Hi guys! Today we have a tutorial from Judy Anderson over at judyscakes.blogspot.com. She is going to show us how to make realistic Fall Leaves, perfect for those Autumn Themed treats we showed you recently!
How To Make Fall Leaves
Fall is my favorite time of year! The harvest season finally is over, the crisp autumn air moves in, and the kids go back to school. It seems that life becomes more relaxed, and everything begins to slow down just a bit. One of my favorite things about this time of year is watching the leaves transform into a beautiful display of colors!
Where I grew up, the leaves pretty much went from green to yellow to dead. Although it was beautiful, those leaves can’t compare to the kaleidoscope of autumn colors found in other areas of the country. I now live in Utah, surrounded by majestic mountains with several canyons only minutes away from my front door. If you drive through these canyons during the fall season, the array of colors you’ll see is simply breathtaking!
A few weeks ago, I decorated a cake with several different fall flowers and leaves. Some people asked me how I made these leaves, while a few even thought they were real! Now that’s quite a compliment! (Pardon me… I’m blushing at the moment. LOL) So I thought I’d put together a tutorial to show you how it’s done.
Part #1 will show you how to cut out the leaves. Part #2 will show you how to color the leaves.
PART ONE: Cutting out the leaf.
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| You’ll need: gum paste, rolling pin, ball tool, foam pad, triangle makeup sponge, leaf cutter, and a leaf veiner. |
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| Roll the gum paste out until it’s thin. Place it over the top of the leaf cutter. Roll the rolling pin over the gum paste, then run your finger across the edge of the cutter. Doing this will give you a much cleaner cut edge. |
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| The leaf cutter I used has an annoying thick stem at the bottom of the leaf. (I have no idea why they designed it that way!) Use a sharp knife to cut the outer edges of the stem off so it’ll look more realistic. |
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| Next get your veiner and makeup sponge ready. |
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| Place your leaf over the top of the veiner. Then, using the makeup sponge, press down on the leaf to imprint the vein details onto the gum paste. |
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| Fold your leaf in half to make the center vein more defined. |
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| Place the leaf on a foam pad, then use the ball tool to thin the outside edges of the leaf. |
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| Using your fingers, pinch together the bottom stem and the tip of each rounded edge on your leaf. You can see above that the edges on the right side are pinched, while the edges on the left are not.Forming little points like this instead of leaving the edges round makes a huge difference. I think this one of the most important steps in making your leaf look more realistic. |
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| Here’s the finished leaf! Dry your leaves on crumpled aluminum foil or egg crate foam to keep them from being too flat. Now let the leaves dry completely before adding any color. |
In the first part I showed you how to cut out a leaf and make it look more realistic. Here I’ll discuss using different petal dusts on your leaves to achieve bold vibrant colors.
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At the top of this picture is a plain yellow leaf that was cut out of gum paste. Below it are three examples of the same basic leaf that were brushed with different colors of petal dust. Yes… even the orange leaf started out yellow. The color possibilities are endless!!!
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| Here’s a similar example to the one above. Except I used pink gum paste instead of yellow to make the basic leaf. |
Before we get started, here are a few basic rules to keep in mind:
1- Never start out using dark colors.
You can always make a color darker… but it’s almost impossible to lighten it up! This same rule applies to both gum paste and petal dust. By starting out light, it’s easier to vary the value and intensity of each color.
2- Less is more.
Begin by adding colors a little at a time. You can always apply more color later… but it’s very difficult to remove once it’s on.
3- Blend the edges of the colors together.
Doing this will make the colors flow together naturally, so they won’t look spotted or splotchy. Be careful, however, not to over blend!
4- Don’t worry if the tips or small parts of your leaf break off.
The truth about fall leaves is that they’re either drying up or already dead. Take a look at real leaves… you’ll notice that they’re all shriveled up, crumbly, torn, or even have holes in them. Leaves are not perfect. In fact, they’ll look more realistic if they have flaws.
5- Use many different colors of petal dust on each leaf.
Don’t be afraid to make extra leaves and experiment with your colors. You won’t know how they work unless you try them.
6- Use a lot of different brushes.
I use small paint brushes to apply the petal dust. For this tutorial, I used one brush for the yellows, one for the greens, one for the light reds and oranges, and one for the dark reds and burgundy. Plus I had one very tiny brush for only dark brown.
OK… let’s start with the yellow leaf.
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| I began by dusting a mid-tone yellow here and there, concentrating on the center of the leaf. |
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| Then I randomly add light orange to a few other places on the leaf. |
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| Next, I deepen the color by adding a mid-tone orange to the outside edges of the light orange spots. |
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| Then I add a couple of different reds to the outside areas of the dark orange. The farther out from the center I go, the darker the colors become. Finally, I hit a few of the lighter spots with bright yellow. This helps add vibrancy to the leaf. |
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| The next step is to add a just a touch of dark brown. Using the flat side of your tiny brush, stroke upward across the very outside edge of your leaf. This helps bring dimension and realism to it’s appearance. Finally, add just a hint of brown to the veins. Be careful not to go too dark, or the veins will look like you drew them in. |
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| There’s a huge variety of colors you can make with a basic yellow leaf. Play around a little, and see what kind of colors you can come up with. |
Next up… the red leaf.
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| I start by adding a reddish orange color to different parts of the leaf. |
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| Next I brush on a mid-tone red to the remaining areas. |
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| I deepen a few of the reds by adding an even darker red color. |
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| Finally, to make the dark reds look even richer… add burgundy to a few spots. You can also add some pink or light orange to brighten the lighter areas. Finish off by touching just the outside edge of your leaf with dark brown, and then lightly trace over the veins. (Do this the same way it was described above for the yellow leaf.) |
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| Here’s an example of a variety of colors you can achieve by starting out with the same basic pink leaf. Try using different shades of orange, pink, red, burgundy, and even a little dark green. |
These fall leaves are a great way to practice your skills. Don’t be afraid to play around and use a variety of color combinations. You can even try adding blue or purple to your color scheme! If a leaf breaks… don’t worry, it doesn’t matter. You can still use it! The whole idea is to discover new ways to use color and to have fun. You might even be surprised at how artistic you can be!!!
Judy Anderson- Judy’s Cakes
I was an art major in college, so my art background has been very helpful in developing my cake designs. Cake decorating has blended my love for art and baking together into one! I began decorating cakes in 2008. I’m self taught and specialize in making gum paste flowers. Several of my cakes have been published in Cake Central Magazine, and I won honorable mention in their “Wedding Cake of the Year” contest. I’m also an ongoing contributor to the Satin Ice Website.
Sharon, do you sell a “set” of the petal colors that was used for the fall leaves?
So sorry but I don’t 🙁
Beautiful leaves – they do look real! Just curious as to what size leaf cutter you used in this tutorial and what brand ball tool that is. Thanks!
Hi Gloria, I think she used about a 3 inch cookie cutter for the leave. The metal ball tool can be found at many online stores. Try Sugardelites.com Hope that helps! 🙂
Gosh these are so cool, they look so real! I love how you’ve replicated the mirage of colours too.
These are beautiful!! I have some small leaf cutters that I think I might try this with for a fall cake. Thank you so much for a great tutorial!!
Great tutorial!!!
Have been learning gumpaste in my own, with the help of the internet. Your leaves are by far the best I have seen. So appreciate the detailed instructions, and I was able to copy them very successfully. Do you have more tutorials? Thanks!
Hi Judy,
Thanks for your great tutoria.
What type of dusts do you use on your leaves please? Are they a matt finish?
Thanks
yes, just a variety of edible petal dusts 🙂
Do you have links for the cutter and leaf veined?
Sorry, she did not supply those 🙂
I new to the whole gumpaste world so for each color leaf did you start off with white gumpaste or was it colored .
hey Reanna, she started with ivory paste 🙂
did you do both sides? im making leaves for a cake and i dont want it to look funny if you can see some white on the back. Also i have been debating what leaf veining tool to use and i found one that looks similar to the one you had its a hydrangea one i hope i can do any sort of justice to yours thank you for the tutorial
yes color the back if you think they will be seen. Look for a double sided multi purpose leaf veiner.