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Modelling

Mastering modelling with sugarpaste is the key to creating professional-looking cakes. This section reveals all the tools and techniques you need to help sharpen your modelling skills.

General Equipment

There is a myriad of tools on the market for cake decorating and sugarcraft, but many of them are simply unnecessary. The following list gives my recommended essentials, and these are the items that form the basic tool kit listed in each of the projects in this book.

Large non-stick rolling pin For rolling out sugarpaste and marzipan.

Wooden spacing rods (1) For achieving an even thickness when rolling out sugarpaste – available in various thicknesses.

Two cake smoothers with handles (2) For smoothing sugarpaste when covering cakes – use two together for a professional finish.

Flower former (3) For placing delicate parts in while working on them so that they do not lose their shape.

Paint palette (4) For mixing liquid food colour or dust food colour and clear alcohol in for painting on sugarpaste.

Quality sable paintbrushes (5) For painting on sugarpaste and for modelling – used mainly for painting facial features and applying edible glue. The end of a paintbrush can be pushed into models to create nostrils, used to curl laces of paste around to make curly tails or hair, and used to open up flower petals.

Textured rolling pins (6) For creating decorative patterns in pieces of sugarpaste – for example, rice textured, daisy patterned and ribbed (see texturing sugarpaste).

Pastry brush (7) For painting apricot glaze and clear spirits onto fruit cakes.

Cutting wheel (8) For making smooth cuts on long pieces of sugarpaste, for use on borders mainly. A pizza cutter can be used instead.

Plastic marzipan knife For trimming the edges of cakes and boards for a neat result.

Sugar press (9) For extruding lengths of paste to make grass, wool, fluff and hair – a standard garlic press, found in all kitchens, is very effective for this.

Plunger cutters (10) For cutting out different shapes in sugarpaste – such as daisies, hearts, stars and flowers.

Good-quality stainless steel cutters Round, square, rectangle, butterfly, heart, petal/blossom – in assorted sizes. For cutting out clean shapes for use in decorations.

Frilling tool For making frills in sugarpaste and sugar flower paste pieces – a cocktail stick or toothpick can be used instead.

Cake cards For placing models on while working on them before transferring them to the cake.

Mini turntable (11) Useful for placing a cake on so that it can be easily turned around while working on it – not essential.

Measuring cups (12) For measuring out powders and liquids quickly and cleanly.

Flower stamens (13) For creating whiskers or antennae on sugarpaste animals and insects.

Non-stick flexi mat For placing over modelled parts to prevent them drying out – freezer bags can be used instead.

Cake boards (14) For giving support to the finished cake – 12mm (½in) thickness is ideal.

Specific Modelling Tools

A whole book could be filled talking about these, as there are so many different varieties available. However, I use the white plastic set that has a number on each tool. I refer to the number on the tool throughout the book. They are inexpensive, light and easy to work with, and are available to buy from my website (see Suppliers).

Securing and Supporting Your Models

Sugarpaste models need to be held together in several ways. Small parts can be attached with edible glue but larger parts, such as heads and arms, will require additional support.

Throughout the book I use pieces of dry spaghetti for this purpose. The spaghetti is inserted into the models – into the hip, shoulder or body, for example – onto which you can attach another piece – the leg, arm or head. Leave 2cm (¾in) showing at the top to support the head, and 1cm (⅜in) to support arms and legs.

The pieces will still require some edible glue to bond them, but will have more support and will stay rigid. When inserting spaghetti to support heads, make sure that it is pushed into the body in a very vertical position otherwise the head will tilt backwards and become vulnerable.

I recommend using dry spaghetti because it is food and is much safer than using cocktail sticks or toothpicks, which could cause harm, particularly to children. However, I would always advise that the spaghetti is removed before eating the cake and decorations.

Sugarpaste models sometimes need to be supported with foam or cardboard while they are drying to prevent parts from flopping over or drooping down. Advice on where this may be necessary is given in the project instructions.

Basic Shapes

There are four basic shapes required for modelling. Every character in this book begins with a ball; this shape must be rolled first, regardless of whatever shape you are trying to make.

Ball

The first step is always to roll a ball. We do this to ensure that we have a perfectly smooth surface, with no cracks or creases.

For example: If you pull out the ball at the front, you can shape it into an animal’s face.

Sausage

From this shape we can make arms and legs. It is simple to make by applying even pressure to the ball and continuing to roll, keeping it uniform thickness along its length.

For example: The sausage shape when turned up at the end will form a foot, or can be marked to make a paw.

Cone

This shape is the basis for all bodies. It is made by rolling and narrowing the ball at one end, leaving it fatter at the other.

For example: The cone can be pulled out at the widest part to form the body of a bird.

Oval

This is the least used of the basic shapes, but is used to make cheeks, ears and other small parts. It is made in the same way as the sausage, by applying even pressure to the ball, but not taking it as far.

For example: Smaller oval shapes can be used for ears.

All four basic shapes were used to make this bear – a ball for his head, a cone for his body, a sausage for his legs and an oval for his muzzle. Five of the six tools shown opposite were used in his construction.

Constructing a Head

This step-by-step demonstration shows you how to make a female head bursting with life. She has lots of details in the construction of the face.

1 Start by rolling a pear-shaped head. Add a small oval for the nose then using tool no.11, indent the top and bottom lip leaving a space in between. Join the edges at the sides (A).

2 Hold the head in one hand and with the little finger of your other hand, indent the eye area by rocking the shape backwards and forwards. Then, using the end of your paintbrush, push the centre of the mouth inside the head to make a cavity (B).

3 Roll a small banana shape for the teeth and place it under the top lip. Make two teardrop shapes in white for the eyeballs and attach just above and on either side of the nose. Add two small balls of dark blue sugarpaste to the top, and two smaller balls of black sugarpaste for the pupils. Roll two small cone shapes for the ears and attach to either side of the head, keeping the tops level with the eyes. Indent the ears at the base with the end of your paintbrush (C).

4 Roll two banana shapes in red sugarpaste for the lips and attach to the mouth. Outline the top and bottom of the eyes with a tiny lace of black sugarpaste and add the eyebrows in the same way (D).

5 Add the final details such as hair and earrings, highlight the eyes with a dot of white edible paint on the end of a cocktail stick or toothpick and dust the cheeks with pink dust food colour to give a healthy glow (E).

Tip

Experiment with the positioning of the eyes and eyebrows to give your characters different expressions.

A man’s face has fewer details than a woman’s but there are still key ways to add personality and character.

1 After rolling the head shape and indenting the eye area (see step 2 constructing a head), add a large cone shape for the nose. Mark the nostrils with tool no.5. Press the edge of a small circle cutter below the nose to mark the mouth. Add two small lines at either end of the mouth (A).

2 Roll two oval shapes in white for the eyes and attach on either side of the nose. Add a small black pupil to each eye. Add small banana shapes of flesh-coloured sugarpaste for the eyelids and add the eyebrows with a thin black lace. Make two cone shapes for the ears and attach to each side, indenting them with the end of your paintbrush (B).

3 For the hair, roll some flattened cones of black sugarpaste and secure into style on top of the head. For the final details, add a sliver of black to outline each eyelid, highlight the eyes with a dot of white edible paint on the end of a cocktail stick or toothpick and dust the cheeks with pink dust food colour (C).

Tip

Use a flower former to hold the head in shape while you work on it.

Using Head Shape to Add Personality

A crucial factor in imbuing your characters with personality is the shape of the head. The following examples show how using different head shapes can create a vast range of personas.

The square-shaped face implies a stocky person.

A person with a triangular face has pointed features and looks a bit shifty.

A rounded face signifies a happy personality.

This egg-shaped head would suit a studious person.

A hexagonal-shaped face indicates a bit of a thug.

The owner of this flat-shaped face would have a short, stocky body.

The pear-shaped face is the most comical and may be prone to having a double chin.

A heart-shaped face is very feminine and the hairline accentuates the shape.

An oval-shaped face is evenly balanced and is a very happy face.

Hairstyles

Hair is a great way of adding personality to your characters. For this example I will show you how to make a simple girl’s hairstyle.

1 Fill the cup of a sugar press (or garlic press) with the desired colour of sugarpaste mixed with some white vegetable fat (shortening) and extrude the hair. Do not chop the hair off in a clump, but slide tool no.4 through a few strands, taking off a single layer at a time.

2 Apply edible glue around the head, and then starting at the back of the head, work around the sides adding thin layers of hair. If there is a parting at the back of the head, work from the parting to the side of the head, keeping in mind the direction in which you would comb the hair.

3 To make bunches, extrude the hair and cut off several strands together, forming a bunch. Attach to the side of the head and shape as desired.

4 For the ringlets, take three strands of hair and twist them together, make three for each side of the head. Add a ribbon to finish by rolling a small white sausage shape.

Head and Body Shapes

As you can see from the image shown below, if a body has no neck, then the neck will be modelled with the head, and likewise, if the head has a neck, then the body will be modelled without one.

Hands and Feet

When making an arm, first roll a sausage with rounded ends. Narrow the wrist area by rolling it gently, and then narrow just above the elbow. Make a diagonal cut at the top of the arm to fit the body shape. Flatten the hand end to look like a wooden spoon.

Making Clothes

How you dress your characters is the final statement of their personality. Here I will show you how to make a pair of dungarees and a dress, both of which are very simple. With any clothing, you have to tailor it to the size of the body you are dressing, making sure the garments fit from side to side and from top to bottom.

Front of garment – trouser section and bib. Pockets with stitch marks add interest.

Back of garment – trouser section and braces. Patches add colour and fun.

Front of garment – square neck with a double frill and ribbon decoration.

Back of garment – high cut with a button opening. You could also add sleeves.

Shoes and Hats

Accessories such as hats and shoes are great fun to make. It is these little finishing touches that add to the charm of your finished character. Now you have lots of inspiration to create your own characters with bags of personality!

Girl’s red shoe – with separate sole, strap, button detail and socks. Use dry spaghetti to attach directly to the end of the leg.

Pink slipper – with white bow. The inside is hollowed out with tool no.1 for the leg to be slipped inside.

Blue boot – with red heart tie and sole. The top is hollowed out just wide enough to fit the leg.

Black and white sports shoe – with tongue, laces and stitch marked detail. Again, the inside is hollowed out so that the leg can sit inside.

Bobble hat – formed from a cone of sugarpaste hollowed out with fingers to fit the head. Decorated with bands, stripes and furry bobbles extruded through a sugar press (or garlic press).

Cap – formed from a ball of sugarpaste, slightly flattened with a finger with a peak attached. Finished with a ball on the top and a contrasting trim around the peak.

Sun hat – made by mixing three or four different shades together to form a ball and flattening the top with a finger. A cut-out circle is attached for the brim.

Frilling

Frills can be used to decorate the side of the cake, or to make the edge of a pillow or a petticoat. You will need a special cutter called a Garrett frill cutter, which is available in two types – circle and straight. The circular cutter comes with three inner circles of different sizes to determine the depth of the frill. To make the frill, use a cocktail stick, a frilling tool, or the end of your paintbrush. Place your chosen tool on the edge of the frill and work it in a backwards and forwards motion, without putting too much pressure on it. The frill will lift where you have rolled. Continue with each section in turn until it is completed. A straight Garrett frill cutter will allow you to make a long frilled strip. The technique for frilling is exactly the same.

Texturing Sugarpaste

A great way of adding interest to your cakes is to use textured patterns in the sugarpaste. Texture can be created using impression mats or with textured rolling pins. These can be used to add designs to a large area, such as a covered cake board, or for smaller details such as clothing. Some of the fantastic textures available are shown here.