Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Does anyone have experience of modelling faces from gumpaste/fondant? I want to do realistic faces, so with the noses modelled (not attached separately if that makes sense)… I just can’t get it right! My noses end up too big. I’ve done a reasonable enough face, but I can’t get the results consistent. I can’t imagine if I had to do one for a client’s cake, it would take me days to get right.

So… is it a case of practice? Take lessons? There isn’t a whole heap of info online that I could find. I keep attempting faces, getting frustrated and trying again… I didn’t want to buy face moulds – I imagine they’re fiddly, and I want to have different expressions/sizes. Plus they’re expensive! xx

I haven’t used the moulds so I can’t say if they are fiddly or not but this week I have been making Carlos Lischetti’s flower fairy and I wish I had ordered the mould (from Squires Kitchen). It’s £6.99 and compared to the hours I have spent trying to get it right without the mould it would have been a bargain!

Hi kazbur

Modelling realistic faces requires some knowledge of dimensions. There are some fantastic clay sculpting tutorials in youtube which would be good guides. If you search in youtube sculpting faces you’ll see lots of small tutorials in clay and sculpy teaching basic skill techniques. The techniques are easily transferable to sugarcraft.

Howdy,

Doodlecake, now I’ve been on the squires kitchen and they deliver to spain, woohoo! I’m starting to run out of room for all my cake ‘stuff’

Madeit – I’ve watched all the tutorials! Or at least a lot, ha! I can actually do faces, eyes are not too bad, dimensions are reasonably correct. It’s getting the nose small enough that’s killing me. My models all end up with giant honkers. I’ve watched the one video I could find that shows how to shape the face and I still can’t see what I’m doing differently and why it’s all going wrong.

I’m rethinking the mould. I really need lessons!

From what you’re saying it sounds like you’re doing pretty good with your faces. I mainly pinch noses from the paste when the eye socket indents are made. My models aren’t that great so I’m not really the best person to be giving advice on techniques. I think perhaps have a few moulds, try some sculpting lessons and keep practicing! Good luck kazbur.