Hey jules, airbrushing cakes is pretty easy (providing youve got an airbrush set-up...which I dont lol) but basically you buy edible paints (such as available here:
http://www.bakedeco.com/a/kroma-kolors-airbrus-7545.htm) and then spray them onto the cake either with stenciled designs you can use or if your good enough (which I suuuuck at airbrushing lol) you can do it freehand! Its so cool to be able to make a cake into such an art piece! (I dont really like to use food-colorings...but for the sake of cakemaking you have to for those types of cakes!)
Im not sure if my dad has a good fondant recipe but I could certainly ask him next time I talk to him! He was a culinary arts professor so Im sure he knows a few, Ill get back to you on that ok!!
for softening the fondant up Ive heard that you can use a blow torch with the fondand on an oven tray (or like in Ace of Cakes, on a stainless steel table and blowing with torch from underneath)...
Marzapan (almond putty/paste ...not sure quite how to describe it) is by far the easiest one to work with for figures and such...you can buy it in blocks or tubes, mix food coloring into it and then mold the figures the same as if youd been using clay!! only its edible AND tastes good!! (the thought of when my father and I did snow white and the seven dwarves with it sticks out in my mind right now for some reason! we used gingerbread houses and stuff as well ...sooo fun to do!
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he does alot of work with gingerbread now, only doesnt do foodshows or anything anymore...heres what hes doing now... ( GingerbreadUniversity.com )....Gingerbread is so versitile!!! I have like 3 kilos in my freezer I brought back from NY (they seriously thought it was plastic explosives at the airport lol) that we made together, it stays FOREVER even in the fridge until its time to bake! recipe is easy easy...add some royal icing and bam! youve got whatever you can build with your imagination!
(thought that might spark some ideas for your future cakes!!)
