Flower Arranging - Buttercream Style

So you've piped some really awesome Buttercream flowers.  They're beautiful. The colours are perfect. Now what?

Flower arranging in Buttercream is pretty much the same as arranging regular flowers, except of course you get to eat these ones!There are a few guidelines you can follow, however, to make it that bit easier.

Oddly Enough

A great rule of thumb with any layout of flowers, or other multiple decorations, is keep it odd. And by that I don't mean use photos of your socks, I mean odd numbers. If you love math, which I don't, you can read up on the Fibonacci Sequence, but basically the pattern goes 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21.., which when represented visually, creates a spiral pattern, just like the centre of a rose. Indeed the Fibonacci Sequence is present in the make up of many flowers.

So what's your point Kerrie? My point is that odd numbers are actually mathematically more visually pleasing than even numbers.

Colour Wheels

If you are not all that confident mixing it up with colour, why not use a colour wheel?  A colour wheel is a circular representation of the main colours visible to the naked eye. If you look at a colour wheel, not only can you get an idea of complementary colours, but also their exact opposite, which oddly enough, is perfectly visually compatible.  Confused?

Have a look at this colour wheel: You'll notice that Violet perfectly compliments Yellow, even if you mix Bold and Pastel colours.  Neat huh! A colour wheel is great guide, but don't be afraid to mix it up and try new colours together! It would be boring if no one tried anything new!

Wreath, Rough and Crescent

So you have chosen your colours, and how many, now what about layout? Layout is a big part of the final look of your cake, and it's really up to you (or your customer) what style of layout you want to use. The important question is, does the layout suit the Cake?

If you have a heart shaped cake, randomly placing flowers about will ruin the shape of the cake, whereas a "rough" scattered look can be beautiful up the side of a double barrel cake, or on a sheetcake for example.It sounds corny, but I like to let the flowers tell me what to do.  No I haven't gone completely crazy (just enough to make me interesting!)

By listen to the flowers I mean look at what you have created. Have you got bold strong flowers, or delicate petaled roses?Bold colours can generally stand on their own, as pictured on my "Hot Summer Night" cake. I have used delicate white Anemones, and it adds a bold striking statement to the watercolour background.

Conversely, small delicate flowers often have more appeal in a cluster, or cascading design, as seen on my "Roses For My Sweetheart" Wedding Cake.

At the end of the day, sometimes what looks best can take you by surprise, and that can be a good thing.

If you are putting together your planned design and it's not working, change it!  Sometimes making a flower just a shade darker than you expected can alter the way you see your cake, and change your whole intended design.

Adapting to the flow of your work is what makes you an artist, so go with it! Creation should be an organic process, not a list of rules, so use these guidelines by all means, but follow your Buttercream heart ❤️

Viva La Buttercream xx