Making Simple Animals
STARFISH
1/// Colour the sugarpaste (fondant). Knead and soften the sugarpaste, then roll out each colour to a thickness of 5 mm (¼ in) and cut out a star shape.
2/// Using your fingertips, smooth the points and the sharp edges, and gently shape the arms.
3/// With a leaf shaper tool, make an indention in each place that the arms join together.
4/// To add texture to each starfish, use the same tool to prick tiny dots down the centre of each arm.
DRAGONFLY
1/// Colour the sugarpaste (fondant). Roll out the blue to a thickness of 2 mm (1/16 in). Cut out two flowers, one slightly bigger, with a 5-petal flower cutter. Roll a medium ball of the green and two little balls with the white and leftover blue.
2/// For the wings, cut off two petals from each flower, place them on a foam pad and use a ball tool to work around the edges to make them thinner.
3/// Make a long green log, ensuring one end is thinner than the other. Mark some indentions using a blade tool. Divide the white and blue balls in two, flatten slightly and with the ball tool position them on the front of the head (the wide end of the green log).
4/// Place the two big wings at the front and the two small wings at the back. Brush them with edible glue and position the body on top. Use a scallop tool to indent a smile on the face.
BUTTERFLY
1/// Colour the sugarpaste (fondant). Knead and soften the sugarpaste, reserve a medium ball and roll the rest to a thickness of 5 mm (¼ in). Cut out the butterflies with a butterfly cutter.
2/// Using the sugarpaste ball you set aside, roll four long sausage shapes and make a cut at one end of each with a blade tool. With a small round nozzle, add some decoration to the butterfly wings.
3/// Place the butterfly shapes on a flower former to shape and dry them.
4/// Use edible glue to attach the body to each butterfly. Let the glue dry before using the butterflies.
SWAN
1/// Colour the sugarpaste (fondant). Roll a big and a medium white ball. Shape the big ball so it is slightly pointed (for the body) and the medium into a question mark (for the neck). Shape a cone from a small yellow ball and flatten a tiny black ball. Roll out some more white sugarpaste to a thickness of 2 mm (1/16 in) and cut out two wing shapes.
2/// To make the head, use edible glue to attach the flattened black ball to the top of the neck and then position the yellow cone so that you cover the majority of the black sugarpaste on the bottom.
3/// Emboss some feathery patterns on the wings using a shell tool, then use edible glue to attach them to the body, ensuring that the pointed ends are positioned at what will be the front of the swan.
4/// Position the end of the neck under the body and secure it with edible glue. Use a cocktail stick or toothpick dipped in black food colouring to make the eyes.