You are passionate about pastry , but you have trouble renewing yourself? You've probably never used a food airbrush , because its possibilities are endless.
The food airbrush – airbrush in English – is a simple tool to use (and to clean!) that allows you all the audacity and all the originality. It's quick to learn and, as you master it, ideas flow. You experiment more and more, with effects that will amaze those around you.
Here are 5 decoration ideas for cakes and desserts that will turn your pastry upside down.
A few tips for the proper use of your food airbrush kit
To start on a good basis, here is a very brief tutorial on how to properly use your food airbrush kit :
- Only use dyes dedicated to the airbrush so as not to clog it, or even clog its gun . Clean your tank every time you change dye.
- You need to take a step back to paint your cake. In order to keep a clean work surface, use a paint booth . You can find very practical ones on the market that you fold up after use, so as not to clutter up your cupboards. However, you can easily improvise a paint booth with cardboard that will also do the trick.
- Protect the base of your cake and preferably place it on a rotating support .
- Carefully clean your airbrush after use, especially the tip of its sprayer . You will increase the life of your device.
If you are a beginner, adjust the power of your compressor by doing a few tests on a piece of paper towel before starting.
5 decoration ideas made with airbrush
1 – The gradient effect
The food airbrush allows you to create gradients of an infinite variety. You can choose a color and decline it from darkest to lightest, or alternate the colors, as for a rainbow.
If you are a beginner, it is advisable to get started using only one color. Choose a dye color or, if you can't find a shade you're happy with, make a dye mix . Be careful to prepare enough for the entire cake. The safest thing to do is to note the proportions. Thus, if you miss some to finish your decoration, you will be able to reproduce the exact color . On the other hand, if you like the color, you can reuse it later.
Place your airbrush about six inches from your cake to start. When spraying , you should not stay fixed on one part for too long, otherwise the paint will concentrate and form droplets which drip onto the cake.
If you want to create a horizontal gradient , turn the cake with one hand while spraying with the other. To darken the coloring , you can go over an already colored part, or bring your airbrush closer.
The more you want to lighten the tone, the less you stay on the same area. With a little practice, you'll quickly create perfect gradients . It will then be time to complicate the exercise by alternating colors .
Playing with gradients allows you to create symmetrical decorations , as well as more random effects, with for example a more or less dense blue sky.
2 - The stencil
The airbrush stencil allows you to make extremely fine decorations. Their outlines may also be more blurred. You find ready-to-use stencils on the market, but you are freer to create your own patterns . All you need for this is a sheet of paper and a pair of scissors or a stylus with a cutter blade.
The closer your stencil is to the surface of the cake , the sharper the outlines of the design. To avoid having to hold your stencil while you spray, you can staple a strip of thin tulle to each end of your design or frieze . It allows you to surround the cake and tie a knot with its two ends to enclose it. Thus, your hand does not encumber you to paint.
If you want the outline of your artwork to be softer, apply the stencil less firmly, so it lets some dye through. The limits of the drawing will then be more diffuse.
3 – The reverse stencil
To create a cloud effect, for example, you'll use a shape around which you spray your dye . Cut out a cloud profile from a sheet of paper and put on a pair of gloves .
You are going to hold your inverted stencil in front of your cake with one hand and spray with the other. To create a nice effect, move your piece of paper around to layer the clouds a little all over the place and asymmetrically . This gives you a sky full of shades of blue (or any other color you have chosen), with more or less white clouds.
The reverse stencil allows you to make artistic decorations , often in pastel shades. The limits for the choice of patterns are only those of your imagination.
4 – Midnight blue and gold cakes
The airbrush allows you to make decorations with very dense colors and which include golden, gold or silver tones . You can thus represent starry skies with an intense midnight blue .
Start by painting your cake evenly with a mixture of blue and black (10 drops of dark blue + 2 drops of black). Thoroughly rinse your airbrush, then reload it with this time only a beautiful pure dark blue .
Remember that you will add the moon and the stars next, so your blue should surround the stars that will light up your sky. Places where you only keep your basic background should not have stars. Use your artistic talents to create swirls of blue on your dark background.
Then reload your airbrush with silver colorant . This last passage is used to give somewhat metallic reflections of a starry sky. Be light-handed and add only small touches , here and there, on the starred parts.
Then use stencils to create the moon and stars. If you're a perfectionist, use a stencil in the stencil to create the moon bumps.
5 – Add painted decorations
If you like to add decorations to your cakes , airbrushing gives you the opportunity to give them even more color . Prepare (or buy) your sugar flowers or any other design and place them in your paint booth . Everything is possible: plain paint, gradients, different colors, etc.
It's up to you !
Once you have mastered your airbrush, you can mix all these techniques to make a magnificent complete decoration .
For a rural landscape, for example, start with a green background with gradients that evoke the relief of the terrain and the hills. Approach your sprayer to create trees and bushes.
The top of the cake represents the blue sky, with a few clouds. The sun then irradiates the scene, thanks to a stencil. A river can cross the landscape. You will then need dark blues and silver touches to represent the reflections of the water.
Add animals that pass quietly, sheep, horses and cows, thanks to stencils, without forgetting the birds that fly in the sky. Finally, bring relief with some painted decorations .
Also make superb trompe l'oeil cakes thanks to the gradient effects of the dessert airbrush sprayer.
If after all these food airbrush decoration ideas you are wondering how to use an airbrush in pastry? How to properly adjust your airbrush to paint on a cake? Which airbrush food coloring to choose? So we have another article to explain the use of the culinary airbrush by spraying edible paint on entremets .
You will find all the essential information with video tutorial if you have never used an airbrush. You will find out which is the best food airbrush according to your needs, with or without a spray compressor , as well as the opinions of our customers.
If you are a beginner or a hobbyist then we have the perfect Food Airbrush Kit for you by clicking on the image below :