Dragon Cake Topper

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Comment by Bonnie Willey on July 9, 2014 at 8:39pm

You are full of surprises!  A 4" base, well, it seems impossible!  You really did do a balancing act on him!!  And thanks again for taking the time to explain every little thing to me!  Now I can go back to thinking of him as 'that very cute little thing!' (almost!) lol

Comment by Sandra Smiley on July 9, 2014 at 7:49pm

He is only about 10" tall and will fit in your hand...if you hold on pretty tight!  Look at the photo of his other side and see how many coils of tail there are.  It goes round and round like a spring, so coiled it is only about 11" tall, a little taller than the dragon.  His base is 4" and I had him sitting on top of a 4" cake.

Comment by Bonnie Willey on July 9, 2014 at 7:42pm

Sandra....WOW - again!.....you know, of course, that I have been envisioning this cute little thing that will fit in the palm of your hand, or atop a 6" cake!  And now ... his tail alone is '2 1/2 feet' long!   Just how big is this big fellow??  Hmmm...Sounds like safety glasses are definitely in order. LOL

Comment by Sandra Smiley on July 9, 2014 at 7:26pm

Thank you so much, Denise!  He did make Leslie happy.  She has him displayed in the center of her dining table.

Comment by Sandra Smiley on July 9, 2014 at 7:24pm

Well, Bonnie, I actually love the tail, too, but it sure was in the way while I was working on the body.  Extended it is about 2-1/2 feet long and it is a miracle I didn't poke out an eye!

Comment by Denise Rico on July 9, 2014 at 11:03am

WOW!!  Absolutely awesome!!

Comment by Bonnie Willey on July 9, 2014 at 10:29am

Thank you so very much for all this info!!!  And as to : "The dragon is about ten inches tall and that freakin' tail is about a mile long!  It was ALWAYS in the way!"  I LUV that tail!  It is so expressive!

Comment by Sandra Smiley on July 9, 2014 at 7:53am

Hello Bonnie and Joseflin.  And, thanks, Joseflin!

I should have made pictures while the dragon was in progress, but it was my first attempt at sculpting and I was just trying to muddle through.  The dragon has an armature or frame made from wire...just sort of an outline of his body.  The wire extends down through his (yes, Bonnie, I call him a he :o) ) little cake board about four inches.  The wire is covered with several layers of florist tape and is used to anchor the dragon to the cake, just like the stem of a flower.  The dragon is about ten inches tall and that freakin' tail is about a mile long!  It was ALWAYS in the way!

Joseflin, he is made of modeling chocolate and sculpted instead of carved.  I just added the chocolate right onto of the wire frame which acts like a skeleton for support.  All of the detail is made from gum paste added on top of the chocolate.  He is finished with Wilton's gold spray color and pink pearl dust.  He is carefully balanced, though, and that big, aggravating tail helps a lot with the balance.

You can see the type wire used for his armature if you look at the picture of the macaws, which is still in progress.  The dragon's frame was minimal, not heavy like the limbs on which the birds are sitting.  The tree limbs have to be very strong because they are holding the birds suspended and since they are about the size of cockatiels (or slightly larger), the weight is considerable...for a cake decoration, that is.  I am planning the finished cake to be about three feet tall.

It is fun making the scupltures, but I admit (maybe because it is completely new to me) it is one of the hardest things I've ever done.  How to make a dumb dragon stand on top of a cake?  How to make the goofy macaw wing fly?  How to make the stupid birds perch on a tree limb?  The mechanics are the hard part, for me anyway, the sculpting is the fun part!

If you have any further questions, I will be happy to try and answer them as best as I can.  Bonnie, be sure and tell your husband that at night when no one is around, the dragon is green :o) 

Comment by joseflin on July 9, 2014 at 6:53am

Wow...awesome! how did you do this! I would like to carve something like this too! Did you make it out of chocolate?

Comment by Bonnie Willey on July 8, 2014 at 10:05pm

Hey Sandra,

I don't see a lot of supports in this guy, so I imagine you must have him balanced pretty good?  Is that an important issue for a sculpture like this?  Just can't stop going back to him, or is it a her? lol  My hubby came through, took one look, & said, 'I thought dragons were green', & kept on going.  Little does he know..., that's a man for you! lol 

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