Why do my gumpaste figures always look so dry and/or crack? I tried making a bride and groom monkey figures for this cake and they just don't look good.

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1531829.html

I have this problem as well, I have tried to smooth with shortening but it doesn't do much for me, I'm interested to see if anyone has any tips.

i know a lot of people on here use 50/50 fondant and gumpaste but i use modelling paste instead which is my fondant icing (Lindy Smith's receipe which is very similar to Debbie Brown's fondant and also Nicholas Lodge's gelatine fondant) and then add gum tragacanth or CMC. this makes my ordinary fondant just dry harder and also makes it more gummy and flexible. works great for me and a little shorterning works great to soften it down.

i think gumpaste in its pure form is best for flowers and very very thinly rolled out work whereas for figures modelling paste or a 50/50 mix works better.

Well, first of all, let me say I think those little monkys are just the cutest figures! I use fondant (Satin Ice) with a little tylose powder added for figure modeling. What kind of gumpaste are you using? I tried Wilton once and hated it. It was definitely dry and crumbly. I have tried Satin Ice gumpaste and Love it! But like I said fondant with tylose has come to be what I normally use. It can be rolled very smoothly and is very workable. It might take you a little practice to get your figures smooth. When rolling a ball, cup the palm of your hand and using light pressure just keep rolling the ball until it gets smooth. Check the ball and if it still has cracks, roll the ball again using a little heavier pressure and then lighten up on the pressure and check it again. Hope this makes sense!