Well, I finished my "fish" cake.....I wasn't happy with the turnout and am almost too embarassed to post a picture but I'm going to because I need advice and pointers from all of you wonderful decorators! My fish tail well that was a DISASTER! It doesn't look very complicated and I tried to get a "speckled" look but didn't quite accomplish that. the fins, tail and eye are made out of fondant and the rest is BC. The cake is french vanilla with butterscotch pudding filling nothing fancy but hopefully it's tastey...I just gave it to my friend, I didn't charge just chalked it up to a learning experience I think she took the cake just to be nice.
I am open to all feedback don't think you are being harsh trust me I can handle it.....anything to help me be a better decorator!
Thanks! 
Hi there. I think he looks pretty good! I haven't done one of these and I am not sure if you had the directions from the book that everyone seems to use or not. I would say that you needed to have the cake on a bigger board and that small board likely made it really hard to make the tail, right?
I think you need to use the luster (lustre) dusts to get the sparkles and folks seem to use pieces of fondant to get the scaley effect. Some folks just cut into the fondant and use the lustre dusts to get that effect.
Sorry I am not much help, I don't have the book. I have a tendency to be able to copy things from looking at a picture but I don't have a picture of one of these handy. I know that there are several folks on this site that have done fish cakes and they could likely help you out, perhaps check out the pictures in the galleries and send them a PM?
But stop being so hard on yourself! I think he looks really neat! Just use a longer board next time so you can play with the tail more to stretch it out.
I bet your friend really liked it kiddo!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
I'm with Squirelly, I too think your fish is neat!!! I think she is also right in that you needed to have your cake on a bigger board, but as far as the fish goes, I think you did a great job on him!
~Luraleigh~
I think so too and not being a fish expert, but he sures looks like a picture of a fish I have seen, I just don't know my fish species well! Haha, other than tuna, salmon and trout, I am lost when it comes to looks, but not taste once the head and all is removed, haha! Heehee, now that is my problem, I cannot stand looking at the head and tail on the plate so I always get that removed. Makes it really hard to identify the fish.
What did you use for the eye, it looks really real, scaringly so, I might add!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
Thank you very much! You are all so kind!
Squirlley thanks for the tips! I look forward to hearing your feedback you have such experience!
I was actually trying to get the curled tail effect (I seen a picture of it in the gallery on this site. Hers was sooo life like but I think it might have been airbrushed according to what people thought when I posted the picture and I think it was now that I've done this one) I would love to have the luster dusts but live in Fort McMurray, AB and am five hours to the nearest city which would be Edmonton and ebay doesn't ship fast enough but I am going to buy some as soon as I can! (I haven't bought any off of ebay yet because I have to look into how much they are to make sure I'm getting a deal! lol) The picture of the fish is actually deceiving because it fit just perfect on the board, but now that I look at it it looks like he's hanging over a bit....the more I look at my fish the weirder he looks lol.........I just looked at a picture when I did this (of course it was the airbrushed fish! I seem to choose difficult things when I want to try something for the first time! lol) This was my first sculpted cake and first time working with buttercream other than piping stars! It was a very good experience and I learned a lot from it.......I'll keep trying and hopefully with time I get better! 
Well kiddo, I thought you had airbrushed yours, that wasn't airbrushed? Well, it surely looked it! I thought your colour was great! Maybe you needed to make the tail a bit thicker in the fondant?
You might want to order your lustre dusts from www.goldaskitchens.com in Toronto. They are likely cheaper than using E-bay although I know shipping adds up.
The folks doing most of these fishes have a book with instructions, can't remember if it is Colette Peters or who has put out the instructions, but someone has. Some folks even have the fish pan, so sculpting it is a lot harder but in the book they are using there are directions.
Anyway, if you just looked at a picture and managed to do so well, well, kudos to you!
I think you are really a perfectionist, and perfectionists make the best decorators!
So kudos to you kiddo!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
Squirelly
You brought tears to my eyes! THANK YOU! You just made me feel so much better about the whole thing. I was starting to think maybe cake decorating was not my thing....now you've encouraged me to continue. Maybe there is hope for me.....
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!
Don't you dare quit kiddo, you are indeed talented! I have some amazing cake buddies that are a lot like you, Pattrice and Bitte and Tomorrow and Froggie and...., geesh I will likely leave someone out. But there are some decorators that see something or think something and set about to make it happen. These are the folks that don't have all the latest tools and molds and such and they just manage to somehow come up with an alternative to make things work. Their combination of ideas and imagination and the ability to work with improvisations really serves them well. There are all sorts of types of decorators out there, everyone has their niche.
So I am thinking you are one of these, the improvising types! That will really serve you well kiddo! Keep at it!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
Gibson, somehow I doubt that the person who origonally designed that cake got it perfect the first time. I'm sure it took that person a couple of times to get all of the effects right.
Here's the important question: What did you learn while doing this cake? Obviously, you got the cake board taken care of, but what other things would you do differently?
Keep practicing. Experiment, make your own fish cake design. Don't be harsh on yourself. Most importantly, don't give up on yourself!
Debbi
Gibson, I think you did great for a first attempt at sculpting. It's not as easy as it looks. My first attempt at sculpting is the alligator in my photos - I couldn't get the legs right, the head is way too large and the icing melted off - yours looks much nicer than mine! I also used too small of a cake board.
You got the colors perfectly. Next time it'll be much easier for you - we learn as we go! And people on CC are so helpful! I think fondant might have been easier to work with, with the different colors. I think all he needs is a little defininition to get the scales - you could use an icing tip or dental floss or something to press scales in - and maybe fish lips LOL. I love that word! 
But I think you did great on your first attempt!!!
You guys are wonderful! I will keep trying and I did learn a lot from this experience. Sometimes I am really too hard on myself. Now I'm looking at it and maybe it's not as bad.......for the first attempt! Thank you all for your great support CC is great because of the people!
Thank you so much and I'll keep trying!
Tammy 
I think your fish cake looked pretty good too. Sometimes when I'm using fondant I use ceramic or sculpey tools to make details on things. maybe you could make scales that way. I think you're being hard on yourself...I do the same thing. I'm always sure the person I'm making the cake for will be disappointed - they are usually happy, which I always find hard to believe! 
Gibson - I give you a triple A just for trying that cake! You did a great job. We are our own worst critic's. The fact is that you learned from this and nothing comes easy is a great lesson. Don't give up. You did good girlfriend! Get the playdough out and practice using sculpting tools on that - alot cheaper and you can mash it back up if you don't like it. 
Chin up friend.
I am thinking that you did a great job...you can tell its a fish~! I hate to see what I would do!!!!!!! YOU GO GIRLIE...you may have found your knack!
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