How Would I Do This Scroll Work
Decorating By SweetTartCakery Updated 10 Sep 2016 , 7:36am by -K8memphis
Can someone give me ideas on how to achieve this look or something similar in buttercream without a stencil?
looks to me like three repeats per tier with five major scrolly things each -- so divide each tier into thirds -- and on each third with a toothpick or pearl head pin mark the midpoint of the third you're working on then mark the high point that you'll go with the main largest scroll then the next one lower and one lower than that on each right and left of the main largest scroll -- in order to fill out that third of the cake surface -- repeat the markings for all the rest of that tier and the next tier/s
you could draw more of the pattern in before you start piping like the width of each of the five main scrolly things per third -- but for me it's better for me to practice maybe five ten minutes a day for a few days before I'll be decorating than to actually follow too much more of a drawn on pattern -- it flows better --
otherwise it looks like you're practice piping rather than letting it flow kwim -- for the most realistic look you'll want to mark off some guidelines but you still want to pull and stretch out the icing to get the pretty soft rounded curves and edges --
and this is gonna sound a little funny but believe your arms -- your lower arm from your elbow down and the whole arm from your shoulder down simply perfectly draws an arc by just moving -- all you have to do is squeeze the piping bag -- see what I mean -- let your arm do the work -- do the drawing -- not just your wrist -- and get a rhythm -- count a cadence and hold your breathe while you pipe this -- then just break it down section by section and scroll by scroll till it's all filled in --
so start piping the major biggest most central scrolls -- fill in the rest by degrees -- add the little white bits -- you got it -- it's a nice easy pattern to follow --
the advance repetitive practice is really important because that's where the confidence lies -- it's not important to get it perfect at each practice -- it's important to get looser and looser which gets you better and better which translates to confidence and a beautiful scrollwork for your investment -- practice flat on the counter top then on the side of the cake pans you'll use --
you could make patterns of your sections where you're going to make your markings so you don't have to eyeball it and don't have to think about it --
i love to pipe stuff like this -- have fun with it
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