AI only offer sketches to customers ordering wedding cakes (or high value celebration, but nothing yet has been in the right price range).

There's a couple of reasons for this - 1) They take me ages and I'm not willing to spend the time without the payment being high enough to warrant it.

And

2) I'm dreadful at sketching. Really really horrible. I hate it. My hand just won't do what's in my head, to the point that I warn couples that my sketches will look like my kids have done them. If I'm honest this is the main reason I only do it for high value cakes, because it means I don't have to do it so often!

What do other people do? Do you do sketches with every quote or do you limit it?

Does anyone else hate doing them? I feel like such a dud when I do one, especially when you see such talented people just knocking a sketch up in 5 minutes - I would love to be able to do that!

Lizzy, it depends. Sometimes I make the sketch after I receive downpayment, sometimes before. If it's before, it's a really rough sketch!

AI sketch every cake. that said, I draw stick cakes. Five tier cake, with flowers and drapes, 70 seconds. Maybe less.

AOh, and I use colored pencils too! #fancy

AOh good, I was wondering if I was being a bit off not doing them up front. I had to chuckle at your taking a minute to do a stick cake - that's what I end up with and it still takes me ages :-D

I'm OK as long as it's got roses on it. I can do a swirl. Other flowers though also look suspiciously like roses in my sketches...

I don't bake very often anymore but I always make a stick sketch and explain that the 3D is my forte not the drawing. I also agree no sketch handed out without a deposit. 

AAnything sort of roundish with a couple of swirls is a "flower."

A

This made me feel better than you could know :-D

I've only done two sketches in 16 years and am so bad at drawing that I downloaded black and white sketches of three and four tier cakes off the internet then all you have to do is pencil in the details.  And I never do a sketch for someone if the deposit hasn't been given. 

A

Do you find people expect it and you say you don't really do it, or does it just not come up?

I get asked :-( The only time I will do it before a deposit is if I really want the cake. I'm doing one in the hope of getting a music and tattoo one that I really fancy. I'm not sure if it will help or hinder though with my artistic 'talent' :-D