Is pastillage the best for making headboards for cake beds? I've never used it? How would I get the wood look? With paint? Or should I just stick with a fondant/gumpaste?

TIA!

I had a question earlier on which mediums to use for what and this is what all4cakes had to say;

"Straight gumpaste will allow you to make upright decorations that dry quickly and are less susceptible to humidity once they're completely dry. It can be rolled thinner than straight fondant for more light and realistic looking flowers. Holds up well AFTER allowing to completely dry.

Fondant with tylose added will give you the workability of gumpaste without having to buy gumpaste (added benefit to this is if you want to match the decorations to your fondant covered cake exactly)

Pastillage dries faster than gumpaste and is used when strength is needed for upright structures. Often rolled thicker than gumpaste or fondant, it can also be used, if completely dried, as support pieces for other decorations. Almost indestructable AFTER allowing to completely dry(because it's rolled thicker, it takes quite a bit longer to completely dry...so, plan weeeeeeeell ahead if using pastillage for best results and less heartache)"

HTH

I am not sure on which medium to use, but to do the woodgrain you can take a tool and carve your lines into it. Or if you roll it out with a wooden rolling pin you could just use the slight woodgraining and just bring it out with your tool. Then make a wash with gel color and brush it over the "wood". To antique any color, I just dust on dry cocoa powder. Good luck and HTH!

If you have money to spare and time to wait for it to come, I found this that you could buy and use for the wood grain:

http://www.countrykitchensa.com/catalog/product.aspx?T=1&productId=634155

It's pretty big and made of relatively thin plastic so it's easier to use. You would then go over it with paint (gel color) and dusts as mam2_3 said above.

I just received the one I ordered from Global Sugar Art! But can you use it on pastillage??

I have woodgrained using liquid brown food colouring brushed with a 3/4 inch brush onto white fondant to give it woody streaks.

And I've used GP and a clay gun to make a metal framed bedhead etc.


HTH!