Modeling Fondant/tylose Work Is Difficult & Time Consuming. How Do You Expert Modelers Do It????
Decorating By MBalaska Updated 9 Sep 2013 , 5:44pm by milkmaid42
Safety Hunting Hat & pup with safety Scarf on.
The amazing skills of the modelers on CC are growing in my estimation after this experience.
I'm making the 'camo' cake so decided to add a little something on the top. They are drying on a paper plate. It took me almost two hours to do this. How do you do it??
I'm sure you'll get faster with practice! Really cute 
They are very cute! I imagine it's just practice. And I think the more you model, the more you get faster at those basic shapes that are the foundation of most images. Then it's just a matter of building on those. But, I am not a modeller, so this is just a guess :)
Thanks for encouragement BatterUpCake & Nadiaa. Would have never even attempted this simple plain item without reading threads, tutorials, & vids recommended in CC.
It would be nice if several of the modelers would post some of their beautiful items, & hear their stories.
I'll bet they are pottery artist, or clay modeling experts.
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Thanks for encouragement BatterUpCake & Nadiaa. Would have never even attempted this simple plain item without reading threads, tutorials, & vids recommended in CC.
It would be nice if several of the modelers would post some of their beautiful items, & hear their stories.
I'll bet they are pottery artist, or clay modeling experts.
Message howsweet -- have you seen her work? She's amazeballs.
MB modelling is like any cake decorating skill (or any life skill for that matter). The more you practise the quicker you will get. If you are new to it don't stress too much about the time but enjoy the experience and the results. The rest will come with time.
LOL @ the caption.
My reading skills suck when I'm tired were you using fondant?
...I used to love to sculpt clay and even pumpkins. Sugar doughs are way more challenging though. And for petes sake the amount of time it takes, it does get better but I know realistically I should charge $100 per cake topper. Honestly, your toppers look nice!
MB that dragon was a labour of love for my Dad. The scales alone took me 4 hours to put on and then the tail was far too long and I chopped off about 2 hours worth of scales. Try modelling some figures whilst following instructions. It's much easier to learn that way. When I did the dragon I had half a dozen web pages open with different dragons that I liked and made it up as I went along so it took me nearly forever. Fortunately Dad was 80 so I had plenty of time!!!
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LOL @ the caption. ** Thanks. you understood. 
My reading skills suck when I'm tired were you using fondant? **Yes, homemade M F Fondant & Tylose. Got to try gumpaste!
...I used to love to sculpt clay and even pumpkins. Sugar doughs are way more challenging though. And for petes sake the amount of time it takes, it does get better but I know realistically I should charge $100 per cake topper.....
** agreed $$$$$ cha-ching
Your training shows! Your skills are so well translated to sugar dough. Your sculpted models are so interesting and eye catching.
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MB that dragon was a labour of love for my Dad. The scales alone took me 4 hours to put on and then the tail was far too long and I chopped off about 2 hours worth of scales. Try modelling some figures whilst following instructions. It's much easier to learn that way. When I did the dragon I had half a dozen web pages open with different dragons that I liked and made it up as I went along so it took me nearly forever. Fortunately Dad was 80 so I had plenty of time!!!
Well, it all paid off..... it's a wonderful draco. I got a book on making animals and they had everything but bears & dogs......the two things I'd use most up here.
You do make sense, when you say look at web pages. Looking at photos to get dimensions, and proper shapes, makes sense.
Thanks MBalaska! 
Gumpaste helps for figures that have height. I also find the absolute best for modelling is Wilton fondant. You want it to be kind of dry, LOL. If my fondant is too soft and nice, I add a bunch of cornstarch. My second best thing I've learned for working with the fondant is to let everything firm, every step of the way. It just get so soft and mushy when I try to work with it. Its so humid where I am so it can take me about 1 week to make one figure but I just want to be able to handle the pieces without mushing them with my fingers when I put them together.
My art teacher told me years ago that if you can draw it, you can sculpt it. It helps to really see something, and sketch it out before starting. Or using pictures!
"letting it dry every step of the way." is good to know. The puppy had started with his rump & hind legs kinda higher up, but when I was done & letting it dry..........he looked like he'd been on 'slim fast' for a month. Gravity brought it all down & it looked like he shrank.
Can't believe I missed the use of cornstarch.......I rarely use it to roll out fondant any more. Because.....it dries everything out & firms it up.......... Boy did my mind disengage with this modeling project.
Wilton fondant, yes. It does smell like 'clay doh' so it would be perfect wouldn't it. It is also readily available at my local craft store.
For myself and a hundred other people who may read your information at a later date. Thank You.
Your welcome! :)
Yeah, letting it firm up is really my secret to keeping things looking tidy and like I intended! I used to get so frustrated when I tried to add eyes right away and would have a misshapen head from over-handling warm fondant. I have some funny photos of the differences...lets see:
This is my first and second fondant human figure. No tylose or gumpaste used, just straight up Wilton fondant. Only difference on the right, I let the pieces firm and harden some (not completely because its just way too humid here for fondant to ever dry out entirely) for the Rapunzel on the right. Both chameleons were left to firm before assembling so there isn't any difference there. My first person still makes me laugh. Haha, a bit of an ugly duckling!
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Are you talking to me? Your going to make me blush! Thanks! 
Y'all really don't want anyone to eat old dried up fondant anyway, do you? If not, there's no reason not to just mix in tylose or use real gumpaste. I prefer fondant/tylose because it's easier to work with. Once in a while, something needs to dry overnight before going on to the next step, like a shoe sole or something huge, but making figures - I usually do all at once, and it's very humid where I live.
howsweet: Thanks.....appreciate any info that can be shared. Your cakes are beautiful, your multi-color flower one especially.
Modeling gives such a completely different dimension to cakes, way diff than piping icing.
Figuring that no one would eat the puppy, I put an inch of spaghetti in his head to help hold it up. (read that from someone's thread earlier.) I guess it worked as it stay on.
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Are you talking to me? Your going to make me blush! Thanks!
Y'all really don't want anyone to eat old dried up fondant anyway, do you? If not, there's no reason not to just mix in tylose or use real gumpaste. I prefer fondant/tylose because it's easier to work with. Once in a while, something needs to dry overnight before going on to the next step, like a shoe sole or something huge, but making figures - I usually do all at once, and it's very humid where I live.
Uh yeah...have you seen your work?
Your sculpting on your cakes are so incredibly realistic - that horror movie cake was...just wow!
Uh yeah...have you seen your work?
Your sculpting on your cakes are so incredibly realistic - that horror movie cake was...just wow!
Ohhhh...I was wondering where you saw any of my work. Most of the pics that I've posted are mine, but pretty much none of them involve sculpting. I can sculpt, but I did not sculpt that face. I used a mask to form a fondant mask, painted and stuck cake in there!
Also, I got a pm - just fyi that dragon cake is not mine. That is not my photo gallery - that's photo's I've posted (embedded). I have no idea why cake central does that because it confuses people. All of those cakes are mine, except the John Deer and the dragon.
This is an example of modeling I did. I only do simple stuff like this
I sculpted this cake for my daughter a long time ago. Not sure why I thought it was a good idea to only do half a honey pot!
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Ohhhh...I was wondering where you saw any of my work. Most of the pics that I've posted are mine, but pretty much none of them involve sculpting. I can sculpt, but I did not sculpt that face. I used a mask to form a fondant mask, painted and stuck cake in there!
Also, I got a pm - just fyi that dragon cake is not mine. That is not my photo gallery - that's photo's I've posted (embedded). I have no idea why cake central does that because it confuses people. All of those cakes are mine, except the John Deer and the dragon.
This is an example of modeling I did. I only do simple stuff like this
I sculpted this cake for my daughter a long time ago. Not sure why I thought it was a good idea to only do half a honey pot!
Yup..amazeballs. The thing I liked most about your horror cake was the hands, your clean details ROCK -even if you did use a mask to mold the face, you still painted the details. Only an artist can do that!
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Yup..amazeballs. The thing I liked most about your horror cake was the hands, your clean details ROCK -even if you did use a mask to mold the face, you still painted the details. Only an artist can do that!
Well thanks for sticking by that, haha! Each finger was on a toothpick and the customer thought it was cool that they could pick the fingers off individually and nibble on them. Made one out of modeling chocolate, but it was too melty, so they were fondant.
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Here's her site, but I'm sure the books are on Amazon. http://www.debbiebrownscakes.co.uk/ I just took her kittens class last week and it was h-a-r-d. It was her classes I took a few years back when I first got started that got me going. She's a really good teacher.
Does fondant get hard and crunchy with tylose? Every time i go to buy it, its out of stock. My kids have bit into some pretty old cake toppers before and they had a drier shell but the insides were still soft- no crunch either.
I'm guessing timing will be different for everyone. For irate birds, I'd make the main pieces one by one, then the eyes, beaks, and feathers. Sometimes because they are small they are dry enough to handle by the time I'm done depending how many I just made, but other times...well they just mush all up if I try to handle them- then I have a pack of irate amoebas and not birds. I just find it faster to wait a bit and let the pieces hold their shape before I glue them together.
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