A co-worker has requested I make a ladybug cake for her soon to be three year old's birthday. She really loves ladybugs and thought that would be a good idea for a cake.

Would I just tint buttercream icing red and some black? I have the general idea, just need to know the best way to create the ladybug's colors.

Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks

You would color the frosing red and black.
Here's my cake idea: bake any size 2 layer cake, ice it green so that it resembles grass, maybe put some flowers on it. Then take the ball pan and bake a cake in one half of the pan, also bake a mini ball cake and cut that in half. Place the larger half ball on the cake with the smaller half ball in front of it for the head. Decorate the cakes to look like a ladybug.
Here's some pics of ladybug cakes:
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&album=60&pos=55
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&album=60&pos=102
http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/special/cake/cake_ladybug/
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_11673,00.html
http://www.cakeworkscentral.com/scrapbook/ladybug.htm
If you do a search in google- there is a LOT of hits. Hope this helps get the ball rolling.

My ladybug cake is in the gallery. I used 1/2 of the sports ball pan for the body and a mini ball for the head.

Thank you so much, this has been so much help to me.

Don't forget to post once its done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I wanna see!!!! I love ladybugs too!!!!!!!!!!!!

I sure will, as soon as I figure out how to post, I will start posting the pics. I'm really new to the art, just completed Wilton I, began II on Monday night and I really love it.

If you don't happen to have a ball pan,you can use stainless steel mixing bowls for baking.If you get a set there are quite a few sizes in it.They are a little flat on the bottom but when you ice it,you'd never know. Just a thought.