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Recipes for mastic for covering a cake and for sculpting figures that always turn out well. How to sculpt figures from mastic, master class, photos and videos

Recipes for mastic for covering a cake and for sculpting figures that always turn out well. How to sculpt figures from mastic, master class, photos and videos

Sugar mastic is a plastic material from which experienced craftsmen create a variety of decorations for holiday baking. This type of decoration for confectionery products has been used relatively recently, but it has already gained popularity. Therefore, it’s time to figure out how to store mastic and cakes using it.

What is mastic and what types does it come in?

Confectionery mastic is used to cover cakes, make flowers and all kinds of figures. There are several types of material:

for applying to the surface of baked goods - sugar;
for making jewelry and floral elements - floral;
for creating figures - Mexican.

Novice confectioners can purchase paste in specialized stores for use at home. Experienced craftsmen share numerous recipes for making the product.

Mastic can be prepared at home based on:

gelatin;
chocolate;
marshmallows, etc.

Dairy

To prepare the paste you need condensed or. For kneading, use instead, crushed into powder. The result is a soft and plastic mass that is pleasant to the taste.

It has a long drying time. This quality is indispensable when you need to cover a cake, make figures and flowers.
Milk paste has a drawback: if you put a little less powder in it, then the layer on the cake will turn into porridge.

Note to the hostess

To prevent the situation from getting out of control, part of the powdered sugar is replaced with starch.

To prevent the coating from tearing, it should be rolled out no thinner than 2-3 mm, and the powdered sugar in its composition should be very finely ground without sugar grains

Gelatinous

The mastic contains gelatin and powdered sugar. It is suitable for creating large volumetric compositions, flowers, and shapes. The downside is that the paste dries quickly. This creates difficulties in the manufacture of thin and small elements, which break off when dry.

Do you know that…

Gelatin fondant is not suitable for covering a cake because it eventually becomes hard. Good results are achieved by using gelatin paste and marshmallows together.

Chocolate

The following is added to the chocolate variety for decoration:

any color;
powdered sugar;

Mastic is pleasant to work with because it is very plastic and dries well. It is used to make any decoration elements, and is also used to cover cakes. It's delicious on its own. White chocolate produces a creamy paste that can be colored in different colors with food coloring.

Tip of the day

While preparing the chocolate mastic, stir in the powdered sugar carefully. From excess, the mass crumbles.

Marshmallows are candies in the form of marshmallows or marshmallows that came to us from America. From them, with the addition of powdered sugar, a soft plastic mastic is obtained, which is used to cover the surface of cakes and cut out decorative elements.

If you add more powder, you get a mass for sculpting figures. Colored candies make mastic of different colors.

It is not necessary to look for candies with the name “Marshmallows”, just the word “mallows” on the packaging

How long does mastic last?

Decorating baked goods is a painstaking job. The entire mastic coating is not always used. The remaining part is used later. This means you should find out how long the mastic is stored.

Storage of purchased products

Manufacturers of confectionery mastic are interested in long-term storage of their products. For this purpose, preservatives, stabilizers, flavors and other substances that are not very useful for consumers are added to it. When choosing a product in a store, you should pay attention to the composition.

Storage will not cause trouble if you follow certain rules:

Ready-made mastic is sold in packaging. To work, take part of the mass with a clean spatula. Cover the remaining paste immediately to reduce exposure to air.
If there are any leftover pieces after decorating, do not throw them away. Wrap leftovers in parchment or foil to prevent sticking.
The main task during storage is to avoid heat and moisture. Due to elevated temperatures, the mass dries out and loses its plasticity. Hygroscopic in its structure, it becomes liquid from humidity.
The mastic can be stored in an airtight container for a month. Wrapped leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for a week.

Note to the hostess

If the mastic has lost its elasticity, you can add lemon juice, diluting it with water in a 1:1 ratio.

Storing Homemade Pasta

Recipes for making homemade mastic include natural products, which is important when decorating desserts for children's parties. The risk of allergic reactions is reduced. Their correct ratio allows the product not to deteriorate or lose its properties for a long time.

What to look for:

Allow the prepared mastic to rest for a day in the refrigerator. Cover the pasta container with cling film and make several cuts. During operation, it will absorb less powdered sugar.
If the paste turns out wetter than necessary, do not rush to add powder. You can try drying it in a warm kitchen or near a radiator for two hours. You just need to use this mastic right away.

Store homemade pasta for 2-3 weeks.

To make the coating without wrinkles, you need to roll it out with a large margin, then it will smooth out under its own weight

Storing marshmallow mass

Mastic made from toffee candies, like any other, is sensitive to drying out and excess moisture:

Evaporation of water will lead to loss of elasticity and brittleness. Decorative elements will crumble, making it impossible to form a layer to cover the cake.
But the absorption of excess moisture will turn the paste into an unsightly mess.

Wrap the mastic in cling film, then in a plastic bag. In a closet at a temperature no higher than 25 degrees, supplies will last 3-4 days. If you put them in the refrigerator, nothing will happen to them for 2 weeks.

Do you know that…

If marshmallow mastic is purchased in a store, it can be stored for 6 months at a temperature no higher than 3-5 degrees. The long period is explained by the presence of preservatives in the composition.

How and where to store the product at home

To preserve mastic, regardless of whether you bought it or made it at home, you need:

Pack the product in a container with an airtight lid and put it in the refrigerator; this way it will keep for 2 weeks.
After consumption, combine the pieces, shape them into a ball or oval, wrap tightly in film, then in a plastic bag and put them on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator; they need to be used within a week.
Keep away from vegetables and open containers with liquids.
When you need to use the mastic again, remove it from the refrigerator in advance and keep it at room temperature for 10-12 hours to soften; then mix thoroughly, this will restore its elasticity.
The product can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

To make the mastic on the cake shine, it is greased with a solution of honey in vodka in a 1:1 ratio.

After finding out how long mastic can be stored in the refrigerator, you need to understand whether it can be frozen. Experts assure that confectionery paste can be stored in the freezer for 2-3 months. How to do it:

Divide the lump into small portions.
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, plastic bag, foil, parchment, or place in a container with an airtight lid.
Place in the freezer.

To proceed, defrost gradually: first place on the refrigerator shelf overnight, then leave at room temperature until warm. Knead well before use.

Note to the hostess

To speed up heating, you can place the mastic mass in the microwave or hot oven for a few minutes. Just make sure it doesn't start to melt.

How to store mastic cakes

Mastery in making mastic cakes comes gradually. Each test of your strength will be better than the previous one. A cake using mastic decoration is prepared in advance, because it is not known how long this or that operation will take. The main thing is to preserve the resulting beauty before the start of the celebration, so it is important to know what is covered with mastic.

Application technology

To avoid trouble, you need to properly coat the cake with paste:

You should not be overzealous with soaking the cakes. The excess moisture will cause the mastic to melt. They behave ideally when covered with a mastic layer.
The top cake should be dry. To do this, it is coated with ganache, marzipan layer or butter cream. The coating must dry or harden. In the case of cream, the cake is placed in the refrigerator.
The mastic should not be overdried, otherwise it may warp and crack not only during cutting, but also during storage.

For a master class on how to coat a cake, watch this short video:

Place and period of storage

Let's figure out where to store the mastic cake:

The cake, covered with fondant, is placed in a closed box. It should be stored in the refrigerator or other cool place.
Half an hour before serving, remove the cake to allow the coating to warm and become pliable when slicing.

Note to the hostess

Droplets of condensation may form on the dessert. Nothing wrong with that. They are carefully blotted with a napkin.

It remains to be clarified how long a mastic cake can be stored. Confectionery paste is sensitive to elevated temperatures.

During a festive feast, the dessert will lose its appeal within a few hours. Therefore, it is served just before consumption.
If the room is cool, this period will extend.
You should not keep a mastic cake in the refrigerator for more than 2 days.

How to store mastic figures

Decorative elements are made before baking the cake begins. This painstaking work takes a lot of time. Then they are dried, otherwise the figures on the cake will become deformed.

Parts of the holiday theme are first cut out of colored fondant for contrast. By using food coloring or coloring with vegetable juices, bright, rich colors are obtained. You will learn how to do this from the video:

Store finished parts in a closed box so that they do not touch; Place in a plastic bag with an airtight lid and store in a closet. Large figures can be placed in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf.

It is best to decorate the cake a few hours before the celebration, so that the details do not become damp or lose their shape. You can glue them using , mixed with a teaspoon of powdered sugar or thick sugar syrup.

Gypsum and cement are durable materials that are available, but difficult to work with.
Papier-mâché is an inexpensive, accessible paper composition, but also the most capricious.
Polyurethane foam from a can - easy to work with, afraid of the sun, needs to be covered with a layer of concrete or plaster.
Available materials - film, plastic containers, basins, barrels, everything that is no longer needed on the farm.

To work with the listed materials, no special tools are needed.

By combining different techniques, you will make a garden sculpture for your own.

Paper torn into pieces mixed with PVA glue is papier mache. Moreover, any kind of paper - newspapers, toilet paper for small parts, egg packaging. But nothing can come from paper alone. It is used to cover a frame made of wire or plastic bottles. For rounded parts, roll bags or newspaper into a ball. Pour sand into the bottles to make the figure heavy.

The work begins with coarse papier-mâché made from newspaper strips, the last layers are a mass of finely chopped egg trays soaked in boiling water. Each layer is dried. So the work will take not a day, but a couple of weeks. The figure is kept in a warm, ventilated place. For strength, you can cover it with gauze, alternating with newsprint.

The sculpture will turn out solid, despite the material. But it needs to be protected from moisture and frost. Before painting, go over it with coarse sandpaper, cut off and glue any imperfections in the work. Now, using a wide brush, saturate the material with a wood primer with additives against fungus and mold. You can impregnate with hot drying oil, but then use all materials - putty, oil-based paints, water-based paints will be difficult to apply.

Protected from fungus, let's move on to putty. We take the cheapest one, PVA based, and apply it to small parts with a hard brush.

Sand the figure and level the surface. Here you can impregnate it with primer again. Or color it right away. First we prime with white paint, then we paint the details starting from large to small.

Not resistant to water We cover the paints with alkyd varnish, preferably furniture varnish, although it dries for 2-3 days. If the paints are based on organic solvents, then a layer of varnish is not required.

How long do garden paper figurines last outside? 1-2 seasons, just don’t forget to cover them from rain with film and put them in a dry place for the winter. Then your crafts will last much longer.

How to make garden figurines from plaster

In production, hollow decorative figurines for the garden are cast in large silicone molds. The frame of the figure is sometimes reinforced with wire. During hardening, shells are formed in the gypsum - voids from air bubbles that did not have time to escape from the hardening material. Therefore, the figures in the molds stand on a vibrating table, which expels the air from the plaster. Can this be repeated at home? Yes, if you wish. But there are other simple ways.

The figurine is not hollow, but on a wire frame and plastic bottles filled with pebbles. Parts, such as the cap and stem of a mushroom, can be cast separately, held together with putty or plaster solution.

For garden crafts, use alabaster or building plaster; of course, if possible, take sculptural plaster. It is harder and was created specifically for casting. For strength, a plasticizer is added to simple plaster. This is any glue - PVA, bustilate. The latter is cheaper, and the properties of the gypsum solution are the same as those of a mixture with PVA. Work in small batches. Dilute the plaster with water, add glue, and apply to the frame.

The mixture gradually heats up and thickens. Gradually the moisture evaporates and the plaster turns white. Leave it to dry in a dark, dry place. The sculpture will dry within 4-5 days. Although after a couple of hours it seems completely dry at first glance, a chemical reaction occurs inside. When you do not feel moisture to the touch, you can further decorate the figurine.

Protect plaster from dampness with drying oil or paraffin (wax).

Under painting, drying oil heated in a water bath is applied with a wide brush. The plaster will instantly absorb the composition and dry. The surface will become dark and matte, then lighten. Apply 2-3 coats, as desired. But you will have to paint with alkyd and oil paints; water-based paints will not be able to penetrate the material through the varnish layer.

For final protection from bad weather, also take drying oil or wax. Drying oil will give a yellow tint; if this does not suit you, heat the wax and apply it with a hard brush. Buff the wax coating with a rag.

You can use a medical plaster bandage to make figurines. They are convenient for wrapping flat and three-dimensional parts. Strips of bandage are soaked in water for a couple of minutes and quickly applied to the sculpture. As it dries, smooth out wrinkles and cover the voids with remaining plaster.

You can make carvings on plaster figures, mark out details for painting with a sharp awl or nail. They can not only be painted, but also decorated with mosaics, broken pieces of dishes and pebbles.

Concrete garden sculpture

The next most popular and accessible material for creativity is concrete. It is more difficult to work with than plaster. It spreads quickly, dries more slowly, if you choose the wrong thickness, it will crack when drying. But the garden decor is strong and durable.

To make concrete figures for the garden with your own hands, you need to prepare a frame. To do this, thick wire, iron rods and metal mesh are used. Concrete is heavier than gypsum and the mesh forms the volume. You can use foam plastic as a base and cover it with a layer of concrete on top. For small sculptures, use water bottles.

The composition from which figurines for the garden are made is a mixture of cement and sand (sand concrete) 1:2. For plasticity, add glue (PVA, bustilate) or liquid soap.

Concrete dries slowly. This is a plus - you can work on the sculpture while it dries. Tile adhesive will also work. It will give the composition plasticity and make it easier to work with concrete. You can use fiber and other materials in modeling. Try working with them.

Confectionery mastic is a soft edible mass that has some similarities with plasticine. It is quite easy to sculpt. Themed mastic figures can be used to beautifully and unusually decorate a cake for any celebration. Children, seeing such decor, usually become delighted and eat it with great pleasure. And adults can rarely deny themselves a treat.

Classic mastic recipe

Ingredients:

marshmallows - 100 gr;
starch - 100 g;
powdered sugar – 150-200 g;
butter - 1 tablespoon;
water;
food colorings;

Cooking steps:

Mix marshmallows with butter and heat in a microwave or water bath for about 15 seconds. During this time, the mass will warm up, increase in volume and become soft.
Mix starch and powdered sugar. To prevent lumps from forming, they can be sifted through a sieve.
Add 100 gr. pour the resulting mixture into the melted marshmallows and stir until it becomes a thick, homogeneous slurry.
Next, you need to dilute the food coloring in warm water according to the instructions on the package and add drops to the mixture. Continue stirring until the mixture finally thickens.
Pour some powdered sugar onto the table and place the resulting mastic from the bowl there. Continue kneading it with your hands until it becomes elastic and elastic, like plasticine. Grease your hands with butter first to prevent the mixture from sticking.

If you plan to sculpt later, wrap the finished mastic in several layers of cling film and place it in the refrigerator. To prevent the material from losing its elasticity and drying out, do not allow it to remain in contact with air for long periods of time.

Before sculpting the figures, the working surface is sprinkled with starch. On it you will roll out the cakes to the desired thickness.

What can you sculpt?

The paste is mainly used to decorate children's and wedding cakes and desserts.

Children will be delighted with fairy-tale and cartoon characters made from mastic. Making them is not that difficult. The main thing is that your hands obey and there is a sense of proportion.

But for wedding products you need to make only flowers and petals of delicate flowers, as well as wedding-themed figurines - the bride and groom, doves, rings. They will look great on top of the cake.

If you wish, you can make a figurine to match the theme for any celebration. You just need to show your imagination and bring it to life, because creativity and unusual design are welcome here.

In terms of time, the process of making figurines is lengthy, especially for those who do not understand anything about the theory and practice of sculpting. However, with a systematic approach, you can easily get used to making certain figures quite quickly.

In the early stages of your learning, it is best to focus on decorating one type of cake.

How long do figurines last?

If you place the product in the refrigerator, it will stay there for several weeks. You just need to put them in a container so that they are not exposed to moisture and sunlight.

If you don’t have time, and you need the figures by a certain date, then you can make them a few days before the holiday. Place the finished product in any container that can be closed and put it in the refrigerator.

The same goes for the mastic itself. If you have any material left after sculpting, you can wrap it in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer, where it can remain as long as you like.

A few more mastic recipes

Milk mastic It's very easy to prepare. To do this, you need to prepare the ingredients - milk powder, cream and powdered sugar - in equal quantities. Mix everything carefully and start adding condensed milk little by little. Stir until the mass becomes elastic. Also, during the mixing process, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and one spoon of cognac are added to the mixture. Just don’t be scared, cognac won’t spoil anything, it will only add flavor. We always look at the consistency (it should be like plasticine).

Chocolate mastic has an incredible taste and beautiful color. For preparation, you can use both white and dark chocolate. The main condition is that it be milky. Take 100 g of chocolate and melt in a water bath. Add 2 tablespoons of honey. Mix everything thoroughly. Place the mixture in a bag to cool completely and use for decoration.

Marshmallow mastic its properties and preparation process are similar to those where marshmallows are used. The difficulty is that it is very difficult to find suitable marshmallows that will not spoil the quality of the material. This is the only thing you need to worry about. You should also pay attention to the fact that it is better to take more than 100 grams of marshmallows. It’s better to have some left over than not to have enough at the most inopportune moment.

Making mastic from gelatin will take a little longer than other options. 2 tablespoons of gelatin must be dissolved in water. Then you need to put it on low heat and cook until you get a homogeneous mass. Do not bring to a boil! Wait for the mixture to cool, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, a teaspoon of vegetable oil. Then gradually add powdered sugar (40-50 tablespoons) and knead for about 15 minutes. As a result, the mass will become similar to soft plasticine, which is ready for use. It is as flexible as possible and can be easily painted in different colors.

In this article I will try to outline in detail some of the features of making jewelry from mastic with my own hands for beginners.

Basics

I am often asked about which mastic is best to sculpt figures from. For some time I worked with both store-bought mastic, made according to various recipes, and with sugar paste, but I always returned to my recipe because I know how to adjust it to my needs.

Here I will not describe the process of making complex figures, but will simply try to talk in detail about how to make figures from mastic with your own hands. We will be making a person with relatively realistic body proportions and simple clothing. I am confident that anyone who follows these instructions will eventually learn how to create excellent fondant figures for a children's cake, and that this knowledge will help in the future when moving on to more complex working techniques and making figures with outstretched arms, as well as sculpting animals from mastic.

If you have any questions about how to sculpt figures from fondant, do not hesitate to ask them in the comments. I will try to answer them as quickly as possible, but please remember that I am a busy person, so don't expect immediate answers from me.

Remember that all this is not the ultimate truth, but just my own experiences, and you may have a different view on how to make figures from mastic for a cake. So there are no hard and fast rules here other than maybe the placement of parts, so adapt these tips to your needs and preferences.

Required materials and tools

In my work, I try to avoid unnecessary expensive tools and often use what I already have at home. I'll stick with that idea throughout this tutorial and try to keep the amount of what you need to make your sugar gummies to a minimum.

To make a simple figurine from mastic, you will need:

Mastic of different colors for making the following parts: pants, boots, sweaters, leather, hair;
A few toothpicks. Note: Do not give fondant products containing toothpicks to young children and be sure to warn everyone else that they contain toothpicks. You can substitute solid pasta if you wish, but let everyone know anyway;
Salt shaker with powder or corn syrup, whichever you prefer. If you don't have a salt shaker, you can use a spoon instead;
Cutting board (as smooth as possible);
A sharp, non-corrugated knife;
Small or medium ball shaped mastic tool;
Small pastry brush;
Water in a small container;
Black food gel coloring;
A surface on which you will place the figures, such as a cake or, if you are making them in advance, a piece of foam;
Printed sketch of a person (see below).

Through trial and error, I realized that as I made figures from mastic, each subsequent piece turned out to be larger than the previous one, and as a result, I ended up with disproportionate mastic crafts. It was also difficult for me to make several figures of the same size if I did it by eye. For this reason, I began to use sketches similar to the one shown above and the figures for the mastic cake began to turn out to be the right size. Just upload this sketch to any graphic editor (I use Irfanview), set the desired height of the future figure and print the sketch. This approach can also be used when decorating a cake to figure out how to arrange the figures and what size they should be.

The height of the figurine described in this article is 6.3 cm.
Mastic is usually sticky, so to roll it out properly and avoid sticking to the board and your fingers, sprinkle your work surface and hands with powdered sugar. Don't worry about getting powdered sugar all over the figure; you can easily clean it afterwards.

To glue pieces of mastic, apply a thin layer of water to one of them using a brush and press them together. You may need to move them around a little to get them to stick, but usually just water is enough to do this. Some people like to use different types of edible glue, either store-bought or homemade, but I usually don't bother with that. Water glues perfectly in almost all cases.

If you are working in a dry area, you may need to soften your mastic to prevent cracking on the surface. To do this, just mix a small amount of water into the dough and warm it in your hands. Try to do everything quickly so that the mastic does not have time to dry out and begin to crack. In high humidity conditions, you may need to stir in additional powdered sugar into the fondant and increase the time between steps to prevent the pieces from mixing.

We sculpt a person

Roll out a long snake from blue mastic. Make sure its thickness matches the leg thickness on the printed sketch. Don't worry about it being too long - you can always cut off the excess.

Using the blunt side of a knife, make a notch in the middle of the snake and bend the fondant along it.

Place the bent snake on the sketch so that the bent edge is near the hips. If necessary, trim the bottom of the pants.

Turn the pants over and place them next to the sketch. Using the blunt part of a knife, make indentations at the knees. They will help prevent wrinkles from forming when folded.

Gently rotate the knife several times to make the indentation wider. The back of the legs should look like this:

If you are decorating the cake now, you can wet the back of the legs with water and place them on the edge of the cake. I made the figure on foam plastic, so I’ll tell you further about the features of this case.

Place a handful of powdered sugar on the surface and, with your knees gently bent, place them on the edge of the foam.

To make the figure more stable, you can moisten the gap between the pants and carefully, so as not to damage the shape, press one leg to the other.

Make two even balls of black mastic, slightly larger than in the sketch (shoes require more mastic than feet without them, unless you are making thin slippers). To get identical balls, you can use this tricky trick: make a thick sausage with flattened ends out of mastic and cut it in half.

Shape the balls into droplets of water, but without the pointed end at the top, and then press them down lightly.

Break a toothpick in half and insert each one into the legs from the bottom. Leave an overhang long enough to hold the boot.

Wet the top and sides of the shoes with water (and the back if you're decorating the cake now) and place them over the raised portions of the toothpicks.

Insert a toothpick into the top of the legs so that it goes a little deep into the foam, but make sure there is enough length at the top to fit the body over it.

Make a block of mastic that is wider on one side. Its thickness may vary depending on the size of your figure. I find that 1.3 cm thickness is suitable for most cases.

Now put it on the sketch. The upper edge of the bar should reach the shoulders, and the lower edge should reach the legs. The block should be flat near the shoulders, but you can make a depression in the opposite part if you want the sweater to extend slightly over the pants.

After adding a little water, place the body on the toothpick and press it on top so that it sticks to the legs.

Press down on the sides of the block so that its edges are in line with your hips.

Roll out a long snake of the same color as the body from the mastic, place it on the sketch along the line of the arm and cut off the excess, without taking into account the length of the hand and fingers, which we will do later. From above, cut the snake along the vertical line of the body (at an acute angle).

If you need to make hands that would be in a horizontal position, then the angle needs to be made more obtuse. The sharp angle is needed so that the arms are close to the body and the figurine's palms are on the knees, because in this case there is no need to make any internal supports or wait for the mastic to harden.

Do the same with the other hand, making sure that they are the same length.

Mark the elbow bend with the blunt side of the knife.

Bend your arm along the line, and make elbows on the back side with your fingertips. Unlike the knees, the elbows should be slightly pointed. If after this the arm begins to wobble, add a little water to the elbow and press lightly to glue the edges of the indentation.

Using a ball-shaped tool, make small indentations at the base of the arms. They are needed to make the hands look like extensions of the arms, and not as if they were torn off from the body and then glued back on.

Wet the surface of the hand that will be adjacent to the body with water and press it against the torso and leg. While you do this, shape your shoulders as desired.

Don't place the bases of your hands close to each other unless you're going for folded hands. And this will most likely be difficult to do without bending them at an unnatural angle.

Then insert another toothpick into the top of the body, this will be the internal support for the head. Stick it deep enough so that it does not come out of the head on the other side.

Leave the hands to harden for a while before making the palms.

Roll out a drop-shaped ball from flesh-colored mastic and place it on the sketch. The ball should slightly cover the contours of the head in the sketch, but nothing more. In general, it is better to make the head a little smaller, since it can be enlarged later due to the hair.

It is usually difficult for beginners to make a bare neck well, so it is better to replace it with a sweater collar. To do this, make a small thick cylinder of mastic and put it on a toothpick.

Make a small indentation at the front.

Take the head made in the previous steps and place it on the toothpick at an angle. The chin should point forward, otherwise the head will look like a ball.

Using a ball-shaped tool, make small holes for the eyes.

Roll out a very small piece of mastic into a drop-shaped ball and press it with your fingers.

Then attach it to your head so that its sharp tip is level with your brow ridges.

Use a toothpick to make the nostrils, moving it slightly to the side to outline the shape of the nose.

The mouth can be made in two ways: draw it or cut it out. You can cut out the mouth with the tip of a sharp knife.

When you're done, lightly press the knife down on the bottom half of your mouth to highlight the bottom lip.

Use a toothpick to form the lower part of the lip and, pressing lightly, cover the figure’s mouth.

Use the pointed end of a toothpick to shape the middle of the upper lip, making a small indentation.

The easiest way to sculpt hands is to make them in the form of mittens. For those who want to make more realistic hand outlines, detailed instructions are given below.

Roll out a hand-sized piece of fondant onto the template and shape it into a teardrop shape, as you did in the previous steps for the head and nose.

Then decide which hand you are doing: right or left. Place your hand next to the piece of mastic to get an idea of which way your thumb should be facing.

Make a V-shaped cut as shown in the photo below.

Draw a knife around to mark the thumb.

Cut another small piece to give the finger the desired shape.

Make cuts to form the remaining fingers.

Use your fingers to gently smooth out any sharp corners.

Use a ball tool to form light indentations in the palms of your hands.

By turning your hand and pressing it lightly with your fingers, make a round wrist.

After adding a little water to your leg and sleeve, insert your wrist there. Nails can be marked with the tip of a toothpick.

Do the above method on the other hand.

One of the easiest ways to make hair is to mold it into a cap or a pot. Take a piece of mastic and shape it like in the picture below. It should have a flat surface at the bottom and a slightly convex top.

Press the mastic with your thumb and forefinger and twist it.

When shaping your hair, always check how it will look on your head to choose the right size. Once you get the size you want, press the hair down at the edges so it's thin and doesn't look like a helmet.

Wet the inside of your hair with water and gently attach it to your head.

To create curls, run a sharp knife along the edge of your hair a couple of times.

Long hair can be easily achieved by simply pressing the mastic on one side more than on the other.

If you decide to make ears for the figurine, make small cutouts in the hair, as shown below.

Tear off a small piece of mastic and give it the shape as in the photo.

Use the sharp end of a toothpick to make two holes in the piece.

Connect these pits with a groove, while pressing to the side to form the edge of the ear. Make a hole in the bottom of the ear.

Keep improving the form until you are happy with the result.

Apply a wet brush to the ear in the center on the outer side, which will be adjacent to the head, and attach it in place.

Look at the figurine from several sides to make sure the ears are not sticking out.

Use black gel dye to draw eyebrows and eyes.

The figurine is ready!

I hope that now you don’t have a question about how to make a figurine from mastic for a cake and surprise your family and friends with your masterpiece.

A birthday cake is a must-have decoration for any celebration. We all want it to turn out impeccable - tasty and beautiful. You can decorate the confectionery product in an original way - with figures, compositions, inscriptions and even flower bouquets. All you need to do is figure out how to make mastic.

What is mastic and its types

Before you pay attention to the video on how to make mastic, it’s a good idea to know what it is. So, mastic is a unique astringent substance, homogeneous in composition, viscous and soft, like plasticine. The substance is quite edible and even very tasty. Natural dyes and high-quality food products are used to prepare it.

When deciding how to make mastic for a cake, you can give preference to one of the following types:

honey: mastic made from honey is very soft, does not crumble or crumble;

This is exactly the type you will need if you are interested in how to make a flower from mastic - it is elastic and pliable, ideal for “jewelry” work.

gelatin (pastillage): thickens quickly thanks to the gelatin base, hardens well, retains elasticity for a long time, used for small and complex parts;
milk, with condensed milk: suitable for medium figures or for covering the entire cake;
marzipan, with almonds: can be rolled out very thin and is ideal for covering the surface of a cake.

All these types of mastic can be made independently at home.

What is needed to make mastic. Popular recipes

On the question of how to make mastic, the video master class will be an excellent guide, but what about general issues? Don't forget that you will need special tools:

rolling pin;
a wooden board for rolling out mastic on it;
round knife;
ruler;
floral ribbon;
cling film.

Let's look at the simplest and most common options for making mastic with your own hands.

Recipe one demonstrates how to make milk mastic.

You will need:

160 grams of powdered sugar;
200 grams of condensed milk;
150 grams of milk powder;
2 teaspoons lemon juice;
teaspoon of cognac (optional).

There is nothing easier than making mastic step by step:

Powdered milk is combined with powdered sugar.
The mixture is sifted through a sieve.
Condensed milk, lemon juice and cognac are gradually poured into it.
Everything is thoroughly kneaded until it resembles plasticine in consistency.
The mass is packaged in cling film and placed in the freezer for an hour.

Advice! Even already prepared mastic can be painted. To do this, dye is poured into a small ball of mastic (into the recess), and then everything is kneaded until a uniform color is obtained.

Recipe two: how to make mastic from marshmallows (marshmallows).

For this recipe you will need:

200 grams of chewing marshmallows;
powdered sugar;
2 tablespoons of water;
food coloring.

The marshmallows are placed in a deep plate and filled with water, and then placed in the microwave for 40 seconds. When the sweetness melts, you can add powder (pre-sifted) to it.

Advice! If you want the mixture to not be too sweet and have a slight sourness, replace the water with lemon juice.

Powdered sugar is added slowly and gradually until the sweetness acquires the consistency of plasticine. As soon as the effect is achieved, the material is transferred to the freezer and kept there for about half an hour. After this you can start working.

Advice! If the mastic has been in the refrigerator for a long time, then it needs to be heated a little in the microwave and mixed with the addition of powder. This will make it plastic and the question of how to make figures from mastic will not cause difficulties.

How to make figures and cover cakes?

If you want to create an original decoration, remember: you need to make flowers from mastic at least 2 weeks before the celebration. It is during this period that the finished products will dry out and keep their shape perfectly.

Often, not individual figures are made from mastic, but a covering for the entire cake (a hat). Then the process comes down to this:

roll out the mastic on powdered sugar or corn flour;
we form a flat cake so that it covers both the top of the cake and its edges;
Place the mastic only on the cooled cake layer - otherwise it will melt;
We carefully press the decoration onto the surface of the cake, otherwise fingerprints will remain on it.

Important! Don't forget that fancy decorations are a food product. The finished mastic can be stored for no more than 3 months, preferably in the refrigerator.

People often wonder how to make a rose from fondant, because this classic decoration turns any cake into a confectionery masterpiece! Making a rose is very simple:

mastic is rolled out thinly on the table;
cut out circles of the required size in the quantity required for you (5-7 pieces will be enough);
the petals alternately roll up, connecting to each other, starting from the center;
the core curls more tightly, and the further away from it, the more magnificent the flower becomes;
It is taken into account that the petals spread out a little, and their edges are tucked. The elements of the sweet design will adhere tightly and will not fall apart if they are held together with water when forming the bud.

Mastic is practical, tasty and elegant; you will definitely love this way of decorating desserts!