Can someone explain to me when I would make flowers out of royal icing and when I would use gum paste to make flowers? I'm reading the Wilton course books, and they tell you to use the RI sometimes and gumpaste sometimes. I don't know when I should use what. I'm a brand new newbie (one cake under my belt). Thanks.
For me it depends on the flower I want to make. If I want to make pansies and mum then I would use RI. For calla lilies, it's gum paste then.
Gumpaste is like a dough you roll out, RI is like bc, but firmer.
If you need to make flowers that have thin delicate petals, I would go with gumpaste. If they don't need to be delicate then RI is a good way to go.
Also depends on how you prefer to work. I don't like piping everything, it hurts my hands, so if i can do fondant or gumpaste, I will because it's easier to roll it out than to pipe RI.
I have made flowers with gumpaste, but I don't understand how you make flowers with RI. Is it like the buttercream in that you make flowers out of in the piping bag? If so, what is the advantage of using RI piping for flowers instead of buttercream? Sorry I"m not getting this. 
Royal Icing is piped from the bag. The difference is that the RI dries hard - like candy dots on the paper strip. So it will completely hold its shape.
If you want to pipe the flower, then its royal icing. If you want to form the flower, then gumpaste/fondant.
Gumpaste is going to make more realistic flowers. Royal icing/butter cream are a little thicker, less realistic. But can be nice it all depends on the look you are going for and how much time you want to spend making the flowers.
Gumpaste flowers take alot longer than royaling icing flowers.
I can make several roses out of royal/buttercream in the same amount of time it would take me to make one out of gumpaste.
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