mixing up two totally different things?

This is when you use lemon juice or alcohol. You use it to thin the gel into painting consistency.

Good luck,
Kathi

I would just add a bit of water..very little....I have done these signs with RI also..Time consuming but nice and I just purchased and edible image printer so once I get all my stuff I can practice with that also.

I got this from baking911.com:

To Paint: Gum paste shapes can be painted with paste color before or after drying. (If not meant to be eaten or won't touch food, you can spray pieces with acrylic lacquer). To prepare colors for painting, use a clean toothpick to get some paste color and place in a plastic lid, small bowl or plate. Sprinkle a few drops of liquid onto the lid and mix it and the liquid together. Some prefer to dilute the colors by mixing them with vodka or gin instead of water to "water" them down. Liquor evaporates more rapidly than water, allowing you to paint more slowly before the surface gums up from the moisture in the paint. Don't use rum, for example because it contains sugar, defeating the rapid evaporation.

Experiment by trying your color on your practice gum paste piece and adjust it until you get the consistency you need. The runnier the color is the more likely it will run out of the area you are painting. The thicker the color, the easier it will be to lay down but it also will be darker. Carefully scrap off any mistakes with a sharp knife after the color has dried a little.

Some things to note: When painting the outline in black or any color tends to keep the colors separated even if it is not particularly thick. If you do not like the effect of a black line around your figures or design, try a light pencil so that you can butt one color up to the other without the black line separating them. If painting multiple colors, the first one needs to be somewhat dry before you can attempt the second color, or one may bleed into the other.

you never mix water with gel colours/ piping gel - it wont dry! always alcohol of some sort.
i actually thought that her name had been piped in ri on a gumpaste plaque, and gone over with with something to make it shine, like confectioners glaze or piping gel. just painting wont leave it shiney.
xx

Oh, the royal icing idea is good too. There's a good recipe on allrecipes that has a shine to it without adding glaze. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sugar-Cookie-Icing/Detail.aspx

You could also do color flow with RI. Here's one from CC made by missiellie. I think it looks nice. Good luck!

I did a 'free cakes for kids' Hannah Montana cake a few months ago and used the color flow technique. Super easy and it came out really well.

It is NOT posted in my photos because I have so much trouble sizing my pictures that I don't bother trying to post them.

I think color flow will be your easiest way of doing this. We did it using fondant on a fondant cake. The letters in Hannah and the "o" in Montana are just the regular cut out letters. The rest of the letters in Montana are also from the cutter but we then cut them to give the straighter lines The first letters of each name we printed on paper to use as a pattern and cut out around them. We then "glued" everything to black fondant and cut out the black around the letters. Then we painted the letters in "Hannah" and added the dots with RI.
http://s314.photobucket.com/albums/ll426/ShelbyLynnCakes/?action=view¤t=135.jpg

Using the color flow will be much quicker and will setup better for you. Plus, you can get the exact font for it.

I hate to say this but I have never done color flow
I am very much a learn as I go (some of my photos will prove that)
But I have never tried it. Out of fear?? Just not seeing it be done??
any good videos on it that I could see it in the making or doing??
For this project I will do edible image (ugh it is the most expensive) but I would love to learn how!

This isn't detailed, but a good start:

Oh! Not lemon juice! Lemon EXTRACT or clear vanilla extract, or gin, or ever clear, or vodka (I use vodka).

hI IF U have used royal icing... to do cookies or a design where u need to outline then thin the royal icing so u can flood the outline... then that's the same thing for color fow, diffrnce is color flow dries shiny, royal icing is matte

when you say color flow do you mean the color flow that wilton sells in a can?

I would use gel colors and water on gumpaste - Gives it the shine and the color. The color flow idea sounds good too.
I noticed that this cake has a lot of wires in it. I have used wire(tin copper) before in my ignorance. Is there a type of wire that is safe?