So who has advice on how to let go, mentally, and just free hand something?

I suck at freehand piping. Or maybe it is just a hang out in my mind on it. But I am one of those people that even though I don't want to I seem to think of everything symmetrically. (Im the kind that measures to hang pictures.)

I look at cool cake designs on here that aren't exact all the way around and think "Oh I love that, wish I could do that" and yet I know if I tried I'd get hung up on trying to make it all just so so.

I have this idea for a cake, found a graphic that fits what I envisioned, and while looking at it I think it would look cool painted on a cake. But then that would require me to go totally freehand and I'm not sure if I could do that, even though we are talking a swirly kind of pattern. I know if I piped it I would do like I did on my pink and black cake and press in the pattern to follow when piping, but to paint it that wouldnt work.

I don't have an over head projector. Id have to price them but since I dont do a ton of cakes it isnt something Id want to spend a bunch of money on. And I cant think of any other way to get a pattern on a surface that wouldnt change the surface or show up under painting (like the pin prick or piping gel).

why get an overhead??

use this to justify a

PROJECTOR!

as in TV

as in 100"+ DVD viewing (take that flat screens!)
(now you may have to move the stuff off the wall to get enough space, but then your fav. star near life size.....)


oh and it works on cake too.

Why not just do a test run? See if you can before you tell yourself that you can't? I've found that painting freehand is so much easier than piping freehand. So give it a try? What's the worst thing that can happen? If it just won't work...here's what I would suggest: trace the pattern on to wax paper using gel color and water...the water will give you enough time to rub it on to your fondant, then you can go back and paint over the "sketch" to clean up your lines. Good luck!

Okay Doug, for some reason I'm not picturing this??

Lulu, I'm trying to talk myself in to a test run.

a video projector.

it can hook to cable tv or dvd player or computer/laptop.

aim it the wall for brad pitt, team whichever, etc.

aim at the cake for tracing scrolls and stuff.

Oh you poor, poor children of "modern" cake world!

Where are my "oldie but goodie" friends who, like me, HAD to learn to do designs by freehanding? Who didn't have the benefit of all of these super cool tools, videos and other modern gadgets that make it so much easier?

If you couldn't look at a photo and just figure it out, then you didn't make cakes. And that's all there was to it. That's how the 'talent' was weeded out; that's how the kids were separated from the big-girl-panty-wearers; it's how it was determined how motivated a person was to achieve the goal!!!

Texas, pick up that bag or that brush or whatever it is that you're needing to use to freehand something and JUST DO IT! If you mess up, then you start over. And if you mess that up, then you start over again.

Don't make me stop this car and come down there!!!

"I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that will not work." ----- Thomas Edison

hey -- I'm using the cake to justify the TV!!!!

personally, my hands get in the way of the image when tracing -- so freehanding it anyway

YOU CAN DO IT !!! I have confidence in your ability to freehand. Just get out your design and give it a go. Remember to tell yourself that you are just having fun. dont over stress it.

I love freehand and I think you will like it too. Try doing a symetrical freehand design to get started, a little something that you might be more comfortable with at first.

First: I am not an artist BUT start simple, put a picture under a piece of glass or plastic, get out your colored buttercream, coloring or whatever medium you're using and "trace" it. Wipe it off it it sucks....quickly! I just bought a DVD on ebay for "one stroke" painting. I can't wait to watch it!! I absolutely love how beautiful the cakes look when they are painted.

Yes Mom!

I know it is a mental hang up. Like I said I get out the tape measure, yard stick and a pencil when I hang things on a wall.

Visually I totally love the odd arrangements of things, but when it comes to doing it my brain just thinks it all needs to line up just right.

I'm going to try to break past the mental part of it and see what happens. I really have to work on my cakes this weekend or I won't have anything to take the convention with me.[/quote]




You guys are sooo funny! I am absoltely positve TexasSugar that you can do this!! Just have at it!! But, yes, I know how you feel. I have that same mental thing going on with freehanded stuff. But, been trying to get past that and just practice it! Have fun and I"m sure you will do it!!

I am the same way. I draw stick figures and my 6 1/2 year old is better than I am. I have my tricks to get certain things looking the way I want them to. BUT I am going through a phase right now that was brought about by the cricut, believe it or not.

I am determined to master piping! Freehand, 'old school', everything, anything kind of piping. I would work on a flat surface (parchment paper or whatever) and then graduated to working at an angle, then JUST managed to get to upright side position (make sense). And I practice on cake dummies covered in cling wrap. But I still use some help. My current cake has circles, so I lightly imprint it using a cookie cutter so I can get it symmetrical...or somewhat symmetrical! I'll see if I can post part of it.

I always chickened out when I had to freehand things, but I am improving due to practice and determination. You can do it too! What is the worst that can happen? Just don't do it for a paid cake if you aren't comfy with it.

I'm not sure how much these tips will help, but I'll throw them out there.

When an artist paints a painting, many usually start with a pencil outline as a guide when they start painting. I would start out with a very very pale color (yellow, or another color in the design) and map out what you want where. I even use plain water sometimes and it stays wet long enough for me. Then go back and fill in more detail until you have what you want.
When looking at the original, make sure to look at the white space.

It sounds like you are doing a pattern, so this might not apply - but in my experience, many people don't relate what they see to what they know. For example: everyone knows a chair has four legs of equal length, but when you see a chair from an angle the legs do not look the same length. When you draw something, you have to draw it like you see it. Look at the white space and the shapes between objects in addition to the actual objects.

And like everyone has said before, just try it. Jump in and do it! BUT, if it does not turn out right the first time - don't throw it out right away - look at it and try to see what you don't like about it and do it differently the next time.

Ok, enough with the rambling. Good luck!

Since I suck at piping period. (even my crumb coat piping is awful) I am SOOO not gonna tell you anything, except, your library will rent you an overhead

One of the things I learned from Sugarshack is that if you make a mistake, to use some vodka and a clean cloth to run it off. I did that last night on the fondant where I had piped the crookedest circle ever in purple on white fondant. It worked! Not sure if that works for crystal colors, but you can try. It feels good when you can erase mistakes

And if you DO make a mistake....will anybody really know? Could you make it be a part of the design?

One thing I have learned over the years is that a talent to draw on paper (or a lack of!) does not necessarily transfer to a talent to draw on icing (or a lack of!)

My sister and my ex-husband are both very good canvas artists. They can paint beautifully. I always felt like a nobody when looking at their work because I can't draw worth a crap!

Until I discovered a canvas of icing.

I discovered I can do almost anything freehanded in icing. But if were to try to draw it with a pencil on paper? No way, Chuck! It just isn't going to happen!

So please .... don't think because you can or can't draw on paper that you can or can't draw on icing. I can tell you from experience that it's just not the same thing.

I didn't even really know you could do it any other way until I found this website. Being completely self taught is the easiest way to learn something the hard way. Two days ago I found a tutorial for the frozen buttercream transfer and my eyes were opened! I'd been drawing everything for years! But to answer your question about piping, I usually sketch it out on the icing with a wooden skewer, lightly, before I start with the icing. My favorite thing to pipe is loops and swirls, coiling gracefully over a cake. I hate piping dots. I hate it with the fire of a thousand suns.

[quote="TexasSugar"] I figured if I had a Plan B, Plan A would go smoother. Good theory, huh?
[quote]

Seems like a good strategy to avert the ravages of Murphy's Law.....