Renaissance Rocks! ~ anatomy of a cake sculpture

This was my entry into a weird cake contest using a Threadless t-shirt design last August.  My approach was more of a playful interpretation than an attempt to copy the Mona Lisa.  The cake was 3-D, viewable from all sides, standing just over 2 feet high. 

I included a link to photos detailing my process from start to finish, along with deconstruction.  I used all cake (no rice cereal treats or short cuts) and a minimal wooden dowel support.  Everything was handmade out of cake and sugar, right down to the safety pins and hand painted tattoo.   * When I make a cake for a customer, the first thing I do is cover the cake board with either food safe paper, or fondant (dispite what you may see people doing on Food TV).  This cake was made for fun, so I let things get a bit messy. 

http://www.threadcakes.com/entries/view/911#22