What Can You Make From Gumpaste? And How?
Decorating By sweetcakesva Updated 31 Jan 2009 , 6:04pm by Cakechick123
Wanted to start a thread to post all our ideas for molding out of gumpaste. I thought it would be easier to access different animals , people, things (whatever you can think of!) in one thread. Making sort of a go to thread when you need a jump start on molding a new figure maybe you have never tried! I am just starting to mold with gum paste, I have one head I made for a Rock n Roll cake (it is in my photos) but I really want to expand my depth in molding with gum paste. I am attempting some people for a nativity cake for Christmas! I'll attach photos and directions when I am done!
Lets see what you can do! Help me learn (and all the other newbies to gumpaste) everything we can do with gumpaste! 
How do you get a smooth round ball? I want to start molding but can't get it smooth for shaping with no cracks! I am thinking about using fondant and adding some GP to it. But I would rather use GP! Have any tips you want to share? I have no problems with working with the premade fondant.
How do you get a smooth round ball? I want to start molding but can't get it smooth for shaping with no cracks! I am thinking about using fondant and adding some GP to it. But I would rather use GP! Have any tips you want to share? I have no problems with working with the premade fondant.
It's easier to get a smooth consistency is you combine GP 50/50 with fondant. Plus it gives you more working time before it dries. Also what kind of gum paste are you using? I make my own gum paste and have found that some GP recipes are easier to use when making figures then others.
How do you get a smooth round ball? I want to start molding but can't get it smooth for shaping with no cracks! I am thinking about using fondant and adding some GP to it. But I would rather use GP! Have any tips you want to share? I have no problems with working with the premade fondant.
It's easier to get a smooth consistency is you combine GP 50/50 with fondant. Plus it gives you more working time before it dries. Also what kind of gum paste are you using? I make my own gum paste and have found that some GP recipes are easier to use when making figures then others.
Thanks for the tip. I had a gift card so I just bought some of the pre-made stuff.
i just use extract I think some people use vodka
This is probably a really stupid question, but im gonna ask anyway lol. Do people actually eat anything made out of gumpaste? I've only heard people talk about eating fondant, never gumpaste, but I'm just curious if its even edible, and what about if its mixed with fondant?
I have eaten some small gumpaste flowers and they were really good.Crunchy but not teeth breaking!
Eating GP flowers would be about equal to eating egg shells as the gp is rolled very thin As kiddiekakes said, crunch but no where near tooth chipping.
Many people who work w/gp &/or 50/50 mix prefere to use gp thinned down to a mud consistency. Some use egg white others water to thin down about a marble size lump. Keep in a glass jar in the frig. Should last at least a couple of weeks; much longer if using water.
Dried gp can be glued to wet (fresh) gp; Wet gp can be glued to wet but you cannot glue dry to dry.
so does tylose added to fondant make gumpaste?
does anyone use tylose??
No, tylose added to fondant does not actually make gumpaste. It does however, help the fondant to dry harder and more quickly.
I use tylose and fondant mainly for all of my modeling. It seems to work for me, and my clients have had no complaints!!
I have modeled several things, but I just kind of look at a picture and disect it into simple shapes and go from there. So, giving a step by step would be hard for me. Maybe the next time I model, I will take some pictures of the different shapes.
One important tip I learned was about the eyes of characters (people or animals). Roll a dowel making an indention right above the character's nose. This will act as the indented area for eyes. Then take the ball tool and make two sockets. Fill them with a tiny amount of white paste and smoosh (technical term 
) them down so that the creature will not be bug eyed. Finish the eyes with some colored paste. I always add lashes and pupils by hand painting! (Learned that from Lorrianne or Aine2!) She has some GREAT tutorials!
That may not be so clear, but hey, I tried. Let me know if I can help!
Mandi
To make the nose I roll a tiny ball of paste and kind of form a triangle. Then, I glue it to the face using a little water. While it is still plyable, I use the stick tool (with the pointy end, I have NO IDEA what that it called), but a toothpick would work, too, to make two nostrils. I then kind of smoosh (technical term again! ) it down into shape. Unless, I am making a witch. In that case, LEAVE IT POINTY!
HTH -
Oh, here is an okay tutorial on making a face! Aine2 has one, but I can't find it! 
Does anyone have any suggestions for drying calla lillies? All of the cups, etc. I have tried either make them rip or make them dry flat. Thanks!
Dry them on cone cups. The kind that are used for office water coolers. I found some at Lowe's. You could also just make the cones out of paper.
thanks for the faces info! I am going to try! I attempted a rudolph but it was too soft, fell apart. Do you all use 50/50 gum paste/fondant?
Okay, I'm new to posting on forums, but I have a question and need some advice.... I have an order for a cake where the top will have a celestial design of half moon half sun. For the sun though the rays need to come out of the sides of the top of the cake. I thought gumpaste would be a good idea...only one problem, I've never worked with gumpaste before so here are my questions:
Can I add color to it just like fondant?
Should I do a 50/50 mix for this type of project so it doesn't dry to quick?
Once the rays are made, will it work do you think for me to just stick them into the cake? Or is there a better way to make them stay?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
.........Can I add color to it just like fondant?.....
Exactly It does dry a tad lighter than either b'cream or fondant.
....... 50/50 mix for this type of project so it doesn't dry to quick?.......
I'd add some fondant but I don't think I'd go 50/50.
........Once the rays are made, will it work...to just stick them into the cake? Or is there a better way to make them stay?.........
I know when I stuck some dried fondant decos (to stand up) right into the cake they quickly softened and fell over 
Since I seldom worked w/'real' gp I am not sure what will happen.
Thanks for the advice... I'll let ya know howit works out.
Once the rays are made, will it work do you think for me to just stick them into the cake? Or is there a better way to make them stay?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
if you make the rays from pastillage you can stick them straight into the cake, that stuff dries like a rock.
if you want to use gumpaste you can use the long cocktail sticks and stick them into the rays when still soft. you can then poke the cocktail sticks into the cake.
HTH
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%