Ugh! I give up!

Hey everyone, I need some serious help.

Well, we all know how popular split cakes are becomin now, and I have several, but don't have a whole lot of uses for any of them yet because I am really late getting into the whole split cake craze. I have been wanting to do some these awesome one stroke designs that take no time at all and I am having so much trouble getting the hang of it!

I purchased the Fleur Prisma cake this past weekend at the Clown Forum Spring Fling when I found out I'd have to pump out some quick yet effective designs for kids with limited amounts of sponges. So, I bought the cake with the thought in mind that it'd be a great cake for making simple one step roses and leaves that I just LOVE the look of and envy. I can make the leaves no problem but the roses are killing me. Is there some magical secret that I missed or someone didn't mention in the numerous youtube vids I've watched??

I will post pics of my attemps later as I'm at school waiting for class to start right now with no access to my laptop with all my pics or even my camera, but any suggestions until then would be much appreciated!

I finally took a class at LaFete from Rebecca last month and I feel a lot better about those darn roses. Still need more practice (the center one looks flat with no petals overlapping, plus I forgot DOTS...) and a way to take Rebecca's lovely design and put my own spin on it, but it's much improved.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N187_Yb9sA


Check out this video!...im having the same issue!..and im actually barely learning how to make those roses ...so good luck to both of us! i Love this video..the lady makes it look SO darn easy!

AngieAnders wrote:I finally took a class at LaFete from Rebecca last month and I feel a lot better about those darn roses. Still need more practice (the center one looks flat with no petals overlapping, plus I forgot DOTS...) and a way to take Rebecca's lovely design and put my own spin on it, but it's much improved.

OMG THose are awesome!!!! I wish I could do them 1/2 as good!

Rebecca's class was sooo helpful wasn't it!? Roses and leaves of course, but also snakes and dragons and fire and feathers... Seriously, Punky, you might want to reconsider practicing with these things- cause once you get it there's no turning back!

So this is what works for me, I try using a smaller brush. This one I did with a 3/4" maybe or a 1/2" don't remember but I think is a lot easier to control, unless you are painting a big rose.

I STILL can't do roses. And I took Rebecca's class TWICE and she spent a ton of time with me one-on-one on top of that.

I just don't do roses. I can rock peacock feathers though!

I use the split cakes with my sponges a lot for fast blended bases.

Maggie! I love Love LOVE those roses! That's the look I'm going for! I just can't seem to get there....

Abril, that's one of the vids I watched... but it didn't help me much.

Shannon... that actually makes me fell a little better. Your work never ceases to make my jaw drop and if even one so amazing as you has such trouble, well, then I guess I don't feel as bad... just still a little frustrated.

As for the pics... well, I can't find them! So tomorrow I'm gonna have to break the pallete out and try again so I can show you what I'm dealing with...

The biggest problem (outside not being able to do the strokes right) is that if I try to do the full rose instead of just a bud the colors go to crap after I do the bottom layer and then go to do the center. The white of the center of the rose is just BLah.... and not bright white at all... it's just a faded redish color. I even let the paint sit a while to dry but I still get the same result. What am I doing wrong?!

I mainly do two types of roses....just added a 3rd

I don't have any advice.. I'm just learning how to do roses m'self. Just wanted to wish you luck!

and admire all the beautiful roses posted here... wow