You're most welcome.
I'll advise you and help you in any way I can. Once you master the basics, you can create anything. I have learned lots over the years and am happy to share techniques and advice with you.
I do have a video of how I cover a cake somewhere, so if that helps, I'll find it and post it for you. If you are ever unhappy with the finish of a cake, you can always double-ice it. By that, I mean adding another layer of icing over the top of your first layer to help give it a smoother finish. Like you would if you had marzipanned it first.
I must admit my first cakes had to have marzipan on them to ensure that nothing bled through and I got a smoother finish, but once I got used to the icing and what brands worked well for me, I plucked up the courage to do one layer. Even now, sometimes it doesn't come out perfectly smooth, but as long as you know how to cover the blemishes and draw your eye to the overall cake, that's what matters.
We will always find fault with our cakes because we look at them with a fine tooth comb, but other people look at the big picture and love what they see.
You have lovely ideas for your cakes, are great with colour, and are working with various techniques already, so be very proud of your achievements.
I'm not sure if this may help you, but I now attend meetings with the British Sugarcraft Guild every month; it's basically a meeting where cake decorators, home bakers, teachers and anyone who is in to cake meet up to chat about and see different techniques relating to cake. It's not expensive, but there are ladies with up to 40 years of knowledge who are always happy to pass on tips etc. In addition, they also run workshops and schools across the country (I haven't been to those), so you might want to check that out to see if it is something you are interested in or available in your area.
I've posted the branch finder below, just in case it's something you fancy doing. That's for the meetings, not the workshops; if you look at the site that will tell you more about the workshops.
Local Branches of The British Sugarcraft Guild are distributed across the UK in seven Regions; hosting cake decorating demonstrations, workshops and sugarcraft events each month. Click our interactive regional map to find your local BSG branch and join us!
bsguk.org
If you look in the Cake and Events Section on my site at the posts that end in BSG, these are some of the demos I have seen over the months.
News, Events and TV related to Cakes and Baking
www.helpmebake.com
If it's something you are interested in, then great if not, then fine. As I said, I'm happy to help you in any way I can.
Remember to post that cake you mentioned too when you have a minute and we shall see if we can help you with that.