The cake is VERY pretty - great job!
You asked for feedback on your leaves. When I do leaves I dust them with several shades of green and highlight them with a dark reddish color (kiko is what I use). It gives them more depth and then dip or spray them with a glaze.
If you want to tape your leaf stems, cut your tape to 1/2 or 1/4 width so they look much thinner than the main stem.
I know it was posted that you should start with the smallest leaf first but if you Google rose leaves you will see the largest actually is first - so really nice job, MB 
Thank You @JWinslow. It's very beneficial to have a community of knowledge and experience to learn from. It's apparent that to get into the gumpaste flowers you need a whole new set of tools & colors. So I just got back from the store to shop for some. Now tell me this is not just in Alaska that I'd hear this........
I bought things for gumpaste work ( & Hersheys Chocolate bars for modeling chocolate ), needle nose pliers, wire cutters, and a big tackle box to put them in.
So the check out gal says to me, "So how's the fishing this year?"
I said that this is all for cake decorating.
She leans closer to me, raises her voice and says, "No, I asked you how was the fishing this year!"
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So the check out gal says to me, "So how's the fishing this year?"
I said that this is all for cake decorating.
She leans closer to me, raises her voice and says, "No, I asked you how was the fishing this year!"
???? weird.
Jwinslow's comment made me remember a tip that someone once gave at a demo somewhere...When you're making leaves, put a little of the same color that the flowers are on the leaf and that makes them match the flower better. Just a little bit and it tints the leaves enough to make them look like they belong with the flower.
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Originally Posted by costumeczar
Jwinslow's comment made me remember a tip that someone once gave at a demo somewhere...When you're making leaves, put a little of the same color that the flowers are on the leaf and that makes them match the flower better. Just a little bit and it tints the leaves enough to make them look like they belong with the flower.
That's what I used to do with piped buttercream roses & flowers, way back in the day. It makes sense that it would also apply to gumpaste, thanks for that color tip. Lot's of new things to shop for........come on payday!!.
My favorite flowers are roses, carnations, tulips & poppies. If I could learn how to gumpaste these flowers this year I'd be over the moon.
AI can't remember if anyone has mentioned this, but I dust my flowers and leaves and them steam them, the colour really pops. Then you can add the glaze to the leaves.
And sorry about the the backwards advice on the leaf size arrangement, I forgot you were doing roses. I could blame it on things being backwards in this hemisphere, but it was just a simple brain fart!
And the fishing comments when you bought your tackle box - it reminds me of heading to the hardware store for bits and pieces for a cake structure. The guy said, what are you doing with all of this sweetheart (yes, it kills me too!), and I said I'm building a structure for a cake...and he said, you're building a cake out of construction materials - that's not going to taste any good. Ha, ha, no cake for him......some people are just stupid and then they top it off by not listening.
Perhaps Alaska is the colder upside-down sister to Australia, so many of the adventures sound similar
Yeah...the not listening part is what pinched my britches and made me laugh. Maybe when I said "cake decorating" she heard "Halibut fishing" lol.
For years I'd look at the tutorials for gumpaste roses and write down a list of all the things that I would need to purchase to try this out. Then I'd think that it was just WAY too much new stuff to buy. Petal dusts, new colors, brushes, glue, impression molds, wires etc.
NOW having actually given it a go, and seeing the extreme difference from my old buttercream roses, I'm saying "I can't wait to get some wires, cutters, petal dusts......." And I already have a clothes steamer somewhere in the house, so I'm ahead of the shopping cart already. and I do thank you for your encouragement @winniemog.
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Original message sent by MBalaska
what pinched my britches
I love this comment....I reckon I have britches-pinching moments MANY times a day....maybe it's getting older that makes me less tolerant - or maybe I'm just surrounding myself with increasing numbers of stupid people?
And you have to admit, cake decorating and halibut fishing sound extremely similar?????
Don't think you're going to stop with the shopping list you have in your hot little hand - there's always MORE to lust after. My current desire is an angle grinder to cut metal pipes for cake structures - and did I ever think I'd be sharing this type object of desire in public?
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- there's always MORE to lust after. My current desire is an angle grinder to cut metal pipes for cake structures - and did I ever think I'd be sharing this type object of desire in public?
It's ALL good
So that's why it's called "luster" dust....ha ha ha ha ha
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NOW having actually given it a go, and seeing the extreme difference from my old buttercream roses, I'm saying "I can't wait to get some wires, cutters, petal dusts......." And I already have a clothes steamer somewhere in the house, so I'm ahead of the shopping cart already.
Love it - Another person bitten by the sugar flower bug :)
If you don't feel like settling up the clothes steamer, a tea kettle works great. MB, the quicker you teach yourself to use thinner wires and thinner gum paste the happier you will be with the look of your flowers. As you progress, you will find making other flowers will be easier.
If you have a pasta machine or attachment for your mixer, you can roll out a nice thin sheet of gum paste, cut all your petals and put them under plastic.
You can also make a spoon board (perfect for rose petal curves). Cheap and effective. Get some plastic soup spoons, cut off the handle and hot glue them 2 inches apart to a piece of foam core (my board has has 15 spoons). You don't need a bunch of expensive tools, just effective ones. Feel free to contact me for help anytime :)
Jeanne
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Original message sent by MBalaska
Thank You @JWinslow . I rolled those petals on a #4 KA pasta roller, but you go much thinner I'm guessing.
I use a 4 setting when I'm doing things that I need to ship because it's sturdier,but for things I'm using on my own cakes I'll take it down to a 5 or 6. For that gumpaste sandwich method I usually go down to a 6 so that it isn't as thick when you put the two pieces together. But remember thqt as long as you get. The edges of the petals and leaves thin it makes the whole thing look thinner, so concentrate your effort on the edges and that will help. If you make the whole thing too thin it will be hard to wire the petals if you like doing it by stickign the wire into it, but making the edges thinner and leaving the center thicker helps.
AI always "roll with a ridge", I roll my gumpaste by hand away from a central ridge to very thin edges, and then cut the petal or leaf symmetrically with the ridge down the centre. This gives me a thicker part to insert the wire, I then press down on the centre to ensure the wire is firmly held and then place in veiner, and then ball the edges to thin them further. You can also add ruffling/frills as needed for some petals at this point. I haven't tried using the kitchenaid to roll out paste for flowers, but it could be a lot easier. I guess I've just got so comfortable rolling very thinly by hand away from the central ridge, it's hard to jump off the cliff to try something new!
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I always "roll with a ridge", I roll my gumpaste by hand away from a central ridge to very thin edges, and then cut the petal or leaf symmetrically with the ridge down the centre. This gives me a thicker part to insert the wire, I then press down on the centre to ensure the wire is firmly held and then place in veiner, and then ball the edges to thin them further. You can also add ruffling/frills as needed for some petals at this point.
I haven't tried using the kitchenaid to roll out paste for flowers, but it could be a lot easier. I guess I've just got so comfortable rolling very thinly by hand away from the central ridge, it's hard to jump off the cliff to try something new!
The kitchenaid (or any pasta roller) is so much easier on your hands than rolling it out yourself. I have a bad shoulder from years of doing cakes and the pasta roller takes all the aggravation out of it. You do have to find the right combination of sticky vs dry so that it doesn't gum up the rollers too much, but it's worth it for the savings on effort.
If you like rolling it out and leaving a ridge you could still roll it out with the pasta roller to the thickness of the ridge, then cut a whole bunch of leaves out and wire them, then roll out the edges thinner by hand and re-cut the shapes..
AI definitely hear you, costumeczar, I'm already starting to have issues with shoulders/hands etc due to the caking! I'll have to bite the bullet soon and try it out, but then I always say that - as soon as I have a quiet week, I'll try out something new - it's just that the quiet weeks never come!
Agraphic content alert --
i would just like to heartily encourage you and you all to listen to those aches & pains and take positive action for yourself -- whip out those pasta rollers -- takes less time, effort and money than a doctor's visit with cortisone shots that are just temporary -- just do it -- if it was your daughter with the pain/inflammation you would [I]make[/I] her do this so...use all the ergonomics you can to ease the strain --
capsaicin is available over the counter and Wonderful, no odor -- read the directions and do [I]not[/I] apply right after a bath -- wear gloves and rub it into the skin so it won't rub off -- you will be flat amazed --
but your body is telling you you've pushed too hard too long so LISTEN and gentle it up as best you can -- enjoy today because it only gets worse the longer it is ignored -- this pathway does not end well so if you can do something now -- do it! inflammation kills --
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I definitely hear you, costumeczar, I'm already starting to have issues with shoulders/hands etc due to the caking! I'll have to bite the bullet soon and try it out, but then I always say that - as soon as I have a quiet week, I'll try out something new - it's just that the quiet weeks never come!
That's so true...I didn't have anything scheduled for August on purpose, but I went away for a week and it took me three weeks to catch up when I got back. No free time.
I have a messed-up shoulder and arm, and my lower back has been bothering me for a few years. I've done a few rounds of physical therapy that help but as soon as I stop it comes back because of the posture you have to maintain when you do cakes, there's a lot of leaning over. I was comparing symptoms with some other decortors and we all have the same kind of things wrong with us, so doing cakes full time for any length of time is hazardous to your health.
Not to mention the respiratory stuff that you can get from inhaling particles of flour and confectioner's sugar...ever hear of "Baker's Lung?" Not cool. http://www.bakersjournal.com/content/view/595/144/
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Thank You @JWinslow. I rolled those petals on a #4 KA pasta roller, but you go much thinner I'm guessing.
I should've added that I use a grooved board to wire many petals but for roses where my center is the only wire I take it to 8 on the pasta machine. When rolling on the grooved board I make sure that I can read through the paste. I removed the paste, flip it and then cut the petals to wire. I like making several petals at a time so the board really works for me.
If you get a chance, check out Kara's Couture Cakes video on making a rose. I was quite please with my first try using her method.
Also, a good paste is key. I either make it myself using a Nicolas Lodge recipe or get it from ACakeToRemember Etsy store, which is my absolute favorite. I also use Platinum Paste but leave that one for down the road because it's real different from regular paste.
AThanks K8 and costumeczar, I really appreciate the warnings! It is so true that we are more careful with our family's health and wellbeing than our own! I am about to head off on a 2 week break, but I have spent the last week frantically working on all the gumpaste pieces so they can dry while I'm away and hopefully reduce the stress when I get back! I'm hoping to iron out a lot of kinks while I'm away! Sunshine here I come....
You are both right that this is a one way path to pain and disability....I hope to slow my progress but it's hard to see how I can stop it completely!
And you are so right about bakery's lung....it's so funny (maybe funny's not the right word!) that after sprinkling powdered sugar around, all I can taste and smell is the sweet stuff.....and things are really not pretty after airbrushing anything dark colours!
Love your flowers MB! Nothing to add further on the comments already given, they are really good for your first try.
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My favorite flowers are roses, carnations, tulips & poppies. If I could learn how to gumpaste these flowers this year I'd be over the moon.
Of those four, tulips are the easiest to do in my opinion and have a high satisfaction factor for a beginner. The French tulips, not the Parrot tulips, they are much frillier and more finicky. French tulips are the ones with smooth petals, and best of all, there are only 6 of them, all the same size and shape. The pistil is easy to do, or you can cup your tulip so you don't see down inside it and not do the pistil. Nice thick stems for the flower - you would use kitchen towel to thicken your wires and wrap tape around, and no leaves really since they grow at the base of the flower, not up the stem, but if you decided to make them they are nice and big and flat. And the only veiner you need really for petals and leaves is a dried husk of an ear of corn!
APoppies aren't too bad to make either, it's just the centre that requires a bit of faffing around. The petals themselves were pretty straight forward and there aren't too many of them!
I do agree with Dayti though, tulips are high on the satisfaction factor! I them straight after I had learnt how to make daffodils (love them in real life, in sugar they were a pain in the ...), so I LOVED making tulips! Pop some in a vase, they look fantastic!
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And you are so right about bakery's lung....it's so funny (maybe funny's not the right word!) that after sprinkling powdered sugar around, all I can taste and smell is the sweet stuff.....and things are really not pretty after airbrushing anything dark colours!
I've started dusting and airbrushing everything outside, and I can tell that it's helping to avoid the feeling of having inhaled a pot of luster dust for two days afterward.
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They're beautiful!
One more comment - I'm not sure if it's the angle of the photo or not, but you should start with the smallest leaf at the end of the stem, and then gradually get larger pairs of leaves as you move down the stem toward the main branch.
I love the rose colour you used too, and you really glazed the leaves beautifully.
Not with roses, the largest leaves are the first on the stem and the pairs get smaller as you move down.
Just a suggestion for colouring, a small amount of red or pink at the base and around the edges give a more realistic look like in nature. A yellow or orange rose should have some yellow or orange, same for purple etc.
Your leaves looked great though, Well done.
Thanks @Mimimakescakes, @Dayti, @JWinslow for coaching me and your kind thoughts.
One thing that I liked about doing these gumpaste flowers was being able to sit at my side table. in a chair with back support, and do the work. It didn't kill my neck, back, shoulders like when I'm standing on my feet. Some days I'd like to tie a broomstick to my backbone, like a brace, just for the support.
Is it true that the Peonies are a popular flower, as I've never even heard of them before. They actually remind me of my beloved carnations, both in the shape and color.
APeonies are very popular. They are also pretty time-consuming, not really a beginner flower as they are quite big and heavy - they have a lot of wires to tape up. BUT have a go - keep a towel in your lap while you are taping individual flowers and sprays together, so if your hands get tired and you drop it, the towel provides a nice soft landing!
A nice soft landing for petals is a good thing. Then peonies shall be put on the back burner and saved for much later.
I'll make a batch of the Nicholas Lodge gumpaste and try the small roses & leaves again using the suggestions given here on this thread. I'll not venture out into the wilderness, better to take one simple project at a time and try to set it to memory. Get comfortable with it.
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Thanks @Mimimakescakes, @Dayti, @JWinslow for coaching me and your kind thoughts.
One thing that I liked about doing these gumpaste flowers was being able to sit at my side table. in a chair with back support, and do the work. It didn't kill my neck, back, shoulders like when I'm standing on my feet. Some days I'd like to tie a broomstick to my backbone, like a brace, just for the support.
Is it true that the Peonies are a popular flower, as I've never even heard of them before. They actually remind me of my beloved carnations, both in the shape and color.
Peonies are super easy, I bang those out like nobody's business since I've done so many in the past few years! they really aren't that time-consuming, you just have to let everything dry before you can wire the petals together, or you can do them in a cup with no wires. I have a tutorial in my etsy shop but there's a lot of information online about how to make them. I also did a video on how to make wafer paper peonies, and they do take a lot of drying time, but they're easy to put together.
I clean foam pads with baby wipes or kitchen wipes I get ones that are food safe.
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