I had a customer request a cake similar to this design.  Can anyone tell whether this is airbrushed or handpainted.  Also any tips on how to get the curvy embellished detail in the front.  I'm thinking gumpaste but perhaps it's a non-edible piece of some sort.  Any decorating tips are much appreciated as I'm currently deciding whether or not to take the order and need to give the customer a quote.  P.S. I'm only making this as a three tier and not the 4-6 tiers like the pic.

That is going to be very labor intensive.  I agree w/you about using gp for the curvy embellishments.

I've been away from actually making cakes for so long now I don't know how to price anymore.  When I had my bakery I charged by the slice.  With this one I'd say you have to come up w/a high slice price.

Price it like any cake...the problem will be working out just how long it will take.  My gut tells me to work out a number of hours and then double it!!  There will probably be a lot of experimentation and development time for a cake like this, not to mention the time you will have to spend making the patterns and cutting them out.  Lots of intricate piping too.  As for how it's done, I would go with gum paste and painting.  It looks like there are brush strokes on the top tier.  Good luck! x