For models, is it pure gumpaste or do you use fondant aswell?  Or does it depend if you are going to eat it? Seems a waste using pure gumpaste for a model? 

ADepends. If the figures are on side I cake, fondant with just enough gumpaste to make it hold. Some figures I use a 50/50 mix. For me, it's rare I use only gumpaste but sometimes I do especially if I need it to dry fast.

I use only gumpaste by itself for flowers cause it dries quickly and can be rolled very thin, for figures I use mostly only fondant (unless I don't have the time for them to dry) you can add some powder to make them dry harder this always seems to work for me, HTH :)

Thank you guys, so if i wanted to make a person, do i just use fondant and thats all?? 

xx

I accidentally left a wad of fondant out about 10 days ago. It's so humid here that when I found it yestarday, it was as moist as when I took it out of the bucket. So, of course, I use pure gumpaste, which actually won't get totally dry here, either. When the design lends itself to pastillage (it's not very scuptable, but it can be cut), I use that. It's the only thing I've found that will actually harden in this climate.

For making people, that arent, standing, etc. i use g/p and fondant, more of the g/p. If i make them standing, i use pastiallage(sp?). It dries very, very hard. hth

I use a 50/50 blend of fondant and gumpaste.  I have made the mistake of making figures out of pure fondant and in my hot/humid climate they don't ever dry or harden.  HTH!

I suppose it depends a lot of where you live, I see here a few ppl cant use just fondant because of the humidity, I have never had this problem, maybe just try with a  few small balls of fondant, 50/50 and just gumpaste it wont cost you much and give you a better idea of long it will take for them to set and exactly how hard they get.

I use fondant with a little tylose in it , I do use flowerpaste however if I have to make clothes that need to drape well . 

For example , These figures bodies and faces and hair  are made from fondant with tylose , the clothes are made from flowerpaste. 

Thank you, i will have a go with fondant see how that goes, as i live in Scotland, its pretty cold here just now lol. Will let you know how i get on.

Hi, Chris,

I'm also in Scotland (Edinburgh) and I tend to just use plain fondant for my models.  Make sure to give them a couple of days to dry thoroughly, but you shouldn't have any problems unless it's a really footery design.

Hope that helps,

Lizzie
 

Thank you , I enjoy modelling , it is the fiddly things and details I like the most. 

I use fondant and tylose as well.  To avoid cracks in your fondant make sure you have kneaded it really really well, it should be a stretchy consistency.  Then ball it up and squish it in your hands to get rid of any cracks, then slowly ball it up again and make sure you don't have any cracks.  If you do, squish again and roll again until you have no cracks.  HTH
 

You could buy the faces tutorial from Lorraine McKay at Extra Icing: http://www.extraicing.co.uk/#/shop/4566719687/Heads-Hands-and-Feet-tutorial/2775131 which I found very helpful, and also check out her free youtube videos - her username is Aine2 (or go via her website), and she is a member here on CC with the same name ;)

I make models from fondant mixed with CMC/Tylose powder - 250g fondant, 1/2 tsp CMC, which is Lorraine McKay's recommendation. It can be used immediately but I find it better to make it at least the day before and keep well wrapped and in a tupperware box at room temp until you want to use it.
 

And don't give in! It takes alot of trial and error and practice to be happy with the figures you make!

Just a wee thought, Chris, but you could always try practising modelling using some playdough.  It's not quite the same consistency, but it's cheaper (if you make your own).  That should help you get a hang of the right shapes and proportions of figures.
 

Not to hijack this thread, but icer101, could you tell me how you make your pastillage? The consistency of the stuff I'm using will barely let me roll it out and cut it. Modeling with it seems to be an impossibility. I actually like working with it quite a lot, and would love to be able to do more things with it, if only it had a little more give. I have to say I'm very excited, because I'm moving into a new house in a couple of months that is totally air-conditioned - even the kitchen (a rarity here in Cancún), so I might have less trouble making figures with fondant and gumpaste. Getting them to last through a typical outdoor event or one at an un-airconditioned venue is another thing, though.

The thing i find hard is when i eventually get the nose, i lose all proportion of the face, i can never get the shape of the face back :( 

Chris , have you thought of using a face mould? , I use them and then I manipulate and accentuate them . To open up the nose I use a toothpick , I always add eyelids.I use one of those drinking straws with the spoon end to open the mouth slightly. Then I gently change the shape of the face with my fingers until I get it the way I want it. For example, making the chin longer or rounder, pinching up the cheeks, to accentuate cheekbones.  

It is really important to get all the cracks out before you form the head .As someone else said , knead it well , I just take a small ball of fondant and dip it in a little tylose this firms it up and makes it easier to work with , it is not necessarily about the drying but getting a good consistency to work with.  I roll the ball of fondant firmly between my palms to eliminate the cracks , so I have a smooth ball of paste to work with.  When using a mould , cornflower the piece of paste not the mould as you lose details . 

I hope this helps . 

Chelle 

Most of the stuff we get here in Oz we bring in from either the UK or South Africa .   Squires should have face moulds. My favourite ones are actually ones used for modelling Fimo clay.   The other thing I have done is make my own from a plastic doll or china figurine , using Silicone Plastique.   If you can't source that a quick fix for a mould is to use fondant , impress the thing that you want to mould into it and then pop it into the freezer for a couple of hours , You have to work quickly when you take it out to use it but it is a cheap altenative to practice with. 

Some are full moulds , some just faces . I actually just use the face part myself , I fashion a kinda head shaped ball with a bit of a neck and push it into the mould . Mostly I cover the back with hair and I find this way I don't have to work so hard to remove the mould line that forms where the two halves meet.