I'm turning 50 in a couple months, and I'm worried that I'm not hip and with-it anymore, LOL. I read on cake wrecks..."cake wrecks are made with love and airbrushing!". I airbrush a lot of my cakes. I've always loved the look...but now, I'm wondering if it's cheesy or something. What do you all think? Should I toss the airbrush? Am I committing a faux pas?

No, no, dont toss the airbrush! It might be out of touch on wedding cakes but you can do so much to party cakes with an airbrush machine. So far I've been using the spray colors from Wilton but an airbrush is definetly on my christmas list this year.

I think it depends on the cake. I agree with pattigunter, probably would be cheesy on a wedding cake, but on specialty cakes it is very versatile. I personally haven't done any but I have seen some people do some really neat stuff and the best wood grain looks I have ever seen were achieved using an airbrush. I had a brand new one that was for makeup and was the same machine and gun as for decorating. My boyfriend got it at an auction for 20 bucks and we needed money and since it wasn't mine I had to sell it on E-Bay and got 165. dollars for it! My best deal yet but I would rather have kept it!

I use mine all the time to spray pearl on wedding cakes! (and silver, gold etc.) I don't do much "design" with it, but for a beautiful finish, you can't beat it!

omg i cant believe im reading this post LOL! ive ALWAYS wanted an airbrush ( i cant afford it boo lol ) and ive looked upon them as great instruments that proffs use! ive seen so many amazing things done with an airbrush that i personally couldnt do with just coloured fondant! Stick with it! Congrats on turning 50, just remember, your as young as the man you feel x x x

As far as I am concerned, no technique is passe - only what you do with it! There are things you can do with an airbrush that just simply cannot be replicated otherwise. I think people just assume when you say "airbrush" that you're talking about something that looks like those t-shirts and license plates, or the airbrushed grocery store cakes, or what have you (which aren't the most beautiful things ever, but kids love 'em, so who cares if some snotty folk think they're "out" if your customer is happy?). Come to think of it, who cares if somebody thinks it's passe?

I think the biggest problem Cake Wrecks has with airbrushing, is when it is used as a decorating substitute. That said, here is an airbrushed cake that they LOVED (it is cool...who doesn't like Darth Vader and babies?)
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/02/come-to-dark-side-we-have-cake.html

awww, nuts, they better not be
i'm still saving pennies to buy one!

I think it's in how the airbrush is used. Used correctly it's a great tool. I use mine to add shading or highlights to items, almost every cake or cookie that leaves my hands get an airbrushed coating of pearl shimmer... I think the line into "wreck" is crossed when the cake looks more like one of the airbrushed t-shirts you get on the boardwalk or the fair, with bad likenesses of cartoon characters and over the top airbrushed writing (or those horrible airbrushed portrait cakes that were popular before edible images were around--not that I'm a fan of photo cakes altogether, but that's for another post lol)... that's when people need to step away from the airbrush.

Thanks, everyone for weighing in. I use mine when doing party cakes, a LOT. I just think they look so much better...to use a well-used phrase (too well used, LOL), I think it makes them "pop". My cakes look flat without it. The only time I've used it on a wedding cake is to add pearl dust. I guess I can be accused of the "county fair" look on some of my cakes. That's what I meant when I said I must be out of touch. Or else, I'm just a redneck, 'cause I like it. No offense to any rednecks out there! (I'm proud to be a redneck, by the way, ha!). Thanks, Caths Cakes... I'll have to remember that quote about "you're only as old as the man you feel". My husband is 12 years OLDER than me, so that's pretty funny (and true!).

Here's a pic of one of my faux pas...
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1152989.html

Maybe it's just me, but airbrushing looks cheesy when the colors blue and pink are together on the cake. Push it over the top with black outlining and it becomes and airbrushed t-shirt.

Airbrushes rock for getting intense color on buttercream, highlighting, making something look printed (using a template and spraying on color), etc. I used an airbrush for my Wall-e cake to get detail, rust, intense yellow, etc.

Airbrushes rock when the artest/cakers rock

Then this is for you, Cookiesbymomme: http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1152974.html
LOL I know you'll love it! (baby shower cake, I made it about 10 years ago.)

That's funny, I had an airbrush years ago and my son took it over and I never saw it again. I have seen some beautiful things on this site that people airbrush and it's made me want to get another one. I say enjoy that airbrush.

By the way, your Wall-E is fantastic. I can't imagine how many hours you must have slaved on that.
The babies on my cake (the heads) are molded from fondant and hand painted...didn't want you to think I put some cheesy plastic doll heads on there. LOL

Thanks! Yeah the Wall-E cake took awhile, but I loved it! Do you have the whole molding set for the baby? I was just looking at ordering a family set of molds- would really save me time in the future. I can hand mold them, but man that takes forever!

Don't want to hijack the thread, maybe I will post the question in a new thread!

Have fun with the airbrush everyone! If you have any doubts on its relevance, just check out Bronwen Webers cakes. She uses it a lot on Birthday and special occasion cakes!

Get with it girl! Lol...just kidding. Check this out:

http://www.donedhardy.com/


Those designs are begging to be incorporated into a cake for a teenager or 20 something! I have one coming up that is inspired by Christian Audigier. Can't wait to airbrush that sucker!

She also doesn't like cupcake cakes, should we all stop doing them?

The way I look at it is that her feelings on airbrushing are just that, one person's feelings. I don't airbrush pictures on cakes (though I have some some nice one and some oh my ones) but I use my airbrush on cakes all the time for all over color or for dusts. And I don't plan to get rid of it any time soon.

If you are happy with what you do at the end of the day that is all that matters.