What is the easiest way?

I know you can use color flow, but my Wilton instructor tonight said that is better for less intricate designs. If I wanted to do do a character with many different colors, or even just tinkerbelle or a characiture of a person, what is the best way to do it (outside of airbrushing which I can't yet do)?

If you have any cakes to show me, so much the better.

Thanks!

Katie

Chocolate transfers are perfect for this type of thing. Here's an example:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kavingate/436603549/in/set-72157594281290241/

I have a tutorial on my Flickr site here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kavingate/sets/72157600064171751/

I believe that there's a tutorial or two here on CC. If you do a search for "chocolate transfer", you should be able to find something. Feel free to PM me, if I can be of any help.

Thanks kavingate, your cakes are beautiful!!

thanks kavingate. that was a fairly easy to understand tutorial. lovely cakes!

kavingate, thanks! So you use all chocolate for the designs? It is possible to do the outline in chocolate and do the color in either colorflow or royal icing?

Glad to be useful! Thanks for your kind comments about my cakes, too!

@Bellatheball- I've never tried combining the two, but I suppose you could give it a shot, though I'm pretty sure that the royal or color flow would be unhappy with the contact with the chocolate, and would dissolve because of the oil.

I've used colorflow for more intricate designs and haven't had a problem yet. The pirate Mickey Mouse was my first color flow piece and, in my opinion, I think he came out pretty well. I think Tink would be even easier.

I second the chocolate transfers, I use them on nearly all the kids cakes I do, feel free to look in my photos for examples! The key to intricate designs is to use a very fine outline using slightly seized chocolate, or it will spread into a too thick a line. I have a whole set of photos to send to Heath to put up a fully explained tutorial, but have yet to do it - sorry! I promise I will soon!