Creating Sugarpaste Wedding Figures: A Step-By-Step Guide

Sugarpaste wedding figures are a fun and simple way to decorate a wedding cake. Sugar modelling experts like Verusca Walker and Carlos Lischetti have created popular tutorials for crafting these figures, which can be made with sugar paste or fondant, a type of soft icing. Sugarpaste is a pliable, edible medium that can be moulded into shapes and tinted with food colouring to create desired colours. It is made from sugar, corn syrup, and other ingredients like glycerin, glucose, gelatin, and shortening to make the dough pliable. The process of making sugarpaste figures involves using the right tools and techniques, such as supports and proportions, to create personalised cake toppers that add character to any wedding celebration.

Use modelling paste, not sugar paste/fondant

Sugar paste, also known as fondant, is a versatile medium used to decorate cakes, cupcakes, and other treats. While it can be purchased, making it at home allows for custom colours and flavours. However, when creating sugar figures, it is best to opt for modelling paste over sugar paste/fondant.

Modelling paste is specifically designed for shaping and sculpting, offering several advantages over sugar paste/fondant:

Crack Resistance:

Modelling paste is formulated to resist cracking, ensuring your sugar figures maintain their shape and detail over time. This is especially important for intricate designs or delicate features like facial expressions.

Extended Working Time:

One of the biggest challenges when working with sugar paste/fondant is its tendency to dry out quickly. Modelling paste, on the other hand, stays pliable for a longer period, giving you more time to perfect your creations without the worry of it hardening prematurely.

Smooth Blending:

Achieving smooth, seamless blends is essential for creating realistic sugar figures. Modelling paste excels in this regard, allowing you to effortlessly blend and merge different elements of your figures for a polished finish.

Shape Retention:

Modelling paste holds its shape exceptionally well, ensuring that the details you meticulously craft into your sugar figures remain intact. This is particularly advantageous when creating figures with intricate textures, accessories, or intricate clothing details.

Commercial Availability:

While you can make your own modelling paste, there are also many excellent commercially made options available in the market. This saves you time and effort, allowing you to focus on the creative aspects of crafting your sugar figures. Brands like Saracino offer a range of ready-to-use modelling pastes in various colours, saving you from having to mix colours yourself.

In summary, while sugar paste/fondant is versatile and useful for many cake decorating applications, when it comes to creating sugar figures, modelling paste is the superior choice. Its crack resistance, longer working time, smooth blending capabilities, and shape retention will make your figure modelling experience more enjoyable and yield more professional-looking results.

Use the right tools

Using the right tools is essential when making sugarpaste wedding figures. Here are some of the tools you will need:

• A simple, relatively cheap tool with a thin end for texturing hair and a wide end for blending seams.
• Ball tools, preferably metal ones, as the plastic variety may have a ridge that can leave marks on your sugarpaste figures.
• A scalpel or another very sharp small knife for making precise cuts.
• A piping bag for filling in small spaces with icing.
• A spatula for spreading shortening or non-stick cooking spray.
• A silicone mat or parchment paper for rolling out the dough.
• A cookie cutter for cutting out shapes.
• A knife for shaping leaves or other intricate details.
• Latex gloves for colouring the icing.

Having the right tools will make creating your sugarpaste wedding figures much easier and help you achieve better results.

Get the proportions right

Getting the proportions right is one of the most challenging aspects of making sugar figures. Usually measured in 'heads', you can use a chart to guide the proportions for adult and child models. These guides can help you draw a template for the correct height of the model.

Wooden artist mannequins in different sizes can also help you with the proportions for your figures. They are also useful for recreating different poses.

Proportion is important when making sugar wedding figures, as it ensures that the final product looks realistic and visually appealing. It is important to consider the size and shape of the figures in relation to the cake they will be placed on. The figures should be proportional to the cake, not too big or too small.

Additionally, when creating a couple, such as a bride and groom, it is important to ensure that they are proportional to each other. The figures should be the same size or have a slight difference in height, depending on your preference.

Use supports

Using supports is essential when making sugar figures. Even the simplest figures will need some kind of support, such as a wooden skewer or cake pop stick to keep the head in place. For more complex figures, you will need to use internal armatures, which will allow you to create different poses. These can be made from materials such as armature wire or strong florist wire. The internal armatures can be bent into the desired position, allowing your sugar figure to be posed as you choose.

For simple figures, such as a sitting figure, a single support inserted down through the body will be sufficient to keep the head securely in place. A plastic cake pop stick is a good option as it is food safe and will not splinter when cut to size.

More complex figures will require a more solid internal support system, similar to a skeleton frame, for the modelling paste to be moulded onto. This will enable you to create figures in a range of poses.

It is not recommended to try to make sugar figures without any support as even the simplest figures will need some form of internal structure to keep their shape.

Practise

Start by experimenting with different pastes, tools and techniques to find out what works for you. You can use sugar paste (or fondant) with added CMC/Tylose powder, but a purpose-made modelling paste is easier to work with and won't crack. Modelling paste also stays pliable for longer, giving you a longer working time, and it holds its shape well.

When it comes to tools, a simple, relatively cheap tool is a ball tool, which is useful for texturing hair and blending seams. A scalpel or sharp knife is also useful for making very clean, precise cuts. You can also use wooden artist mannequins to help with proportions and recreating different poses.

Another important aspect to practise is getting the proportions right. This can be tricky when you're first starting out, but you can use charts and guides available online to help you keep your sizes in check.

Finally, don't forget to use supports when needed. Even for simple figures, you will need some kind of support, such as a wooden skewer or cake pop stick, to keep the head in place. For more complex figures, you'll need internal armatures made from materials such as armature wire or strong florist wire, which will allow you to pose your sugar figure in any way you choose.

Frequently asked questions