i'm pretty new to this type of thing so please excuse the ignorance of this question but---how do you trace a shape onto a cake without using a pencil ? ty for any answer i can get

You could also use a toothpick. Or use piping gel to trace it on wax paper and then carefully lay it on the cake. Pull it off and the piping gel shows your outline. If it's on the whole top of the cake though you could try the frozen buttercream transfer. There is a forum on here on how to do it.

Pin pricks are another way to go

By the way, welcome to the wonderful world of caking!

A few people will use projector machines, too - a more expensive way to go. Frozen buttercream transfers are another way to "trace" a picture then transfer the design to the cake. You can search the articles for a full explanation of how those work.

I am personally a big fan of the frozen buttercream transfer (FBCT). YOu can see in my photos the tractor cake, hibiscus cake, and the little pooh cake (next to the larger pooh cake) are all FBCT's. They are pretty easy and they look awesome!