I am very busy next weekend with 3 cakes due. I have to make this one by next Friday.  I have never done a standing figurine and I don't know how to support her with her feet so small.  What would I stick through her legs to keep her up?  Plus what should I use?  Fondant?  Gumpaste?  The cake itself won't be covered in fondant,  just the girl and the bow.  Please please help.  Any feedback is appreciated. 

One bamboo skewer from foot to head with lots of it hanging out so that it can be stuck into the cake. Use modelling paste that dries hard fast as it will be easier to work with. Don't forget to warm it up in the microwave first if it is cold where you live and work it with your fingers till nice and pliable. You can either colour bits of the modelling paste before shaping them or make it from white paste and then colour it using brushes and gel/paste food colours. I'd give it several hours if I were you, so start with this first as it is the most difficult part of that cake. Good luck!

If you want that exact pose and you want it to be strong and stay in place you would be best with an armature E.g florist wire internal "skeleton" to support the outstretched arms and leg. This would mean though that it would be considered non-edible and need to be removed when serving but I think this is the safest method particularly given you are short on time you don't want to risk any bits falling off or drooping due to humidity or moisture in the air etc. 

Thank you both.  Should I add tylose powder to the modeling paste?  Or will that be okay by itself? 

If it is modelling paste it would generally have a hardener like tylose in it but if it doesn't then you would need to add it.

Thank you.  I have just ordered tylose powder just in case.  I can get the floral wire at my local flower shop right? 

Probably could get from a florist, I have got it from cake decorating shops and craft shop before. 

Sounds like you already got some great answers to your question, just wanted to toss a couple more ideas in:

1) I know you’re pressed for time (which I TOTALLY get), but I wonder if you’ve ever heard/visited Craftsy.com? They have over 100 cake decorating online classes with fantastic instructors, with a few beginner classes that are free, and then a VERY wide range, of topics, techniques, and skill levels, with beginner, intermediate and advanced skill levels. I’m in the middle of a figure modeling class called “Playful Toppers: from Princesses to Pirates” which I think sounds perfect for you. I’ve always found making faces to be very challenging, and this class talks about 3 ways of making faces, each a different skill level. Here’s the link (http://www.craftsy.com/class/playful-toppers/5213?_ct=sbqii-sqjuweho-dum&_ctp=5&rceId=1443769759231~4sahyd6o —check out the trailer.

About the price: It’s already discounted 25% off (nothing to do with the class’ quality, most are always ‘discounted’), but here’s the SECRET to getting (usually) 50% OFF of ANY Craftsy class: on the class’ description page the name of the instructor is listed. Google him/her and go to his/her OWN website (if they don’t have one, look for a Facebook or maybe youtube profile—the one the decorator creates, not someone else). For every class I’ve taken, there’s always a little Craftsy logo and a brief blurb/explanation/introduction the decorator writes to advertise that she’s teaching a class. There should be a link right there, and by clicking THAT LINK, which takes you to the class description on  Craftsy.com (same on as before), you should get a discount (50% in my experience). But YOU HAVE TO GO THRU THE DECORATOR’S SITE—in this case, it’s a Facebook site. But just in case you don’t have a Facebook in, I copied that link from her Facebook site, to the Craftsy website, here: http://www.craftsy.com/ext/RosieCake-Diva_5213_M. It should give you 50% off.

2)The other thing I wanted to mention: I’ve found using a mix of 1 part modeling chocolate to 4 parts fondant work best for figure work, to construct the face and body. Then I use either gum paste and/or add a bit of Tylose powder to the fondant for any bigger details I want to attach (for example, for larger pieces of clothing like pants or a dress I would use the fondant with Tylose) and for much smaller things, like eyebrows, buttons, buckles, bow ties, etc, I mostly use gum paste. 

Sorry for this novel-length post, just wanted you to have all the info. Good luck!

-Alexandra-

My suggestion are:

• remember to work in small pieces and let them dry a bit as you work. You need to bottom parts of the figure to dry some so that as you add the upper pieces it has some strength to support the parts the come next.
• You don't need an armature to make this work, just good skewers, toothpicks and other wood sticks you can generally find a good assortment at Asian suppermarkets.
• There are several classes on Craftsy.com that deal with make standing figures. One that I just finished was called "Playful Toppers" and it was a great class, plus you can ask the instructor questions. These classes are generally $40 or less and well worth it. Craftsy has sales all the time make them $19.99 and even $14.99. So I would suggest if you plan to offer things like this to your clients (and you should) that you bone up with a couple of classes that are educational, ours for life and well worth the money.

Robert

Wow thank you.  I will look into craftsy. I know I follow them on facebook but I actually never knew they had classes.  Good to know.