I am trying to teach myself how to make a Ranunculus with fondant. Really, flowers are not my forte! I've attached a photo of my first attempt. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong! Are my petals too thick, too large, too folded over? Should I have started with a small ball instead of teardrop? How can I get that rounded shape of a ranunculus rather than the toilet paper roll I ended up with. I was using fondant which must be too dry. I would appreciate any tips. Thanks!

Did you add tylose, gumtex, or gumpaste to the fondant? If not, try those as they will allow you to work with thinner pieces of fondant (which would help). Also starting with a smaller center might help as well.

I have to admit, I hadn't heard of ranunculus before, but after googling, your version isn't bad at all!! Especially for a first try!! Good job!

HTH!

Good first effort. I agree with the above that if you are going to work with fondant, add in tylose/CMC.

I would suggest thinning out your petals a bit more, and also, resist the urge to squeeze the base of the petals onto the ones before. Let your petals dry just a bit before attaching them (egg foam is good for this to help them keep their shape) and they will keep their rounded/cupped shape, which will make your flower look more rounded overall.

I agree with emrldsky about all comments made.

Also, being able to roll the petals thinner will allow you to add even more petals, giving it an even more realistic look.

You also need to watch your edges. They should have been ball-tooled to thin them.

Otherwise, great first try.

Theresa

I have never made that type of flower before but I did an image search and I think that you are pretty close. I would definitly go thinner. try using straight gumpaste znd ruffle the edges slightly.maybe make the base smaller. I think that thinner would definitly help you out a lot.

WOW! I wasn't expecting a response so quickly. At first I was really disappointed with my effort but will definitely give it another try now. Thank you. This may be a stupid question but you start with smaller petals in the middle, right? Also, I was making balls & rolling them flat. Do you think a cutter would be better? I'm going to pick up some gum paste & I do have a ball tool so that should improve with more practice. Thanks again.

You are correct that the smaller petals are in the center.

You don't need a cutter. Make a cardboard template in a couple of different sizes, each slightly larger than the other, and cut around it with an Exacto knife or a cutting wheel.

Theresa