Innovation

As a Sugar Flower enthusiast I’m always trying out different processes, playing with the materials, and exploring different ways of achieving unique effects and superior outputs. The journey to achieve real, life-like sugar flowers is long, winding one of play, discovery and innovation.

As a Sugar Flower tutor I’m always in the pursuit of finding easy and simplified techniques to share with the learners such that they are able to assimilate the teachings and effortlessly replicate them in the flower making. I empathised with the students struggling to get neat, uniform and consistent quality. The Protea Pincushion flower that won me the title at the Cake International 2018, had a whopping 450 or more twiddled stigmas and stamens!! So I knew the struggle and the pain first hand.

My collective experiences both as an artist, enthusiast and a tutor resulted in the development of two signature techniques

1. AQT Technique
2. Colour Masking Technique

These techniques have helped me excel and now my students win at prestigious international competitions for their hero flowers. My biggest compliment has been when they have been able to make flowers that look even better than mine!

1/ AQT TECHNIQUE

While making sugar flowers, it is always a struggle to get consistent, uniform and neat twiddles using the traditional method. Flowers with abundance of stigmas and stamens is not only laborious, but also a frustrating struggle for achieving neatness and consistency.

The AQT (Arati’s Quick Twiddle) Technique, developed after many trials, ensures uniform and even distribution of the flower paste. It reduces working time by more than half, giving neat and consistent twiddles each and every time. A game changer, AQT technique’s possibilities are endless and can be used for innumerable flowers.

To learn and understand the simplicity and beauty of the AQT Technique, view the ‘Protea Pincushion’ class in the Learn section.

A signature tool called the Quick Twiddle Tool (QTT) supports this technique in creating a variety of twiddles with sugar flower paste. This tool will be available soon for purchase on my website.

 

2/ COLOUR MASKING TECHNIQUE

This is a simplified and innovative technique inspired from a variety of art forms and then adapted to the art of sugar flower making. The idea borrows from the masking techniques used in batik, tie and die, painting, etc and opens up endless possibilities in sugar flower art.

To learn and understand the simplicity and beauty of the Colour Masking Technique, view the ‘Fun with Foliage’ class in the Learn section.