Our contributor, Rachael Teufel of Intricate Icings Cake Design, is back for the next post in our Design Tips series. Join Rachael as she shares a new cake while teaching us the basics of great design. This month’s topic is Movement.
Movement within art can mean two things. It can be how the viewer’s eye is led through the piece or a reference to action or direction, like a person dancing or waves crashing. Creating movement with a static piece of art can be a real challenge, so here are a few helpful concepts to consider as you are designing your own cakes.
Placement of the design elements is key to creating eye movement. Geometric configurations are thought to be more pleasing to the viewer: triangular, diagonal, Z, S, or C-shapes are the most common configurations. This can be achieved through the use of color, pattern, texture, 3-D elements, or blank space. Your eye is typically drawn to the boldest element first and then follows path through the rest of the piece. Let’s take a better look at movement with some sketches.
In this sketch, the design elements are placed in an S-shaped configuration. This creates a sense of movement, as though the butterflies are flittering from the bottom of the cake towards the top.
In this second sketch, a sense of movement is created by simply placing the design elements on a diagonal, instead of a straight vertical or horizontal configuration.
Action movement is generally created using lines behind an object to show propulsion, as in a cartoon car driving or to freeze frame an object in a position that couldn’t be held unless that object was moving. This last sketch creates a sense of movement with ribbons blowing in the wind.
When it came to creating my cake, I built upon sketch number three, the rippling ribbons. Let’s take a look at how it all came together.
Using solid colors and clean lines, I created the look of several ribbons twisting and intertwining together. The pattern was drawn on to fondant using edible markers. I added a bright orange anemone at the base to capture your attention and guide your eye towards the flowing ribbon.
The next time you sit down to sketch a new cake, keep these principles of movement in mind. Play around with the different ways of creating movement and give yourself a nudge to try something new – you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you start to see your design skills growing. If you need help along the way, come back to this post for a refresher!
VENDORS & CREDITS
Cake : Intricate Icings Cake Design
Learn From This Baker : Online Cake Classes with Rachael Teufel on Craftsy
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