Posted bySometimes the talent level of our Offbeat Bride Tribe Members astound me. Heather aka. “Hev” made these Victorian duck busts to use as cake toppers for her wedding.
“My future husband and I knew that we wanted ducks on the cake and when I went looking for toppers, I just couldn't find a decent pair of mallards. So the plan was to sculpt them myself as just boring little ducks. But then after seeing the film Fantastic Mr. Fox, it dawned on me that our ducks should be dressed to match our Neo-Victorian, old-timey theme.”
They look absolutely amazing. And I had to inquire about HOW she accomplished this. The short story is that Hev is a scenic artist, so she does this type of thing all the time for film, theater, and photography shoots. The long story is as such:
“They are made out of Super Sculpey — a professional grade of oven-bake polymer clay that isn't as crumbly as regular Sculpey or Fimo clay and bakes into a much harder and more durable product.
I created a basic armature from a wooden dowel for support, threw on some movies, and then sculpted away for a few hours.”
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In a previous Wedding Planning Update, Heather posted a photo of the freshly baked “gentleduck,” which shows what the sculptures looked like unfinished…
“When it came to doing the faux-bronze finish, I resorted back to an old trick using basic acrylic paints and a product called Rub ‘n Buff. I wrote up a detailed tutorial on how I do this type of finish on my deviantArt page.
They might look heavy, but since they are made from polymer clay, they are actually very light. So there should be no problem when it comes to sticking them on top of a cake. :)”
You can check out the rest of Heather and Chris' wedding over here.
About the Author: Megan Finley Horowitz
When Megan's not writing, traveling, and sleeping, she's eating like the fate of the world depends on it. (You're welcome, world!) You can snoop into her personal life over on her website The Dash and Dine!
Oh My God! So adorable!!!!
Those are awesome! I love woodcarving & was curious to see if she'd carved them – sculpy didn't even cross my mind! They look great!
That's amazing!
I'm curious about the weight of the finished ducks. Are you going to put some extra support on/ in the cake to keep them from sinking or are they light enough you don't have to bother?
BTW, I just popped over to Heather's website and WOW! I love everything there.
When I first saw them on OBT I KNEW it had to be featured here. They are just too awesome not to be!
THOSE ARE THE COOLEST THINGS I'VE EVER SEEN!!!!!
Anony Mouse, a lot of times people will add tinfoil to the basic armature of polymer clay sculptures like that, which keeps them from weighing too much. I can tell you from experience that the polymer clay gargoyle topper I made for my cousin looked roughly the same size as those ducks and it did not sink into the cake at all. 🙂
Also: LOVE the ducks! They are 100% made of fabulous.
Wow wow wow! Love this.
haha, i loved the fantastic mr. fox! these busts turned out so awesome, and the victorian attire made it even cooler =D