designing cakes - part 2

My last blog post about designing cakes seemed to be wonderfully received by y’all sooooo….. Time for a few new and ah-MAZING cakers to share their brains with us! You’re gonna love these guys! Well, gals.

Ms. McGreevy will be kicking this group off and I’ve included the questions I posed to each cake artist so can see what I was curious about.

I’ve been sketching things since I was a kid, so it’s kind of “me” anyway.

How you begin your design process? Customer images? Invitations? Strolling around the interwebs?

Actually, I’ve got a secret Pinterest board (shhhh….) of inspiration pins. It’s mostly artwork in some form or another that just kinda HIT me as I scrolled. Some of it’s photos of fabrics, some stationary/greeting card work, paintings, illustrations… anything that makes me FEEL, you know?

So when I’ve got a cake to design, I usually scroll through that board and see if something speaks to me. (The only time when voices in my head are allowable.. 😉

How to you set your design in place, or do you? Do you sketch? Are you good at it? Do you use the computer? Do you just list out the elements? How does your method assist you in your final execution?

Tried the computer route. Too time consuming for me. (And anxiety producing… like want-to-throw-my-computer-at-the-wall kind of anxiety.) So I went back to sketching. I’ve been sketching things since I was a kid, so it’s kind of “me” anyway.

It helps me see how the colors come together and what may be lacking… or if it’s too much. Sometimes I look at my first sketch and I’m like, “Uhhh…. HECK no. Where did THAT come from?”

Do you change your design as you work if what was in your mind’s eye doesn’t work in 3 dimensions?

Absolutely. In fact, I’m not positive I’ve ever NOT changed things up as I’ve gone along. My little brain refuses to stop spinning. (Well, when I want it to, anyway.)

Most of the time, the hubs (Thomas, my better half) has to butt in and say something like, “Um, Babe? Maybe you should just leave it now. Looks pretty done to me.” And after I give him the stink eye, I see that he’s usually right. (Without letting him know that, of course.)

What makes your process work for YOU? Everyone is different, and this is great, so whatever about you as a person makes your process work, tell us about it.

Hmmm… not really sure. I will say that I LOVE complete design freedom. When it’s a wide open door is when I really get to play.

Lately, I’ve come to see that an amazingly designed cake is one that makes you “feel”. You know? I’m convinced that what we really want in this life is to feel something… every day… every second.

And to me, the true definition of an “artist” is someone who can do just that… make others “feel” through their work, in any genre.

So now, that’s what I try to focus on in my designs. The biggest… the flashiest… that’s nice and all, but if it doesn’t speak to someone and tug at something inside of them, then it’s wasted time. I want to tug, ya know? (Gosh, when did I get so dramatic? Xx)

Lately, I’ve come to see that an amazingly designed cake is one that makes you “feel”. You know? I’m convinced that what we really want in this life is to feel something… every day… every second.

I typically have notepads laying around all over and there’s always one at my bed side table

When I need inspiration I find myself going straight to the Internet or Pinterest looking at artwork, scenery or sometimes even fashion.

Once I’ve found my inspiration it’s time to sketch something up. I typically have notepads laying around all over and there’s always one at my bed side table… because you never know when an idea is going to pop into your head.
After I’ve sketched up my cake, it’s time to get to it. Sometimes what I sketch isn’t always what works and I might change it up. For the most part it’s close to the final product. Every once in a while a client gives me a picture of a cake they want and there is no swaying them into anything else. In those rare cases, I do as they ask, but try to always give credit to the original artist. There are also times where the client will give you a few pictures and tell you to use them as inspiration and I will design something based off of those. In that case it’s back to the drawing board, so to speak.

In any case, sketching something up is what works best for me because if I don’t have a goal, I don’t know where I’m going.

When a client says “Just do whatever”, I love and hate it.

When a client says “Just do whatever”, I love and hate it. I love it because it gives me a chance to really go anywhere I want, the downfall is, how will I know if I’ve hit my mark. We all need some guidelines to really help pull things together. This is when I start my Q&A session. I ask them what things they tend to gravitate towards when choosing clothes for themselves. If they could put any print in their room on their comforter/duvet what would they choose? Graphic print, warm and cozy, clean and sterile, what do they love? That gives me more of an idea on where to go in my search. The more time I have the more I can fuss over the end result. I love to paruse greeting cards, Pinterest posters, graphic prints of fabric, invitations, pillows, and nature. Seeing the way flowers present themselves in real life as opposed to someone’s arrangement on a cake gives me ideas and inspiration.

I like to pencil sketch a rough draft as the client and I are sitting there. This sketch is for myself. They do not keep this, but it let’s us both know we’re on the same page. Once all my notes are taken I get back to them within 2 weeks at the most to let them approve the sketch. The final sketch might be on the computer or hand drawn. I only spend an excessive amount of time on consults that want an original cake. Some folks come with an idea already hashed out and seem immovable. I take that as my personal challenge to change their minds if I can. Not all orders are over the top, or original designs, but for the clients who do want that, I make it a point to really try and wow them.

I let them know that if I get into creating their cake, and something about the flow isn’t working for me, things may change, and 9 times out of 10, my client is okay with that. Sketches on paper vs real world design, sometimes doesn’t always work out. When that happens I make sure to call and go over any obstacles I’m having and its always met with an open mind.

I do have a cake coming up where I have to make a cake based off a woman’s dress and the lacework within her dress needs to be replicated. So I am going through the process of doing just that. I’m looking at all options for getting the exact pattern onto my sketch. I’ve looked at this three ways.

1) Blowing up the image and tracing it.

That doesn’t work because the image becomes so distorted I can’t see what I’m looking at.

2) Blowing up as large as possible and free-handing it to a paper and pencil drawing and then holding it up to a cake dummy to see how I like it and then erasing and redrawing it.

3) Copy/Pasting to Photoshop, creating a new layer and tracing over the top of that and then deleting the layer underneath.

This is how I go about bringing to life someone’s thoughts and ideas for their cake.

Sketches on paper vs real world design, sometimes doesn’t always work out.

If I just can’t seem to see the final cake in my head, I will sketch it.

When I’m designing a cake for a customer, I typically follow their lead. If they send me invitations or party decor, I will almost always utilize that in my final design. If they send me general ideas, and nothing visual to use, then I typically browse invitations and clip art. I really like taking little elements from a lot of different things to create my cakes. I also have a list of techniques and designs that I would like to try, so I check that list to see if there is anything that fits nicely.

If I can visualize the cake in my head, then I typically do not sketch the cake. I write out a detailed design description for myself and the customer. If I just can’t seem to see the final cake in my head, I will sketch it. I just use a sketch pad, pencil, and colored pencils. This helps me visualize the cake, and then I will still write a detailed description of it. That way when I go to make the cake, if I have no idea what I just sketched, I can read about it. I think writing down the details of each cake helps me later on with a to-do list, shopping list, and setting a timeline. So I prefer to see the cake in writing, as well as have a general picture of it in my head moving forward.

I have to say that I rarely change my designs. If I do, they are tiny tweaks here and there, or a small addition that adds to the cake. Once I give a customer a design description, I tend to stick with it. Of course, if something was not working, I would alter my design to make sure the cake was able to be properly executed.

I think the way I set up my cake designs helps me to stay organized. I am a total type A, and like to make sure everything is accounted for, prepared, and neatly executed. Starting off with a written description of the cake allows me to make the other lists I use that week like a shopping list, to-do list, and timeline. I think browsing real things like invitations, decorations, paintings, or pictures helps guide me without stunting my creativity. This is why I do not typically look at other cakes in that theme. I find that once I see one, I can’t “unsee” it and it doesn’t allow me to push myself creatively to do something new.

Once I give a customer a design description, I tend to stick with it.

I LOVE all these talented gals for sharing their process with us! Thank you each for your giving hearts. <3

Are there other cake artists whose head YOU’D love to get into? Name ’em in the comments and tell me what you’d like to hear from them. I love interviewing people and you may see them in an upcoming blog post.