I plan on taking the Wilton course next month. Until then, I thought I would try on my own to make a teddy bear figure. Well, as I have no prior experience, I just winged it. My teddy bear looks like its 90 years old. It has cracks and wrinkles everywhere. I used 50/50 gumpaste and fondant. How do I prevent this? Thank you in advance for your advice. This site is GREAT!!!
It is a cool site.....it sounds like your letting your paste dry out....try working with smaller pieces at a time....keeping your unused pieces covered... I use a wet sponge in a zip lock bag to cover the pieces I'm not working with. You may need to work a bit faster or change your mix to 80/20 fondant/gumpaste this will give you a longer drying time.....but play around with the mix and you will find what works best for you.... have fun and keep playing 
You might try using fondant around a pound or just short of that and around 2 tsp of Gum-Tex...this is a great mix for modeling/animals etc..
One of the best tips I have when modeling is one I got from Boonenati ..she uses saran wrap to support pieces and keep them in shape. It is really easy to remove and it supports the pieces really well when you scrunch it up. I used that to support my polars bears when they were drying and my shoe too...works great!
Strazle,
I have the same problem as you & I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong either. 
And I've also mixed 50/50 fondant/gumpaste
Also if you have something that is solid (like a bear body) you should poke holes in the bottom with a toothpick so that air can get up inside. It helps with things not shriveling up and looking all wrinkled.
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