2D
The Thing
by Paul Redmond · submitted Nov 3, 2013 · 2013 contest
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Description
After many years of putting it off, I finally got around to entering this year. I picked this design because it was so abstract and far from cakey looking.
I gave up baking 25 years ago due to a rare affliction of being able to burn a cake at one end and have it undercooked at the other, so my first task was to purchase a shiny new tin. I used a borrowed pre-mix and am happy to report that the sponge came out perfect. This is where things went a bit off course.
I received a last minute order from a family member to decorate a cake that was purely for display. Unable to buy my usual sheet sponge at such short notice I used my freshly baked one instead. It was duly returned 2 days later, striped and carved, although I use the term "carved" lightly! Because of the design it didn't need a crumb-coat.
Next to the fun bit. I attacked the cake with orange, yellow and black, liquid and paste colours. I used 4 different sized paintbrushes, a crumpled cloth, a sponge, a spot stencil and a toothbrush for spattering. After letting it dry, I added extra features in orange, yellow, black and white royal icing. Then I airbrushed on some more black and orange. I kept taking photos as I went along which helps to give you a different perspective. I came back a few times to add more details, eventually changing the eyeballs to whitened sugarpaste to to make them jump out.
I knew from the outset that I wasn't going to perfectly replicate the t-shirt design. If I wanted to do that I would have used a projector. Instead I wanted to get into the spirit of the designer, creating a vague image by mixing lots of patterns and techniques.
I gave up baking 25 years ago due to a rare affliction of being able to burn a cake at one end and have it undercooked at the other, so my first task was to purchase a shiny new tin. I used a borrowed pre-mix and am happy to report that the sponge came out perfect. This is where things went a bit off course.
I received a last minute order from a family member to decorate a cake that was purely for display. Unable to buy my usual sheet sponge at such short notice I used my freshly baked one instead. It was duly returned 2 days later, striped and carved, although I use the term "carved" lightly! Because of the design it didn't need a crumb-coat.
Next to the fun bit. I attacked the cake with orange, yellow and black, liquid and paste colours. I used 4 different sized paintbrushes, a crumpled cloth, a sponge, a spot stencil and a toothbrush for spattering. After letting it dry, I added extra features in orange, yellow, black and white royal icing. Then I airbrushed on some more black and orange. I kept taking photos as I went along which helps to give you a different perspective. I came back a few times to add more details, eventually changing the eyeballs to whitened sugarpaste to to make them jump out.
I knew from the outset that I wasn't going to perfectly replicate the t-shirt design. If I wanted to do that I would have used a projector. Instead I wanted to get into the spirit of the designer, creating a vague image by mixing lots of patterns and techniques.
