I've got this new damask stencil from designer stencil, I am trying to stencil the pattern onto fondant with royal icing, I tried it on paper first for many times and I still couldn't get it work the pattern is totally smeared.
I tried to hold the stencil as tightly as I could against the surface, my royal icing consistency is like soft peak, it leaves a soft trail that disappears in few second when lifted with a spoon.
I think the icing has ran under the stencil, that's why it's all smeared, but the detail of that stencil is so fine and intricate and very close lines to each other, I really don't know what I can do to fix this problem.

Can someone please tell me what to do?

Thank you.

sounds like your icing might be a bit too runny......

Yes, sounds definitely like your icing is too runny. I've done the stencils a few time and there seems to be a fine line between too runny and too thick. Just try to thicken up the icing a bit, it shouldn't be so loose that the line disappears in only a few seconds, you want it almost as thick as if you were piping. Just keep trying, you'll get it!

Your royal icing is too thin. It needs to be thicker. I stencil cookies and I always make sure that my royal icing is on the thicker side. Also pull your stencil straigt up when removing it. Do not peel from one side to another. I find that has a tendancy to smear it. Hope this helps.

i concur on the icing part. also a trick i used when i did mine is to smear a thin layer of shortening on the back of the stencil this helps hold it against the fondant and keeps the lines cleaner. just work slow. you will have to rinse and pat dry the stencil after every application so it is a slower process but i find that it makes it look a lot neater and cleaner in the long run. hope this helps and good luck

julia

The thing that works best for me when I need to stencil black is to get the wilton black icing tube from Michael's. It is super black and thick and dense! It works like a charm and never smears! I make everything from scratch all the time, but when it comes to stencils I go for that!.

To Motto:

You use buttercream instead of royal icing?

Sorry that comment was for vagostino

Yes, I use the wilton black icing in the tube instead of royal icing. I've used royal in the past with good results but I had to be extra careful to get the right consistency. One day I was in a rush and didn't want to mess with getting the royal icing black etc so I tried that and it works like a charm!.
It does dry overtime, not as fast as royal, but still is not sticky and wet like a frosting, so even when is wet it doesn't smear. Try it, is only a couple of dollars and a little goes a long way. Try it on a piece of fondant first to see if you like it!

I'm going with the royal icing being too thin as well. You said "a few seconds." I was taught that proper royal takes a 10 count to disappear before it's ready.

I too.... use wilton black buttercream out of the tube. I got this tip from sugar shack....I have never used anything else...ever. I use a thin dab of shortening on the corners of the stencil to help hold it down, and a second pair of hands, I use a credit card to smooth it on. It does crust, I just let it set a few minutes and start on another tier and come back to the dry one later.
Laura

good tip on the wilton black.. I can see how that would totally work!! I use regular buttercream but have only used it on buttercream... not on fondant.

my problem has been with pulling the stencil straight up. The middle seems to still stick to the cake/icing and starts to naturally pull from the sides.

Any tips?

If you are working on a round cake... I just let it go on one side and let it pull itself off...square, it doesnt work as well. I just pull straight off, if it is stencil ed cleanly, it should not smear coming off. Best of luck....practice makes perfect!!

I stencil with thinned (with vodka) sugarflair paste. It works simply wonderful

Thank you everyone who gave advice.

You guys are all correct, my royal icing was way too thin, that's why.
I tried with Wilton's tube icing, tint it with Americolour gel, and it worked perfectly.
I have also tried with piping gel, also tinted with colour, this definitely worked and it gives more define lines and shine, very pretty indeed!

Thank you so much everyone

For everyone that used wilton icing to stencil....what consistency did you use?

I thinned it a bit with Wilton black piping gel, works great!

What do you use to apply the buttercream to the stencil?

What do you use to apply the buttercream to the stencil?