Help Me With Gumpaste Figures, Please
Decorating By Oliviasmom08 Updated 28 Jan 2010 , 9:25pm by Win
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I tried to make a car from gumpaste this week. When I first started working with it, it was smooth, but it was also not keeping it's shape real well, so I shaped it best I could and came back to it a day later, hoping to finish shaping it. Well, every time I tried to model it, the gumpaste would crack. I had to toss it. What am I doing wrong? Any other suggestions? I have additional figures to do on cakes in the next couple months, so I need to know what I'm doing quickly. Thank you so much, in advance.
You say it was not holding its shape very well.... by this do yu mean it was too soft to hold its shape? To me it seems like your consistency was too soft to start with and when you leave it for a day, it dries out... so when you try to redo it, it will crack up. Try to start working with a firmer consistency...if your gumpaste is too soft, knead in more icing sugar and see if it holds its shape better.
HTH 
Welcome to CC! Using gumpaste straight up might be where you are finding issues. For objects and figures, it is best to combine fondant and gumpaste at about a 50/50 ratio. I actually go a little heavier on the gumpaste making my ratio about 60 gumpaste to 40 fondant. I think this will solve a lot of your problems. HTH! 
...When I first started working with it, it was smooth, but it was also not keeping it's shape real well, so I shaped it best I could and came back to it a day later, hoping to finish shaping it...
Modeling things is best done all at once. The exception would be if you were letting parts dry between putting them together. If you set it aside (even if it was covered well) my guess is it already started to harden. Gumpaste when out in the air will form a dry 'skin' over it and will continue to dry from the outside in. So while the inside may have still been movable, the outside was already dryig and that is probably what caused the cracks.
Thanks everyone. I've tried using the 50/50 in the past, but it doesn't harden quick enough. I have been using Wilton gumpaste, so I guess I assumed the consistency would be perfect, but I think I will try to add some powdered sugar (?) to try and thicken it up? Because, yes, it is just not holding it's shape! I was also having a hard time getting it smooth (when I first stared working with it). What about tylose? Can I add that to the gumpaste? Or if I add that to the 50/50 mixture, would that maybe help it dry fast? Thanks again!
also us crisco while shaping it will add some moisture to the mix.
Thanks everyone. I've tried using the 50/50 in the past, but it doesn't harden quick enough. I have been using Wilton gumpaste, so I guess I assumed the consistency would be perfect, but I think I will try to add some powdered sugar (?) to try and thicken it up? Because, yes, it is just not holding it's shape! I was also having a hard time getting it smooth (when I first stared working with it). What about tylose? Can I add that to the gumpaste? Or if I add that to the 50/50 mixture, would that maybe help it dry fast? Thanks again!
Which is why you might want to try my ratio of 60/40 --gives it time to work with it, but dries much quicker. I use Wilton ready-to-use gumpaste and have never had it lose its shape either. If you have a fan or a heater that blows warm air, that will help dry time as well.
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