I want to make a bouquet of flowers in either a pot or a vase. I am assuming gumpaste is the way to go for flowers?
But I was at a cake event yesterday and one of the local sugar craft guild instructors told me forget about doing it on my own and that it took her 25 years to get where she is with flowers and I really need a class.
I don't want to be presumptuous, but I'm self-taught (with the help of CC and video tutorials of course) on many techniques. And I also don't really have an extra $100 laying around right now for a class.
Is it too unrealistic to think that I could learn to do these flowers in a couple of months for a decent looking cake? Anyone know of any good tutorials?
If I cannot get up to par by May (that's when the class is and the cake is due before the class), then is there an alternative to gumpaste flowers that I can use? I plan on learning to do these eventually, anyway - it doesn't have to be now.
Sorry for the lengthy post!
TIA!

I dont see any reason why you CANT learn your self, as long as youve got paitence and are willing to practise, then i dont think you need to go a class at all. Im self taught and learnt mostly from here and youtube and books from the library, and i think from what ive learnt, my roses are pretty damn good lol!



Try this link for LOTS of flower tutorials
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-654803.html

as they say, practise makes perfect. i really really struggled with flowers in the beginning and got so fed up with them i considered just buying them if i had to do cakes with them (which could be your other option) but i kept at it and found i could do it my own way and make good beautiful flowers.
give it a shot, you wont know untill you try

I've never had a class and I do okay. There's plenty of books out there with detailed instructions. The most important thing is to find the right gumpaste recipe...I think different ones do better in different climates.

I have been through all of Wilton's courses and I've learned most of my gumpaste flowers through here or tutorial DVD's I've bought.
Wilton's course 4 teaches you you very few gumpaste flowers. Youu need to watch some tutorials to learn what cutter's and equipment you need first. Good luck.

it also comes down to how you learn. if you can watch a video or read a book and understand it, then fine. but if you need someone on hand, or like to ask questions, or just like working with a group, then a class would probably be better.

i know the books confused me before, did a class on very few flowers really, and now i understand what the books and films are getting at - like i know the process not just how to make xyz.

if you want to give it a shot, then get cracking and remember - you can buy them online if needs be!
xx

Practice makes perfect, there is so much info here in CC and on youtube that I won't pay for a class unless I feel that I need to learn it hands on. Gum paste can be rolled very thin. I don't think it was very nice of the lady to tell say you can't learn it yourself, just b/c it took her 25 years to perfect it doesn't mean that makes her flowers better than someone that just learned a week ago, it's all about technique and talent. And I now many talented people here that have not been doing this for long!!

Just try making small simple flowers and if you feel the need for a class then join.

Anna

I never took a class in my life! Tonedna has wonderful tutorials on youtube.

There are flower tutorials online, videos, books, and classes. None or all of these. Like someone said, it depends on how you learn. But the most important thing to do is have the right tool, have a GOOD gumpaste recipe, and PRACTICE is the key. I have videos that I will look at time to time and books also. You really have to learn some basics first and start out with easy flowers and just practice.
Some basics you should look into are how to start any flower. Most flowers are on wires. You have to have the right weight of wire for the flower size and make sure that when you start something like lets say a rose, that you have your base good and dry and that you have a hooked end on your wire. When I first learned how to do a rose I would spend hours working on it and then have it fall apart. Because I was using a non hooked wire, the wrong sized wire, and I was using gumpaste as my base. It would be too heavy and just fall off. I was also using a premade gumpaste that I got at Michaels. It was trash! I asked an email buddy/OSSAS winner and she told me what I was doing wrong. So I corrected it and practiced. Every chance I got. THen I moved on to other flowers. Four years later I have people telling me that they cant tell the difference between a real flower and mine. So thats a good feeling. I also got some really good information from classes that I did take. One of them was from a chef that specialized in making flower basket cakes. She said that you need to study the actual flower. How it moves, how it looks in nature. So I try to have if not the real thing when I make it, then a seed and flower catalog in front of me. It really helps!

cakesrock said:

Don't you just love when someone tells you that you can't do something just because they couldn't. You go for it
x

I have never had a lesson ever, I learned from books.

I agree with everyone else... google it, and you will find lots of great tutorials. I found the best way for me to learn was to just do it...try different things, and see what happens!

Is she the one who is teaching the class for $100? If so, she probably said that to you because she wants to make her $100. If she told everyone that they could do it on their own, then no one would ever sign up for her classes.

A better response from her would have been something like, "Well yes, you can learn from books/videos, but I feel that my class will perfect your skills and take you to a higher level."