I'm pretty new to this, only have made about 12 cakes or so and I have finally been able to put a few pics on here. I'm just wondering if you could look at them and give me opinions. Criticism is welcome, only if it's constructive =)

In my opinion....you can tell I'm an amateur. Looking at everyone's pics on here makes me want to keep going so I can get as good as the rest of you!!!

Thanks for your time =)

ps. pics are in my profile, can't figure out why my attachments don't load

Only one comment... presentation is everything. I wouldn't use cardboard that isn't covered with the raw edges/corrugation showing, and wouldn't use plain silver aluminum foil if you'd like a more professional look. HTH.

what's good to use for covering boards?

and a lot of people are looking but not commenting. are they cute? are they creative? do they suck and I need a lot more practice? lol

Make sure you spend a little time to get a good picture. You spend hours on your cake, take 15 to set up a white background and get a nice shot.

How tall are your cakes? Are they torted?

I like your designs and the colors. Especially the mario cake.

Yeah getting a good picture is the hard part. My camera is broken to where I can't change the settings so pretty much I can turn the thing on, take a pic, and turn it off; flash comes on depending on lighting so I try to take the pics near a window.

The ones pictured are one layer sheet cakes....the mario and cars cake had additional layers on the backside....and all the tiers on the hannah montana were one layer....I didn't want it to be too tall just didn't want to do a plain sheet cake.

Start torting your layers, make your tiers at least 4 inches high, get away from start tipping ASAP, and what was mentioned above. You're a beginner, that's what they look like when you're a beginner.

Wilton makes fanci-foil in every color or you can buy poly-foil in every color from your local florist. Keep in mind, if they aren't foodsafe, you'll still need to have your cake on a cardboard that's the same size as the cake, but it won't show after the border is added.

You can also use cake drums... they're available in white, silver, and gold, or you can make your own drums with foamcore board and cover them with freezer paper or what you like.

I'm not a pro, and have JUST gotten to the point where I am not embarrassed by my cakes, so realize we are in the same boat... Learning - a lot.

Anything can work as a cake board cover. I have used wrapping paper and duct tape. I have a piece of fabric is just waiting for the right cake. Scrapbook paper is good for boards up to 12", a deck of cards, anything really, limited only by your imagination. You should cover your covering though, I use cello (like for basket gifting) and place that over my covering so there isn't transference (IE: glue from the duct tape).

Glue a few of boards together to make a drum and wrap some coordinating ribbon around it, you'll be amazed how much it polishes the presentation.

Your cakes are definitely creative, you have an eye for color and design, and the rest will come with time and practice. Read some of the threads about bulges and smoothing icing (Melvira, Viva, hot blade). Loved your Twin Boys cake - the colors were great and the icing clean.

Research, don't be afraid to experiment, read threads you think are WAY out of your skill set, stalk the forums, ask questions, and have fun.

I think your cakes are really cute I agree about torting to get taller tiers...and about the boards. Just make sure whatever you use is foodsafe. Practice, practice, practice! You could make a goal to try something new every week, or every month. Try making a figure out of gumpaste, or flowers, or...anything really! Nobody has to see it if it doesn't turn out great Push yourself to try something new, and don't get upset if it doesn't turn out. Just try again! There a lot of great tutorials on CC. Also you tube is really great, Tonedna has great videos on there..Also anything related to clay modeling applies to fondant/gumpaste work. I made my first cake about a year and a 1/2 ago, and I have learned SOOOO much from this site. It's totally addicting

Here are a couple threads that might be useful...

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-654803.html
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-654103.html

BTW, your piping is very neat and straight...much nicer than mine!

Heres my 2cents worth. Not an expert but not a cake muggle Agree that you need to work on the presentation - the 'naked' boards don't help the presentation. Try to get the size of the board right also - some of them are a little big and there is this vast area of naked board there. I will say that your piping is great nice and even, great lettering, and the way you vary the colours is attractive. I also agree some of the cakes would look better with a little more height. I feel that in some of the designs if the buttercream was smoother it would make the design accents stand out. In saying that my BC work sucks You could have a go at fondant sometime - I think with some of your designs it would suit. No good for sheet cakes though . I like all of your designs except the writing on the back to school one - I had to read it a couple of times as its hard to read with the letters so spread out at different levels IYKWIM. But well done I like your work.

I would suggest trying different shapes. Sheet cakes are typical of store bought cakes and can look amateurish. In fact, it's hard to make a really cool sheet cake. You'll notice that the cakes that get a lot of attention on this site typically are layer cakes. Invest in some good round or square pans and start making 2-inch layers, torting and filling them for a 4-inch round or square cake. Then take the decorating from there.

What I see is this: the blue "twin" cake, has very smooth BC-a really good job! And all the cakes are cute too. You will improve with experience, but you definitely have the ability to do the work. Just stay with it! And I say ditto to the comments on covering your boards.

I'm also fairly new to this. I've always loved to cook and bake, but really just started decorating cakes around March this year. With that said, these are opinions from an amatuer, trying just like you to someday make amazing cakes like we see here on this site.

so here's my take. It looks to me like you spend a good amount of attention to detail. Your colors really compliment each other. So you have a good eye for that. Your work is clean, which I believe makes a huge difference in the outcome. When you spend the time to get good sharp lines and pay attention to the little details, it shows. So I think you are definately off to a great start!

What I would suggest is, like many others, find creative ways to cover your boards to compliment your cake. Think of the board as an extension of your cake. It can really take it to another level. The nice thing about that is you can have the fun of decorating without having to bake a bigger cake

Another thing I would suggest is, as someone else also mentioned, try to venture beyond sheet cakes. Learn to make stacked tiers. You can make smaller sized tiers (6", 8" rounds) if you don't need a lot of cake, but taller cakes just look nicer, IMHO. Keep practicing, you do nice work. I look forward to seeing more of your cakes.

I am a hobby baker that aspires to bake and decorate great cakes. I just don't get to practice much. I would suggest investing in some cake drums. A good friend of mine opened a cake decorating supply store in May. She also has classes..........she is a very good decorator and excellent teacher. I helped her out from the middle of May to the end of August at her shop and I have learned numerous tips from her. I learned that cake drums are worth the investment. If you use them with care you can re-use them. I recently covered a board in fondant and loved it. When you get ready to play with fondant give it a try. I had to glue 3 together and she gave me the tip to make sure the corrugated lines were opposite of each other. I found ribbon to match the color scheme I was using and hot glued it around the edges. Rolled my fondant, used an embossing/imprint mat, cut it out, let it dry overnight (I used a 50/50 mix of fondant and gumpaste) and it turned out fantastic. When the cake was cut it didn't mark the covered board in any way.

Note: You can find cake drums in pink and blue they are just harder to come by.

I wish you happy practicing!