It sounds like I'm in the minority here but I hate crusting buttercream. I'm totally with you Wendysue that taste trumps all else, especially when someone is paying for it. I use either IMBC or WBH buttercream. Both are super yummy & easy to use. The system I use goes like this: Torte, fill, crumbcoat, freezer (for 2-3 minutes to stiffen up). Slather on a ton more icing than what is needed, no points for neatness. Back in freezer for 2-3 minutes. Put on turn table and swipe sides with 6" putty knife from the hardware store. I then take a small angled cake knife & go around the top pulling in any icing that is standing too tall. Viola! Beautifully smooth sides every time.
Just like with anything else though, you practice, practice, practice & one day you just get it. You'll get it and you'll have cakes that are even more beautiful than they already are. 
I am obsessed with getting my cake smooth. I'm not where I want to be yet, but I'm still new to cake decorating. I use Wilton's Snow White Buttercream (crisco recipe) most often and I smooth it with waxed paper. My Elmo cake was the first one I was happy with as far as smoothed surface. I wish I could do the same with a real buttercream. I still have to try the viva method. I think your cakes look really great, it is just a matter of personal or customer preference! We are our own worse critics!
WBH buttercream
In the bowl of mixer stir together:
6 cups (2lb) confectioner sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
With a whisk attachment, add at low speed
1 cup boiling water
(3/4 cup on hot days)
Whip until smooth & cool. Add & whip until smooth:
2 3/4 cups of high-ratio or regular vegetable shortening
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) slightly chilled butter, cut into 1" pieces
Increase speed to medium-high. Whip until light, fluffy & doubled in volume (10-20 minutes). buttercream will almost fill a 5 quart mixing bowl. Yields 9 1/2 cups of FABULOUS icing 
Your designs are great. To make my BC super smooth I use a trick my sis in law told me. I boil water and then leave multiple spatulas in it so as one cools I can use a new very hot one. It is amazing how easy it makes smoothing out the icing. It also helps to have lots of icing. I use an all crisco bc recipe
I ditto the spatula, (I use a plastic or metal scraper at a 45degree angle) Also put gobs of icing on and work in a manner that is smoothing and removing the excess iciing. Also, practice, practice. If using a non crusting Buttercream --IMBC, after you refrigerate you can just rub a clean finger on any small rough edges and the warmth smooths it out.
I used to make cakes at Baskin Robins and learned how to ice with softened ice cream. But I had mass quantities of cakes to ice, so I learned quickly.
Wish I had read this thread before I spent the last 3 hours trying to get my BC smooth. I use 1/2 butter 1/2 crisco and love the taste but pull my hair out trying to smooth is out. I finally added about 1 tablespoon more of warm water to the bowl of icing and made it thinner then re-iced my cake. It was better but the viva method didn't work with it. I'm going to try the WBH recipe next time.
I've tried the paper towel method and sometimes I'm happy with it, other times not. Appreciate the feedback. I don't charge much for my cakes, but at the same time I do want them to look sharp. I think part of my frustration with smoothing a cake might be with my icing. I used to use the Wilton class recipe, but then later switched to one that had a better flavor. Seems since I did that I was never able to get my cakes perfectly smooth. So, I decided taste was more important to me than smoothness. Still, I do hear what you're all saying and I appreciate your opinions. Maybe I need to find yet another recipe.
Mine crusts, but when I go to smooth it seems there's always a place that will stick, even after I've let it sit. If it sits too long I find that smoothing doesn't work at all. I get cracks and wierd textures. I've tried the water and spatula method and in fact that's what you see on my baby shower cake here. That's the best I can do using that particular method.
So, next question is what recipe to you use that works well with the paper towel method?
I had the same issue with icing. I started out using the Wilton method icing. I was getting smooth cakes every time. I didn't like the taste so I switched to a different icing that uses butter and sometimes I feel like it is harder to get my icing as smooth as the Wilton method. I still try the best I can to get my icing smooth. I think smoothness makes for better presentation.
At times I often think that I don't get alot of cake orders b/c my cakes aren't smooth enough or perfect in design. 
But I'm never giving up b/c we love to decorate.
I read one of Toba Garrett's books and she said to get smooth icing on cakes you take an 18 or 20 tip, and for instance the side of the cake you go up and down the side overlapping on the top of the cake just a bit until the cake is covered, you then do the same thing to the top of the cake, back and forth, then take a hot knife or spatula and spread over the side of the cake and top..well I tried it and it worked, and worked beautifully it was the smoothest cake I made. I sure did not think it would do the trick, but it did. Happy icing, C.
YOU MUST TRY THIS!!! Go to the articles section and click on the upsidedown method for perfectly smoth frosting. I recently tried this and I was so amazed at how perfect it came out. The edges on my cake were so sharp they could have cut you. Talk about a professional looking cake! Well worth any extra time and effort!!!!!!
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%