34 Replies

For me it would be most definitely painting/drawing (as mentioned on the latest cake). I am a great admirer of Calli (Callicious Cakes) and love her painted roses and have always wanted to do a cake with these on but me and a pain brush just don’t get on!
Having said that my husbands Aunty is a brilliant artist who paints for a living (paints on to vases etc). I have often thought of asking her for some tips etc, so watch this space……………… You will be waiting a few years I can tell you now lol (great talking point Linda xx)

I am with Carol on the hand painting especially roses and floral. I would also love to master the skill of sculpting a figure, just wish I had more time!

Definatley hand painting!!! Love the hand painted cakes but I really need to take a course to at least gain basic skills!! Would also like to improve figure modelling and try out wafar paper!

I would like to have a go at modelling chocolate, royal icing and piping skills as I have ever really done any of these things. I might also have a dabble at flowers – I think a Gerbera would be high on my list. Where time permits I like to go and join a class for a new skill as it is fun to get out and about and meet other cakey people as well as see the skill demonstrated before you. Other than that, I usually try and work it out for myself and consult if I get stuck. My figure modelling is self taught, so I now find it fascinating to see how other people achieve their results. Good luck with it all Linda, hope to see some lovely creations showing off your newly acquired skills! Xx

Many thanks Carol, I do enjoy painting and have already done a couple of classes and another couple coming up. How wonderful about your talented aunt. Yes you must ask her and get practising onto old boards covered in left over fondant. It’s all about being inspired, looking closely at what you are painting and also lots and lots of practise. Xxxx
This is a great discussion and one things for sure we all are on a continuous learning curve as new styles and trends come into the confectionery arena. I’m constantly inspired by all the styles, techniques, designs and trends from everyone. That’s why I love coming here.
I would very much like to learn how to work with royal icing (like stringwork etc) and also buttercream designing (flowers etc).

Hmmmmm….. Linda…where to start??? It’s usually the dreaded time and Eeeee $$ for classes. I’m retired…and it’s still both!!! That being said….painting on cakes, improving my buttercream skills….covering a cake in, piping…and making realistic bc flowers….that’s definitely not easy. And really mastering getting clean, crisp edges on my cakes…always a challenge. That’s what so great about CD. You can see, look and learn all that cakey stuff here!! 😉

For me it’s just getting the fondant onto the cake smoothly. I struggle with edges and would love to master the art of sharp corners. Most of my cakes end up with curved edges.

Hmm let’s see….sculpting figures, modelling chocolate, piping, painting, and the list goes on & on

I would definitely like to improve on my figure sculpting, sugar flowers, hand painting, and piping skills. I like what Calli said, that we are all on a continuous learning curve. Life would be so boring if we stopped learning! Another thing I struggle with is comparing my work to others’, being jealous and wishing I was as good as so many of the extremely talented artists on CD, but I am learning that what I should be striving for is improving my own skills instead. I love this quote, " Remember how far you’ve come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be." Learning from others and comparing myself to others are two different things. I love the support and knowledge here on CD! It is invaluable!

Well said Pamela…..and oh so true. We all have our own cakey strengths and weaknesses. Just thinking too …just when you think there’s nothing new in the Kakey Kingdom….along comes some wonderful new technique!!! Always something…..Always learning…..Always challenges.

I am so interested reading all your responses, and the way we are all eager to learn new techniques or improve on existing skills. Love your post Pamela, I always compare myself unfavourably with others in most aspects of life, but a friend told me this quote “don’t compare your dress rehearsals with everyone else’s opening night.”
Anyway, back to our learning curve. Thinking about this has made me decide to get myself on a RI piping class first and get all lacey and pretty 😁

Thank you June. :-)I love that quote, Roo! I definitely struggle with that in other areas of life too. It’s so true that comparison is the enemy of contentment! Anyway, have fun in your class…I’ll be keeping an eye out for pictures! ;-)

For me I want to learn/get better at sugar flowers. I have made a few different ones but they aren’t as realistic as I would like. I have a friend who makes gorgeous flowers & is willing to spend some time with me to teach me, we just need to find time in our busy schedules to make it happen.

I also would like to try airbrushing. Again, it’s a matter of finding time to give it a go. I work full time, play soccer two nights a week, baseball one night a week & also take pottery classes so spare time is hard to come by.

Lastly I feel my carving skills need a lot of improvement. I always find it nerve wracking when I have a cake that needs carving. Perhaps the key is having the proper knife?

Karen, for me I have found the key to sharp edges us using ganache under my fondant. I also purchased a fondant smoother for edges which seems to help as well.

Simple. Sugar flowers. I’d love to be able to create gorgeous, realistic sugar flower arrangements. I suppose I’m just too scared to even try. xx

Thanks Kelly, I’ve tried Ganache but I don’t know if I’m messing about with it too much. It still ‘rounds’ of when I put the fondant on. I’ve tried pinching the edges with the smoother, but ended up ripping the fondant. I need a lot of practice before I’ll be happy with my edges xx

Look up how to panel a cake, Karen. It is the only way I will cover a cake now. It is a game changer!

The skill of sculpting a figure…

Hmmmm so many things I would love to learn and improve on. Top of the list for me would be modelling people and painting faces. 3D cake sculpting, arranging flowers and making flowers. I am like some of you in that I am a harsh critic of my own work and compare myself to others on CD who are so amazingly brilliant. Comparison can be the thief of joy, so I try to look at others work as what eventually I could become instead of what I am not.

Oh I have so many things that I would like to learn and improve on. Hand painting is definitely high up on my list, Calli I would love to attend one if your classes. I would also love to learn more of the traditional royal icing skills and extension work. Xx

Lorene, that comment is so true, not heard that expression before.

What a great topic! For the future I would love to learn more airbrushing skills……ive had my airbrush for 3 years now and have only dabbled by either spraying a whole cake one colour or using a simple stencil design. I would love to learn more in depth airbrushing techniques.
Ive recently started teaching myself sugar flowers from tutes here and on you tube and ive heard airbrushing flowers can have a great effect so thats on my list to try. And speaking of flowers, ive had some wafer paper in my cupboard since January and still havent got round to trying my first wafer flower, so theyre next to learn too!
Lastly im not too bad at modelling, but my faces are terrible, so im hoping to improve there….practice, practice, practice!

cakes

I have never attempted and illusion cake or cake that requires an internal structure, I wouldn’t know where to start and don’t really have any tools to do the job, I would be interested to know if there is such a course that helps with building a structure? I would also love to get a more precise Airbrush and learn some airbrushing skills, and for the third traditional royal Icing, I always marvel at those cake with the incredibly intricate detail and strands that just seem to hover in the air, how do they do that? Like this pic not sure who’s work this is but it is fab! :)

oh lord, everything! but especially my absolute arch nemesis: SHARP EDGES WITH BUTTERCREAM UNDER FONDANT. I’ve started to believe its technically impossible and fondant will never dry with a BC undercoat. but I keep trying! gah!

Ha ha Sawsen, I’m with you on that one!!
Still the men in my house always say curves are best………..just as well, but I don’t think they’re talking about cake…..!!!

LOL Karen! must remember that one next time I cover a bc cake!

I would love to improve on my people modelling! It’s not something that comes natural to me at all. I really want to try out wafer paper also, but I’m a devil for thinking too much and not doing enough! I spend far too long scouring the Internet in awe of beautiful cakes thinking I’ll try this technique, I’ll try that technique and not enough time actually giving it a go! Xx

Am loving all your responses to this post. Elizabeth, I can’t imagine what patience, never mind a steady hand, you would need to make that cake. Sawsen, people swear that SMBC will give sharp edges, still doesn’t work for me.
Sian your post made me laugh, you are just like me; hours looking at cakes online, bookmarking tutorials, buying books, watching tutorials and generally faffing about so never have time to make the actual cakes!!! Should we form a self help group . Oh and not to mention all the tools I have bought and not used yet, marvellous molds anyone? 😊

Haha oh man don’t get me started on all the drawers of unused moulds I have! Just hope I don’t forget I own them and go and buy duplicates!!

Oh yes, have done that before now Sawsen 😊

Im the same as you and Sian……too much looking, not enough doing! ;-)
Sawsen, you make me laugh! ;-)))))))

For me it is cake design and perhaps cake painting.

I’m going back to basics! I’ve enrolled in level 1 cake decorating at Brooklands College and plan to do level 1 wired flowers at the same time. While I do what I can do well enough, there are massive gaps in my skills like piping and other royal icing techniques.

Definitely painting and figure modelling!