Candy Girl

You will need:

For the cake:

• 10cm (4in) round deep sponge cake, iced

To decorate:

• Saracino modelling paste – skin tone, white, black, yellow, light blue, dark blue, light pink, orange
• Magic Colours – Pro Ice Blue, Pro Super White, Petal Rouge dust
• Magic Colours glue
• edible glaze

Equipment:

• craft knife
• small rolling pin
• food safe skewers
• Cerart rounded tip modelling tool
• small metal ball tool
• FMM large ball tool
• wire cutters
• 18-gauge wire
• fine paintbrush
• cornflour dusting pouch
• water
• plastic lollipop sticks

Method:

1. Using the skin tone modelling paste, roll two equal-sized balls into tapered lengths. Roll the paste with your finger halfway down and point the foot. Place on the cake and secure with glue. Repeat and place the second leg crossing over the first.
2. Roll out strips of the light blue and pink modelling paste (2 of each) and ruffle. Place these on the top of the legs for the skirt. Secure with a small amount of glue.
3. Make the torso using a ball of skin tone modelling paste. Roll into a cylinder, pressing down at either end to create the bust. Using the end of your Cerart tool, form the neck and shoulders.
4. Make indents for the arms using the large ball tool, bringing up the shoulders as you do this.
5. Using the rounded tip tool, create the shoulder blades and neck features.
6. Roll out the pink modelling paste and cut a rectangle big enough to cover the torso. Lie it over the bust and trim down the sides and base. Repeat on the back so that it lines up, using a small amount of glue to seal.
7. Secure the torso on top of the skirt with glue. Place a skewer down through the neck and into the cake, twisting the skewer as it goes in.
8. To make the arms, roll two equal-sized balls of skin tone modelling paste. Roll your finger over the paste halfway to create the elbow and again at the wrist. Flatten the end of the hand.
9. For the hand, cut a small triangle out to create the thumb. Make three more cuts for the fingers, cutting off the tip for the little finger. Roll each finger in your fingers to round them.
10. Use the small metal ball tool to create detail on the hand, pressing at the gap between each digit.
11. Bend the arm and pinch the elbow to create definition. On the right hand, curl the fingers so that it will be able to hold the lollipop. On the left hand, pull the thumb away from the fingers so that it can sit on her hips.
12. Cut a 3cm (1¼in) piece of wire with the cutters. Angle it and place in the indent on the torso. Add some glue and secure the arms in place. Using the Cerart tool, smooth over the join.
13. Roll two small balls of the orange modelling paste. Taper each end, press flat, then glue to the base of the feet and form around. Roll out two small pointed cones. Cut the wide end at an angle and glue on the underside of the shoe for the heel.
14. To create the face, roll a large ball of skin tone modelling paste. Anchor it to your worksurface by pressing down the back slightly. Run your finger to create an ident a third of the way down the ball.
15. Using your two forefingers or the large ball tool, create the eye sockets, pressing together to create the bridge of the nose. Mould the face to make a pointed chin.
16. Using the end of a tool or your finger, create an indent two-thirds of the way down to create the nose. Pinch the nose for a more triangular look.
17. Press out the eye sockets using the small metal ball tool. I find this best doing the right eye first and then turning the head upside down to do the left.
18. Using the same technique as for the eyes, create the mouth shape.
19. Roll two equal-sized balls of white modelling paste and press into the eye sockets. Use the Cerart tool to fill to the edges and smooth with your finger. Do the same for the mouth with pink modelling paste.
20.  Take two equal balls of the dark blue paste and roll into ovals. Press centrally onto the eye sockets. Carefully paint a fine outline with the Pro Ice Blue Magic Colour. Take some water on your brush and blend the colour lightly. Add a small amount of Pro Super White around the bottom of each blue iris.
21. Roll equal-sized balls of black modelling paste and make into ovals. Press centrally on the blue irises. Make even smaller balls of white modelling paste to create the eye glints.
22. For the eyelash detail, roll a very fine, tapered piece of black modelling paste. Put a very small amount of water along the top edge of the white of the eyes. Place the tapered paste along the eye and cut at the edge using the craft knife. For the lashes, follow the same steps but cut it off at the corners of the eye.
23. Make the eyebrows using yellow modelling paste. Follow the same method as the previous step, but place the tapered end towards the sides of the face and cut them level with the eye.
24. To position the head, twist a skewer just under the chin. Cut the skewer in the torso leaving about 1.5cm (½in). Place a small amount of glue and position the head. Using a wet brush, colour the top half of the mouth with the petal rouge dust. With a dry brush, lightly dust the cheeks with the same dust.
25. To create the hair, roll out small balls of yellow modelling paste. Taper them at the ends and press slightly. Work on the back first. Create the first layer of hair halfway down the back of the head. Repeat for a second layer. Turn your figure to face you again and position the hair either side of the face. Finish with a piece either side of the forehead to frame the face.
26. For the bow, roll out and cut a fine strip of orange modelling paste and two fine strips of light blue modelling paste. Place the blue strips onto the orange strip and roll out again.
27. Cut two small, equal rectangles. Fold the paste over (stripes on the outside) and pinch. Roll out and cut another fine strip of light blue modelling paste and wrap over the centre of the bow, securing it with glue.
28. Carefully position the bow in place on the head with the sugar glue.
29. For the small lollipop, roll out some orange and light blue paste. Lie them side by side and pinch together, twisting slightly. Trim the ends and roll into a tight spiral. Twist some white paste down a 2cm (¾in) piece of wire leaving a gap at the top. Dip into the glue and press into the lollipop and position. Create on a larger scale with plastic lollipop sticks in varying colours.
30. To create the sweets, roll a small ball of paste. Cut two small squares of paste and pinch the ends. Glue the ball on top of the ruffled squares to create the sweet wrappers. Roll a very fine piece of white modelling paste, position in a spiral on the ball and press in place.
31. Glaze the eyes and all the lollipops and sweets to finish. Repeat if necessary.