Hi everyone! I'm pretty new to CC and I ADORE this place. (lol go first post!) It's so inspirational and everyone here is so great. I've always been interested in cakes and cookies and such and it's been my dream to eventually (co-)own a bakery. I am an Illustration major at a university in northern california and often think that my niche could be painted/illustrated cakes. I've seen some examples of them on this site and I love the idea. It combines the best of my favorite two worlds. ^^ One of my first questions is whether anyone has done painted cakes before and any interesting experiences you've had.

Also, I figured I would get my two other questions/topics into this same post since I don't want to start several threads or anything. I have been assigned an illustration project at school in which I have to make an illustration for someone. I am interested in doing a painting related to a cake business and wondered if anyone running their own is interested in being the person I do an illustration for. I have a fun idea of doing a painting of one of their best cakes and little caricatures of the cake artist(s) working on the cake, with maybe their business name, etc. This is purely for educational and portfolio purposes and I'd rather do one for an actual person than make up my own scenario. If you are interested, pm me please.

And finally, I just wanted to ask what people thought of my business name: X Marks the Spot Bakery

I figured that while I was finishing up my last year of school, I can work on researching the cake industry, write up a business plan, design the name, look and feel of the business, build up a portfolio of cakes, cupcakes and cookies, etc.

Thanks everyone for letting me ramble and uuuh... if I'm way off on business topics here (I don't think so, but I'm a newb) please feel free to let me know.

I have painted on cake, it is time consuming and I prefer to pipe.

You can do an illustration from one of my cakes!!

mpc
www.mypastrychef.com

you know a few months back i saw a new product online that looked more like acrylic paint ...as opposed to the watercolor look that gel gives you, but dang it...i can't remember what it was called.....they painted on poured fondant, and you could actually blend the colors together ...and it was opaque .

i looked at your site....love it!

i use the airbrush a lot...and do detail on top of it.

people LOVE comming up with stuff they want pictured on their cakes.

you are very talented...you will do great.

WELCOME TO CC!

You should check out the painted cookies on this site. Blond moment....can't remember the decorator's name! She did some fantastic VanGogh inspired cookies. They took her forever, but they were definitely works of art! With your interest and talent, the sky is the limit for "painting" on royal iced cookies!

Nicole what a really nice website welcome to CC. I really feel that cake decorating and fine arts blend well together. I've graduated as a graphic designer and now I make cakes. Good luck to you!!!

Thank you so much for all your kind welcomes and inputs. And thank you all for your compliments about my website. I really appreciate it.

MyPastryChef: If I may ask, what reasons did you find it more time consuming. I'm very interested in the advantages and/or disadvantages you may have come across.

LittleCake: Thanks so much for the great compliments about my site and work. And thanks for the tip about the new product. I am definitely going to look into finding them. How do you like using an air brush? I've always wanted to use one so badly, but they sort of scare me because I'm not sure about how much control the have. Thanks again!

GeminiRJ: I will definitely look for the cookies you mentioned. They sound awesome! Thank you for mentioning them!

Giggysmack: Thanks so much! As a graphic designer did you find that it helped you in designing (and even decorating) cakes?

Thanks again for everyone so far! You guys are awesome.

LOVE the business name, I like that its a play on your name. I am sure as an artist you will have an awesome logo. I really like that your business name will be flexible.

Good luck, you sure sound very organized and level headed. You will do great.

You sound like you are off to a great headstart! I love the bakery name too!

The best thing that I have found to paint with on cakes, which I just started by the way, is using lemon extract and powdered color. (Which was an idea given to me from a fellow CCer) I cover most of my cakes in fondant, which is a great canvas. The lemon extract evaporates and leaves the color behind. I got one of those cheapie plastic painters pallettes (whew say that 3 times fast), and Sugarcraft has a ton of different powdered colors. I use a pipette to drop a dropperful of the extract onto the pallette, then I mix some of the powdered color into it, until I have the color I want. Its best to let it sit for a few minutes to thicken a little, then you dont have to go over your lines twice!

I dont think its that time consuming to me, but I dont think I am that great at piping! You could also use the flooding method to flood your cookies with royal icing. After the icing hardens its also a great canvas to paint anything of the sort on it.

Is it weird to want to take painting classes so you can better paint cakes and cookies?

i cut stencils and use the airbrush kinda like the way artists that do motorcycles and stuff...it is hard to control...so i clean up the top with a #3 writer tip..i use it like a liner brush....

i used to paint with acrylics....not to deft with the watercolors.

theres a poster on here called johnnycakes...she is awesome with the paint on cakes and cookies.

I definately feel that having an artistic flair to begin with helps to take an idea from you head and put it out, clour theory etc. Another ting I find that helps from being trained as an artist is that Ive put hours and hours of work into a piece of art and have learned to be tenacious. It can be time consuming to paint on cakes as opposed to using a piping tip. But, no more time consuming than if you were painting on canvas