Art Walk Huntington Beach

I was quite happy to get an email telling me I will be part of this Months Art Walk. This is an event where artists display their work in different businesses in Downtown Huntington Beach the 3rd Wed of each month. Several businesses offer their store fronts and visitors to Huntington Beach can enjoy not only our Downtown area but this Art Showing.

I have been working on creating new arrangements in containers for display. For me making the sugar flowers is much easier and less time consuming than arranging. So, all day I have been unwiring and rewiring the sugar flowers I have to create new arrangements.

Can't wait till tomorrow night!!!

I will include photos just as soon as I finish it all which will be later this evening. 

If you would like to see more about the Art Walk I have shared the link

http://www.surfcityusa.com/events/detail.aspx?id=887

New flower creations

Yes, I have been busy making some new gumpaste flowers

I get grand idea's I will be able to make many different flowers in a short period of time. But in reality I need to make several petals per flower, then each arrangement needs several flowers plus leaves and buds. So, it turns out it takes a few days to make just one arrangement.

I am in the process of finishing another gumpaste hydrangea in green with some shades of purple. For now here are the ones I have completed. I will be putting them in differenta arrangements shortly after I make a few more pieces to complete them.

Gumpaste golden wings rose

gumpaste slipper orchids

Purple gumpaste hydrangea

Researching Flowers

Sometimes I can't find the real flower I want to make or someone asks me to make a flower I don't have time to find. My only other option is to look it up on the Internet. There is a world of info out there from photos to oil painting and a lot in between. I tend to do a lot of research on the Internet even if I have the real flower. I can see the range of color, different species, close up shots, their leaves or buds, I can really find a lot out just with a bit of research.

Today I wanted to make a Freesia but I don't have a real one handy so I went on YouTube and looked it up. I found people post a lot on flowers and found a short video of a time lapse of the Freesia which I gave the link to.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI15fctUZRc&feature=related 

It is very helpful to see it this way and I even got to see the inside of the flower  showing what the stamens look like. I also googled Freesia flowers to find out what they look like and how they can be used in arrangements, the colors and whatever else I can find.

So, now that I have done some research I am able to figure out what cutters I need to make the flower, what types of stamens it has, how it grows, the colors, markings, pretty much everything I need to get started. As much as I would love a real flower in front of me it isn't always possible, but the next best thing are the posting on the Internet.

Here is one example of a Freesia I found to use as a model 



Real freesia to model after



Simply Layered

It is a small world indeed

By chance I ran into Christy Platt owner of Simply Layered  when we were both working in the same business complex. We knew each other from "Let Them Eat Cake" in Costa Mesa a cake shop we both interned together at a few years ago, but haven't seen each other since. She has gone on to start her cake business and I now make custom sugar (gumpaste) flowers. 

It was just the right timing we met since she needed someone to make sugar flowers. Her passion is baking and designing cakes and mine of course are the sugar (gumpaste) flowers. As much as I love to create flowers my way,  realistic I know Christy likes a more modern take to incorportate in her cakes and we have been working extremely well together.

Here are some dramatic red orange Cymidium Orchids without much of the detail I typically add. I do love the coloring of it.



Red Orange gumpaste Cymidium Orchid



My First Alsterimariea

I love this flower and their colors. I have been wanting to make them for a long while. I don't have the proper cutters.

I decided to search through the many cutters I do have and found a couple that would work.

After a couple of tries with a few cutters I found, I narrowed it down to the two that are working. One is from the  Bamboo Orchid and the other is from the French Tulip.  I trimmed the inner petals to make them thinner and elongated the outer petals and I think I am almost there. I still need to make the yellow center petals a bit thinner and smaller and the outside petals a bit wider but for my first attempt I am pretty pleased. 

Yes, I want them to look just like the sample of the fresh flower I am using. I also have to work on the coloring a bit more to blend the painted lines so they blend more and look more natural.   



Gumpaste Alsterimariea or Gumpaste Peruvian Lily



 This is really wonderful learning to make gumpaste flowers from a fresh sample.

Cherry Blossoms are blooming

I believe it is past cherry blossom season,

but I finally had the chance to make

them and create these lovely branches.



Gumpaste Cherry Blossoms


When I make flowers for the first time I like to make a few so I can get the hang of it and perfect them. Since I needed many little flowers to create one branch it took me a while longer as I needed so many. I made open ones, partially opened and buds..

I often think about taking pictures as I make them but then as I begin I forget all about it till after they are all complete.. Luckily I had a chance to take some pictures of the process. It is the same as most flowers rolling the gumpaste very thin, cutting out the petals, softening them, adding texture, shaping them, laying them to dry, dusting them with dusting powder and finally assembling and arranging them. It is a long process, but for me well worth it. I intend to make more but don't know when with all the sugar flowers I have on my list I want to make.

I hope you enjoy looking at them

as much as I enjoyed making them.

Please give me any feedback for next time

I found using pink thread made delicate stamens for the flower

Making the center of the gumpaste cherry blossom



using the handy 5 petal cutter

Threading the gumpaste 5 petal flower on the stamens



Soften the petals while adding texture

Drying the gumpaste flower

The finished gumpaste cherry blossoms

Spring is in the Air

Here is a sample cake I made with gumpaste Gardenia's, brightly colored Daffodils, Jasmine and a pink Bower of Beauty

Gumpaste Gardenia, Daffodil, Jasmine, Bower of Beauty

Gumpaste Flowers

Not enough hours in my day

Many times I make gumpaste flowers and take pictures of them only when I arrange them for a cake  or display them in a container. I have looked back over my pictures and found a few of them which I posted on a new page I created titled "Gumpaste Flowers"

I am also guilty of making the same flowers repeatedly usually ones that

are requested or the ones I like...                   

I will also try more often to take pictures of the process of making the flowers. I intend to several times but just get caught up in making them and I have to admit I forgot or remember when I am almost done. 

I am going to start making more flowers and posting them on this page to share what I do. Lately, I have been contacted by some people who find me here on my blog when they are looking for a particular flower they would like in sugar.

I would love to thank everyone who stops by to see what I do and promise to start adding more of a variety. Making gumpaste flowers isn't a speedy process and as much as I would love to make a new flower daily it is almost impossible because of all the steps necessary to compete one. I have learned patience, but get very excited to finish to see my creation.

Here is a lovely hibiscus I had made several years ago. This flower is long gone, but this

gives me reason to make some more in different colors..

gumpaste white hibiscus

Nothing but white flowers, please

I spent all last week making lots and lots and lots of flowers to fill an order. They wanted all white. I didn't have time to take any pictures of the process but will be making more of the same so I will next time.

It is hard for me to leave all these flowers in just white. When I looked at them scattered around the drying area I kept saying to myself.. just a little color. That is all they need. But, I left them alone. Or did I? I did add some color to the moth orchids since the throat just couldn't stay all white. And the Peonies have yellow stamens so there is the color.

White gumpaste flowers

When I laid all the white flowers out together to take the pictures I decided all white flowers do look really nice. I just looked at them for a while and realized they look very beautiful all white and they will be going on the cake and make the person very happy. They will be adding silver touches here and there to them so I will have to wait and see the pictures.

All the white gumpaste flowers together

The 4 and 5 petel cutter

I made Dendrobium orchids and filler flowers all in white. I can get a bit carried away with making filler flowers making them as detailed and exciting as the main flower. This time I decided to go with the basic 4 and 5 petal cut out flower. But, I didn't want them all the same round shape, so after I sofented the edges I pinched the tips of a few, curved some and ended up with a few different styles using just the one cutter.

This would be a good flower to make for those who never worked with gumpaste but would like to learn or give it a try. It is cut, softened, shaped and dried.. which is the basis for most if not all the flowers I make.



gumpaste cutters and tools



I roll out the gumpaste  on the pad which leaves a length of paste on the back to add the wire in and then cut it out.





 

rolled out gumpaste



cutting out the flower

You can see the extra paste through the cutter formed in the hole in the pad. You can do this by hand as well.

Softening the edges gives them a more realistic look. It also smooths any messy edges



Softening the gumpaste petals

After the wire is added to the gumpaste flower and the edges are softened and shaped slightly it is laid in the former till it dries to keep its shape.





gumpaste filler flower drying

Using the same round 4 petal cutter I was able to get different shapes and looks.





Filler flowers using same cutter





The making of the Gardenia

When I asked for suggestions of flowers to make a friend said a Gardenia. So of course I had to look up on line what the actual flower looks like compared to the many gumpaste ones I have seen. Then I went to the store to see them first hand. I found there are more than one variety and chose to make the Gardenia Jasminoides variety. It is very full with nice texture on the petals and also has many different shapes to them. As I make a new gumpaste flower I also learn a little about the flower as well.

The Gardenia Jasminoides is a tropical plant, very fragrant, and a favorite for gardens. It is also known as the Gardenia Augusta. Here is the sample I found that I just loved and wanted to make.

A photo of a real Gardenia

 Since I am making this version of  the Gardenia in gumpaste for the first time I had to find the right cutters in my collection to cut out the petals.. some trial and error to get what I wanted but finally I found a match that I liked.

Here are all the tools to make the Gardenia.

I roll out the gumpaste fairly thin and cut the petal out

 I  soften the edges 

 

I start to shape the gumpaste to give the petals a more natural flowing look. 

 

Then  I begin to assemble the flower.

The finished flowers

Shaile's Edible Art. www.shailesedibleart.blogspot.com

I will post an arragement with the Gardenia's as soon as I complete the other flowers that go with them

The finished looked

It was very fun to make these little lilacs and I do plan to make more for future arrangements. They were suggested by a friend.. I also did re-wire the four bunches I had previously made into these two tighter bunches.  And yes, I feel they look much nicer this way just like they are in real life..

Lilacs take center stage

At first I couldn't decide how to include them for a cake topper. I laid out all my sugar flowers I thought would look nice together, then began creating different arrangements and changing sugar flowers and finally decided this is the one I like the most.

I wanted the lilacs to stand out from the rest and with the bright color and being placed higher than the other sugar flowers I think it came out very nicely. 

Lovely Lavander cake with gumpaste flowers

Wonderful Moth Orchids

Orchids are my favorite flower to make in sugar...

I never get bored making them and I like the challenge of the intricate details that is added to make them look more realistic.

As you can see I had made quite a lot of these moth orchids for this lovely arrangement. Everything is made of sugar except the container and the grassy filling. 

Gumpaste moth orchid

Lovely Little Lilacs

I really hoped I had made enough of these little flowers to make a huge arrangement since I was making them for hours... when all was said and done it seems I made 4 small bunches which I could have assembled in a tighter fashion. But, being anxious to finish them I opted to leave them as they are. I will make more of them and rewire them into tighter fuller bunches and take more pictures to compare.



Just the color I wanted



I last posted the lilacs made, but patiently waiting for the color to be added, the leaves to be made and assembled. Here is stage 2 adding the dusting powder which I normally like to add in layers. I do mix colors but also layer the colors to give them a more natural look. The lilac leaves are a rather bright green in one shade. I still mixed the greens I have to get a green I liked.



Adding the different colors



Color added and ready to assemble

pale green gumpaste to start then add shades of green

All colored added now assembly time

The last stage is assembly which of course everyone is always anxious to get to. At least the first time making a flower I can say I get anxious. I just can't wait to see if they come out how I expected them to or if I need or really want to remake them.  But of course the more you make a flower the better you get and can fine tune any part of them you aren't happy with or change the way you make them.



Lovely little lilacs



I think these will  make great filler flowers and are very cute and fun to make.. I will make some more in a pale shade of pink and put them with the next larger flower I am going to make.. so, come back to see what I create next.  I will also post more pictures of a fuller bunch of lilacs.

Before they are transformed

When I start to make sugar flowers I get all excited to see the end result and visualize in my head what I want them to look like. I know beside making the flower itself I will need to add the extra details and colors.

When I first started to make sugar flowers and saw them at this stage, which is what I call the first stage I thought they wouldn't look like a real flower when they are done. There they sat drying and I just couldn't wait for stage 2...



gumpaste Lilacs drying



So, I thought I would post these lilacs at stage 1 in the Styrofoam drying and waiting for stage 2.. my favorite part to add the color and start to bring them to life.  This is a close up...

gumpaste lilacs

Adding the color requires mixing and matching dusting powders... deciding what part of the flower I want to add it to and how many different shades I want.. I can get caught up in it since it is sometimes like creating your own garden.

Friday Giveaway: "For Pete

Friday Giveaway: "For Pete

Not your every day sugar flower

I am always up for a challenge when it comes to making sugar flowers. Although other sugar artists have made all the same flowers I have we all seem to end up with just a different take on it. It is how one sees it or the flower we are modeling it after. Color has to do a lot with I have decided. I love tropical flowers and the unusual. Not that all flowers are great to add to a cake, but they look just great in a nice container.

It is the challenge of making those fragile petals that easily break, getting the right size on an overly sized flower, or just making a flower you have never seen or heard of. No matter what I make it is always a challenge to make it a bit different or better the next time.

Tropical gumpaste flower arrangement

This was the first arrangement I entered in a show. There are Moth Orchids, Antherium, Ginger, Bird of Paradise, Hibiscus, Star of Bethlehem Orchids.

Pink Peony

Pink Peony

This is a sample cake made for Colette's Catering showroom. This is one version or variety of the peony and pink seems to be the most requested color. I love to make these big bold flowers and are stunning on cakes if you want to make a statement.



Pink Peony close up

 This is why I chose this to demo at the Orange County Fair last year. It can be made with limited decorating tools and larger flowers are easier to learn than the small detailed ones I really enjoy to make..

Orange County Fair 2011

July will be here in no time which means it is time for the Orange County Fair from July 11th - Aug 14th. It is in Costa Mesa, California

Wondering why I am writing about the fair? It has a fantastic Culinary department with competitions in sugar art. I am doing my share to promote it, so those in the area hopefully will participate and help make sugar art a bigger part of the fair. It is great fun. They not only have contests and display but have demo's.

There was a wonderful display of featured sugar artists where they designed a rather large display to show what we can create in food and sugar. There was a butter sculpture, an entire section of different items made entirely of bread. Several cakes, cookies, sugar flowers were displayed along with fruit carving and  much more.  Last year they had ice sculptures and the line to view it was never short.

So, please pass the word to those you know to come visit even if you aren't entering any of the competition's. 

Bridal Shows

Sugar flowers seem to be somewhat new to Southern California or the type of custom sugar flowers I create. I have attended several bridal shows to introduce sugar flowers for wedding cakes. I was amazed at how many brides have never seen them before.



Sugar flowers displayed at a Bridal show



There benfefit to having them as opposed to fresh flowers are they can be kept indefenitely to remember your very, very special day. And also make a wonderful keepsake you can display.

Sugar flowers aren't only for wedding cakes remember. They add that extra WOW factor to any cake...