So...I'm making a beer barrel cake and would like to put gumpaste wood-like planks on the sides. I'm making a mixture of paint with food coloring and vodka. Do I roll the planks out and let them dry....or do I paint them before they dry and before they are on the cake? Doesn't that make them sticky? Ugh....I thought I had this figured out.

I have painted on both fondant and gumpaste. I prefer to cut my pieces out, let them dry and then paint on them. It is too hard for me to paint directly on the cake, especially on the sides ( and I painted and airbrushed for 20 years on fabric before I started this crazy cake decorating thing)!! It will only be sticky if you use alot of food coloring and very little vodka (I use vanilla...I tried vodka and for me it was a little different and slightly harder to work with). So..they will not be sticky..just give them enough time to dry...which doesn't take long because of the alcohol. I would cut them, let them dry, paint them, let them dry, and stick them on the cake!

Thank you...that's what I'm doing...wish me luck