Recipe and How To
by Anthony Pena
ICES CMSA/Approved Instructor
New York
The peacock is a possessor of some of the most admired human characteristics, and is a “symbol of integrity, Royalty, Glory and the beauty we can achieve when we endeavor to show vibrant colors such as blue and green’s.
Materials
Skewers
16″ gauge wire
30 gauge wire
Floral tape
1 medium egg shaped styrofoam ball
1 lb gumpaste
Peacock feather Mold sunflower sugar Art (KT-001)
Sunflower Sugar Art petal dusts
Brown
Burgundy Gold green
Jade
Khaki
Super green
Teal
Peacock blue
Sugar Paste
Artist brushes (Líner, Fan)
Manicure scissor
Tissue paper
Shell modeling tool
Xacto Knife
8*8 “round-fondant covered cake dummy
6*3 “round-fondant covered cake dummy
Royal Icing
Veining tool
Lemon Extract or Alcohol (Everclear)
HOW TO
Take two pieces of 16 – gauge tape them with floral tape. Insert the wire into the top part of the egg, make sure its inserted that touch the base of egg. Bend the wire to achieve a Natural look of the neck. Secure the body on the cake, for this project it was placed in a tiered cake dummy. This is the height standards to add the wings in cascade. Moisten the armature with piping gel, using white sugar Paste start covering. Paint with a mixture of peacock blue and alcohol or lemon extract. Insert a small ball of brown gumpaste in the eyes cavity, followed by a small white ball to give dimension to the eyes. In the top & bottom of the eyes add a thing tear drop shape of white gumpaste. For the bird mouth paint slightly with gray petal dust.
Top neck fathers
Cut 5 pieces of green wire 30 gauge, 1 1/2 inches. Make a small teardrop, flatten with your thumbs and insert it in the top. With a xacto knife make straight cuts. Paint them with a mixture of Esmerald green / Peacock blue dust. Tape them with a small piece of floral tape and place in the tops the neck while the neck still soft.
Feathers
To make the tail feathers. Roll out a small piece of thin gumpaste and place into the feather mold. Press well in order to get all the details. Make several feathers and keep them covered while painting each one. With a flat modeling tool make straight cuts in the edge of the feather to give a realistic detail.
To paint the feather its suggested to start from inside of the feather and ending all the way outside. It starts with a Royal blue shade followed by light blue, shades of khaki and gold embellish the feathers, it ends with a lovely shade of Esmerald green, looking a real pattern to achieve the colors is the key. Attached them with royal icing while they still pliable, start from the bottom all that way up. Insert a small piece paper tissue ball to raise the edge of the feather so it doesn’t have the flat appearance, this has to be removed when dried completely.
Once the feathers are completely placed and dried, make and attach the wings with Royal icing.
Gumpaste Wings
Take a portion of white sugar Paste (teardrop shape) flatten with the palm of your hand and make cuts with a manicure scissor to achieve the feather look. The shell modeling tool add texture. With a pointed modeling tool raise each feather. With a black edible marker make spot all over the wings. Make two wings.
Anthony Pena
ICES CMSA/Approved Instructor
New York