ok everybody who has done FBCT, I am asking you for help.
I have been working on how to do FBCT for 3 days, and this is the best i can come up with. I have read numerous post and still cant figure out what i am doing wrong...
1. how do i get rid of the lines (is this the wormy affect?) if I use the foam roller, do I use it after the FBCT is on the cake? will there be time to redo a mess up should a catastrophy occur--i have little faith at this point!
2. should i be sandwiching my FBCT between wax paper as i make it? if so, how does this help?
3. are you serious that the lines will disappear by using the roller? what are the steps for applying it..this is what i have...do the design, freeze it, put it on the cake, let it thaw, let it crust, and then roll it--is that right?
oh mis dios!!! i am ready to give up and just use plastic toys!!!

I am also looking for honest opinions, please do not spare my feelings or try to be nice, would you cry if this was on the side of your cake?--i would, i think they look awful. i need to put them around an 8" circle cake.
thanks for helping, giving advice, and your feedback!

That's an adorable penguin. I do see the lines, but is that the front or the back of the transfer that you are showing on the picture? If it is the back (what goes against the cake), how does the other side look?

What I do that seems to result in no lines is use a fairly thin icing (about what I would use to ice a cake, maybe) and sort of flood the area the same way I would with RI. It's thicker than the royal, but the principle is the same--I don't just make lines, I kind of allow the icing to smoosh into the area.

After I finish doing the transfer, I put a thin layer of the cake icing color over everything, to keep it from coming apart at the seams/lines. I then put another piece of parchment or waxed paper over the transfer and freeze.

I've never tried a roller on FBCT, so I can't help you on that, sorry.

One more thing--I think that you would need to have the FBCT curved like the side of the cake (if it's a round--ignore this comment if it's a square/rectangle!), so it doesn't break when you put it on the cake.

thank you for your comment...
this is the front view of the transfer. flooding the area makes sense. maybe i will try that. I thinned the icing to the consistancy that I use to ice the cake.
thanks for the heads up on a curved figure.....but any suggestions on how to get it that way? is the side of the cake not the best place for a FBCT?

oh hey, i just realized that I dont have to give up...i will just never agree to do a character cake again because of the pressure!!!! give me dots, lines, scrolls, flowers, bows any day, but never again a character!!!

oy vey!!!
sorry just venting--still!

I just wanted to say that he's so cute! (sorry I can't help... I've never done one of these!)

well, i think maybe i can do it...it came to me "if i cant do a FBCT face down, why not face up and build it backwards?"
so instead of mumble looking down on the board as i freeze him, he will be looking up this way i can work on his front side while on the wax paper instead of his backside. i was also able to roll him to remove the lines before i placed him in the freezer. IMO he looks much better, his outlines are neater, his features are more consistant and he is smooth.
not sure if this is "right" or not, but it seems to be working so far...
still not sure how to curve him to fit my cake sides though..hummm
Bijoudelanuit--thank you, i am trying!

i myself have not done a fbct, but i have heard people suggest that after you pipe the design with thinned bc, to allow it to crust a little and then use the roller. coat the back with a full layer of icing and then freeze. that should get rid of the lines, and your image will be smooth and flat.