Penny Dreadful collab – interview with Rebekah Wilbur

Delicut Cakes – Frankenstein and his SPLITTING headache!

HALLOWE’EN IS HERE!

Sweet lakes Cakes - Vanessa
Sweet lakes Cakes – Vanessa

That makes it

Time for Tiffin - Ghost Girl
Time for Tiffin – Ghost Girl

a perfect time

Edna and Ethel's Cake House - The Wolf Man
Edna and Ethel’s Cake House – The Wolf Man

to feast your eyes on THESE!

El Tartero Real - Eternity
El Tartero Real – Eternity
Butterfly Cakes and Bakes - The Scorpion Necklace
Butterfly Cakes and Bakes – The Scorpion Necklace
Rebekah Naomi Cake Design - Mena
Rebekah Naomi Cake Design – Mena

So many incredible, spooky, scary, gorgeous sugar pieces….

Fancy Favours & Edible Art - Love Never Dies
Fancy Favours & Edible Art – Love Never Dies

it’s time to ask

CAN YOU HANDLE THE HORROR?

penny-banner

Rebekah Naomi Wilbur(www.rebekahnaomicakedesign.com) has given us an in-depth interview all about this amazing collab – the inspiration, the pieces, & what it’s like to be an organiser –read on for more details!

• Who are the main organisers of the collaboration?
The main organisers of the collaboration are myself, Mayra Estrada (Cake Creations by M.E) and Cassandra Rice (Elaborate Cakes).

• Tell us about your collaboration
The collaboration was inspired by my love and passion for Victorian Gothic Horror novels, I am gaga over anything remotely Victorianeque, not limited to period dramas and costumes and I thought this theme would lend itself very well to a “Halloween Collaboration”. When we think Halloween, we usually think blood, guts and gore, but I wanted to show a different, dark, sensual and subtle side to horror and also the hidden beauty in this often overlooked genre. In addition many of my cake friends share my passion for the dark and mysterious and many of them jumped at the chance to create “bucket list cakes”. I wanted the artists to have as much creative freedom as possible, so the theme was very loosely, Victorian Gothic horror and traditional penny dreadful stories. A lot of the team are huge fans of the show and decided to incorporate inspirations from the popular television series of the same name. Others looked to classic horror literature. Vanessa Ives was a huge source of inspiration for many and epitomized the theme. For many of the artists the collaboration was a departure from our usual style and provided a great opportunity to explore new territory.

Lil Chick Cupcakes
Lil Chick Cupcakes

I created my first ever gothic inspired cake and absolutely fell in love with the color palette, textures and abundant use of black lace. Charlotte Gillane tackled her first ever sculpted bust. Jennifer Kennedy took the opportunity to experiment with cake lace and developed a wonderful technique for lace transfer…for which she also provided a tutorial. Mayra also created an amazing tutorial showcasing her textured fondant effect.

Lotties Cakes and Slices - Dorian Grey
Charlotte Gilane – Dorian Grey
Cake Creations by ME - "Jack"
Mayra Estrada – “Jack”
Jenny's Haute Cakes - The Raven
Jennifer Kennedy – The Raven

• What inspired you to do this theme?
Halloween has to be one of my favorite holidays. As a UK transplant it absolutely fascinated me…where I grew up in rural England, Halloween definitely wasn’t the spectacle it is over here in the USA. I dove in feet first when I moved here, celebrating Halloween in style in Salem Massachusetts and enjoying holiday block parties, dressing up and trick or treating with my children. When my last collaboration experience ended I knew straight away that I wanted to indulge my passion for the ‘dark arts’ and immediately discussed the idea of a Gothic Horror collaboration.

Limited Edition Cakes - Tireless Doll
Limited Edition Cakes – Tireless Doll
Cakes by Carol - Victorian Vampyr
Cakes by Carol – Victorian Vampyr

• Tell us about a few of your favourite pieces that have been made.
There are 29 members in the collaboration and everyone has brought something unique and interesting to the table. Every artist approached the subject matter differently, some artists created organically and others took the opportunity to experiment with mediums that were unfamiliar. Some of my favourite pieces are Karen Keaney’s gothic dress cake- it reminds me somewhat of a dark horror version of little red riding hood.

Roses and Bows Cakery - Little Red
Roses and Bows Cakery – Little Red

I also absolutely love Veronique de Groot’s cake, her use of color, texture and the amazing portrait brings to life the tortured soul of Vanessa Ives.

Very Unique Cakes by Veronique - Portrait of Vanessa Ives
Very Unique Cakes by Veronique – Portrait of Vanessa Ives

I also really enjoyed Amanda Wojak Macer’s “tongue in cheek” vampire lips, we all found it especially amusing that she used her own lips as inspiration for the design. Her cake looks like it could literally devour YOU and the irony is not lost!

Baked4U - Killer Kiss
Baked4U – Killer Kiss

I also really enjoyed Mayer Rosales sculpted bust cake and Cassandra’s incredible dark ‘Angel of death’, their pieces were fantastic but the photography was just incredible.

Mayer's Cakes - Vanessa's Voodoo Doll
Mayer’s Cakes – Vanessa’s Voodoo Doll
Elaborate Cakes - Angel of Death
Elaborate Cakes – Angel of Death

I am a huge fan of staging cakes and these are stand out examples of how to take your cake to a whole other level through creative staging, lighting, use of props and photography.

Finally I have to mention Sharon Fitzgerald’s hand painted masterpiece. Her creativity and skill is absolutely astounding- I loved her bold and gruesome design choices…the Werewolf and that eye, perhaps the last remaining window to the werewolf’s humanity.

Bitchin' Bakes - The Werewolf
Bitchin’ Bakes – The Werewolf

In truth there was something amazing in every piece, as cake professionals we appreciate all those little details and the tremendous skill and dedication to the craft.

I could talk about every single piece in the collaboration, they are all so fantastic and every single artists pushed themselves creatively, Rebecca and Jonathan’s hand painting, Bouchra, Michael and Lou for their incredible sculpting, I don’t know how they do it?

Becca's Edible Art - Enter at your own Risk
Becca’s Edible Art – Enter at your own Risk
JT Cakes - Victoriana
JT Cakes – Victoriana
Sweet Creations Cakes - Creepy Doll in the Woods
Sweet Creations Cakes – Creepy Doll in the Woods
Istofaz-se - Lady Tentacles
Istofaz-se – Lady Tentacles
Sugar & Spice Gourmandise Gifts - Flora
Sugar & Spice Gourmandise Gifts – Flora

• What is/was the hardest thing about organising?
Volunteering yourself as organizer means assuming responsibility, being the sound board, supporting people through “cakers block” and making sure everyone is on board and on schedule. I think collaborations offer artists the opportunity to indulge in their creative passion, it’s a chance to create art that we may not have the opportunity to showcase in our every day lives. It’s also incredibly exciting to be sharing this experience with other artists that you respect and admire and to see where the inspiration can take them. “From little acorns mighty oak trees grow”. From one small shared idea, 29 amazing cakes were created, all equally beautiful and completely unique. The hardest part is being the “taskmaster”, when you’re in charge, you assume responsibility and your team is putting their trust and faith in you to bring this to fruition. Many of us are friends in every day life and no one wants weekly emails asking what the ‘status of their cake is” ha-ha, it’s annoying but it’s necessary. Everyone invests so much of themselves, not just creatively, but it’s a financial investment too, donating their time and resources. It can be a lot of pressure to make sure that the overall vision is a success. I feel sometimes as the popularity for collaborations grow, the expectations grow. These amazing artists are established and respected and behind the scenes there is a lot of work that happens to bring a collaboration to life…it’s important not to loose sight of what’s truly important and that’s your team…and their enjoyment of the project…not the accolades that might follow.

Many thanks to Rebekah and her team for all their hard work! You can see more close-ups, detail shots and read more about each piece at the collaboration Facebook page, here: The Penny Dreadful Cake Collaboration

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!
best wishes,

Sawsen
xx

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