Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi I work in a vets and I am trying to find some decent tutorials for lizards geckos and snakes etc to go on a cake I’m making for a new practice opening day in 10 days I’m fine with cats and dogs etc but they want some exotics on there too I’m not great at figures and have not found anything online any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks

Hi Jane

If it’s small models you’re looking for, you’ll be spoiled for choice by visiting youtube. Search your creature of choice as a cake topper to see lots of mini tutorials. Google images is also a good place to search. You could also have a look at some fimo models, the techniques are the same even though using different mediums.
Please let me know if this helps and if you’ve managed to find something suitable.

I really have looked…i do need them to look some what realistic and not found anything i really need…theres def a market in this area all i can find are cartoony stuff i was hopiny etty aka cake dutchess might have something but other than a tree frog thats it ?

Hi Jane

Take a look here: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+make+fondant+snakes+and+reptiles
There’s quite a lot of stuff on Pinterest too. Search for ‘how to make fondant or clay snakes and reptile models’.

These will give you a general idea how to commence the basic shapes, then adapt from pictures of real creatures. It will be necessary to employ your own skills to make as realistic as required by using some of the tutorials as guides. There are also some polymer clay tutorials using wire armatures which you may find useful. The snake cake tutorials are a good tranferable guides for modelling. Have a look at how Yolanda Gamp achieved the shape from cake, scale the guide down for fondant and use her tutorial for shaping and marking.
Simple items such as lemon or orange netting bags or a corn on the cob can be used to make remarkably realistic markings.