Well i really need some help. I have read books, i have looked at step by step instructions with pictures in magazines and on the internet. I have bought the book making sugar roses. I have watched the video tutorial by aine2 and try as i might i just can not do roses. I practice and practice and they just don't turn out how they should. I have added a picture of my latest ones that went on some cupcakes for my Grandmas birthday but they still don't look right. What am i doing wrong or what am i not doing that i should be doing. Please someone help, roses are driving me crazy

My roses aren't great but a couple things I noticed about yours. 1) they aren't bad, so don't get down on yourself! 2) try thinning out the edges a little more; it will make them look more delicate. 3)I don't know if you're letting them dry at all between petals but I've found that that helps them to hold their shape better. You also might want to make the center petals al little bit tighter. I hope this helps some. I know how easy it is to read and read and then just not get them right. Good luck!

I actually think yours look quite good!

I'm no expert in sugar flowers having really only done them once. But, I might say the top edges of the petals could be thinned out a bit and could curve away from the center of the flower more. Truely, I never would have noticed if you hadn't told me they looked off to you.

Okay, I am not an expert, but I have some gorgeous roses going on a new Sacred Heart Sugar Sculpture I am in the process of making so I will throw out a bit of advice.

Sugarflowers has a video you could benefit from. Not expensive at all. www.lickthespoonproductions.com

Two cents more for what it is worth:
1.)The petals need to be thinner - you should be able to read a newspaper through the fondant. To do this and feel comfortable take your 40% coupon to Michaels and buy a hand crank pasta machine (it's affordable 15.00 bucks or so with coupon).
2.) Learn how to ruffle the edges so your petals look lacy and pretty. Here is a tute from Cakes Canada. http://www.cakescanada.com/HowTo/Ruffles_101.pdf
3) Cover your cone better. If you are precutting individual petals and not using the five petal cutter then wrap the first petal much higher.
4) When you make the petal thinner and with more ruffle to it, then bend some of the petals back and pinch to give shape. Attached is photo from Alan Dunn showing you the pinches.
HTH

Edited to add coloring: Make three different batches of color, the first ball is full color and your first round of petals, second is 50 percent lighter and your second go round of petals and third ball is 50 percent light yet and the final ring of petals.

i'm no expert either and i've only made roses once. they're in my pictures. and i didn't use cutters.

but i watched this really easy to follow video and it really helped me.

part one

hope this helps you because it was really very helpful to me.

thanks for all the tips on roses and ruffles i looked at these and plan on trying these out so glad someone asked the question.

the 1st thing I noticed is the centre, the 1st petal should be wrapped around the cone so tight, that none of the cone shows. I actually use all my left over gumpaste (all sorts of colors) to make rose cones, and no-one can ever see that the cone and the rose's color is not the same.
I agree with the rest of the comments, thinner petals and leaving layers to dry before adding the next row is great advise.
I also use a set number of petals in ea row
layer 1 = 1 petal
layer 2 = 2 petals
layer 3 =3 petals
layer 4&5 = 5 petals in ea layer
layer 6 = 7 petals
7 layers will give you a full flower. If you stop @ layer 3 you have a bud, at layer 5 a half open rose.
HTH!

another thing that would help is to take a real rose apart and see how the petals are positioned.

Thanks guys you are all great. I will keep practicing and post a picture shortly.