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Get Inspired with Dolce Sentire: Dimensional Rose Cookie

 

Creating dimensional royal icing designs on my cookies is one of my favourite techniques. I especially love the more complex designs that make cookies a thrilling challenge.

Of course, dimensional piping takes some planning, a little bit of practice, and (tons of) patience, but, girls, we all know cookiers have plenty of that, right? 

Recently, I explained how I used the dimensional royal icing technique in this tutorial. In that case, the dimensional part (a sunflower) was quite small and simple, and easy to execute.

While I was in Asturias the last few days, surrounded by beautiful scenery, I decided to draw on nature's inspiration for this post, and to take a deeper look at this technique with a more elaborate rose design.

It's not as difficult as it looks, I promise! 

For this project, you will need:
  • 1 large cookie, flooded in white or a pale color, and completely dried (I used my Violeta plaque cutter, which you can find here.)
  • Nontoxic pencil or edible marker
  • Decorating bags and couplers
  • Small piping tip (I used a PME #1 tip.)
  • White royal icing, medium-stiff consistency, for piping rose (I used this ready-to-use royal icing from Renshaw.)
  • Scribe tool or toothpick
  • Round paint brush, for handpainting rose (I used one from the Italian brand Cerart.)
  • Alcohol-based extract or vodka
Colors:

This time, I used colors from three different Petal Crafts sets of compressed edible dust (used straight from the tray by adding a few drops of vodka).

The colors I chose to paint the rose were:
  • Set A: Sepia, Bridal Pink, Chartreuse, Hunter Green, Lilac, Terracotta, Moss Green, Wright White, and Coral.
  • Set B: Old Rose, Cedar Green, and Aubergine
  • Dazzler Set: Chocolate and White Sparkle

Okay, so we have everything we need to start. Lets go for it!

Step 1: Begin by tracing a rose illustration on the flooded cookie, using the paper transfer technique, which you can review here.

step1

You can also draw a rose freehand, from memory, directly on the cookie. Or take a picture of a rose, use it as a reference to draw a new one on a piece of paper, and then trace that drawing on the cookie. I used the last method with my iced cookie.

rose reference

Step 2: Once your rose has been traced on the cookie, start piping it with white icing (medium-stiff consistency). Every single part of the design (petals, sepals, leaves, and stem) will eventually need to be piped. 

Of course, you can start piping wherever you want, but, in this case, I recommend starting with a little sepal for practice. Fill its entire outlined area with icing and try to cover up the pencil marks. Use a scribe tool or toothpick to "tease" the icing into tight corners and spaces.

Piping Royal Icing Rose-Sepals:

Step 3: Then, continue piping every other (meaning nonadjacent) outlined area. For instance, I next piped a petal, one petal removed from the sepal, rather than the stem directly adjacent to the sepal. Piping in this manner allows the area that was just piped some necessary drying time. If you were to pipe right next to a just-piped area, the icings in each area would merge together, and you'd lose the clear demarcation between areas that is the hallmark of this technique.

Piping Royal Icing Rose-Petals:

Continue, in the fashion described above, to pipe the remaining sepals, petals, leaves, and stem.

Piping Royal Icing Rose-Leaves ans Stem:

A note on the leaves: You can pipe them in two different ways. One option is to fill the entire outlined area with royal icing. The second option, which is what I did, is to first pipe a half-leaf (upper left image), let it dry a bit (about 5 minutes) while you are piping another area, and then pipe the other half. Again, the second approach will result in a clear demarcation between the halves of each leaf.

When you have finished piping the entire rose, let it dry about half an hour at room temperature (or 10 minutes in a food dehydrator), long enough to let a crust form on all of the petals. This way, you'll be less likely to break any petals when you pipe on top of them in the next step.

Step 4: Finally, pipe icing along the edges of the crusted petals to give the sense of an opening rose.

Piping Royal Icing Rose-Petal edges:

Note that I have left some areas free of icing, namely those that are at the back of the rose. (See the big pink arrows below!) I will paint these areas later, but leaving these "back" areas empty of icing will add greater depth and dimension to the finished piece.

Piping Royal Icing Rose-unpiped parts of the rose:

Now, let the royal icing rose dry completely, about 8 hours at room temperature (or 30 minutes in a food dehydrator).

Step 5: Yay! It's time to paint! Using a photo or an illustration of a rose as a color guide, handpaint both the raised and unraised areas with edible colors mixed with a few drops of vodka. Wondering how I used all 14 colors from the Petal Crafts palette on this one rose?!  It might seem like a lot of colors, but here are a few quick tips to get you started:

  1. I began by "washing" the rose with light/bright colors using a small round brush. (See image below.) My goal was to make these parts almost "glow", to heighten contrast with the darker colors that I added in Step 2, below. On the petals, I used the palest pink and blush shades (Sepia and Bridal Pink). For the stems and leaves, I used bright green colors (Chartreuse and Cedar Green), but only very lightly.
  2. When those colors were dry, I added the next layer of color to all parts by introducing medium-dark shades. For the petals, I used darker shades of pink (Old Rose and Coral) and added some violet (Lilac) to highlight some areas. I also worked with Aubergine and a pinch of Chartreuse (again) on the base of the flower to create texture, depth, and contrast. For the stems and leaves, I applied darker greens (Hunter Green and Moss Green) in much the same manner. 
  3. Finally, I put some white color (Wright White and White Sparkle) on the petal edges, and Chocolate and Terracotta on some of the leaves to create warm shadows. I painted the leaf veins with a combination of dark green colors, using the same round brush I used for painting broader areas.

Handpainted the dimensional rose:

Of course, you can change colors and create different shades and shadows by using the techniques explained in my earlier tutorial.

And if you want to simplify the painting process, the good news is: you can! If 14 colors is too much, here are the five colors that I'd recommend you use to get a similar effect: Sepia and Chartreuse for the first "glowing" layer; Old Rose and Moss Green for the medium-dark shades; and Wright White or White Sparkle to highlight some spots on the rose.

One last, but useful tip: In case you make a mistake with color placement, don’t worry! You can correct it by applying additional layers of white color on top. Let them dry completely before painting over with the correct color.

Dimensional Rose Cookie - All Finished!:

Finished! Our lovely rose in all its glory . . . and with all of its dimension!

I hope this tutorial encourages you to practice the dimensional piping technique! I’m sure you will really love it!

See you soon! 

Cookie and photo credits: Aixa Zunino

Aixa Zunino is the soul of Dolce Sentire, a virtual corner of sweetness and creativity dedicated to cookie decorating. On her site, this garden engineer, self-taught decorator, and lover of flowers and animals lets her imagination fly, sharing everything she has learned since discovering the world of cookies in early 2012. She combines this activity with courses around Spain (her current home) where she teaches all the secrets to getting dreamy cookies. Meet her on Facebook or her website, and email her your cookie decorating questions or concerns at dolcesentiredolci@gmail.com.

Photo credit:  Aixa Zunino

Note: Get Inspired with Dolce Sentire is a monthly Cookie Connection blog feature written by Aixa Zunino, where, through in-depth tutorials, she proves that if you can dream it, you can cookie it! This article expresses the views of the author, and not necessarily those of this site, its owners, its administrators, or its employees. To read all of Aixa's past Get Inspired tutorials, click here. And to see all of Cookie Connection's tutorials, click here.

Attachments

Images (9)
  • Sketching the Rose: Cookie and Photo by Dolce Sentire
  • Using a Rose Image as a Reference: Photo by Dolce Sentire
  • Piping Royal Icing Sepal: Cookie and Photos by Dolce Sentire
  • Piping Royal Icing Petal: Cookie and Photos by Dolce Sentire
  • Piping Royal Icing Leaves and Stem: Cookie and Photos by Dolce Sentire
  • Piping Royal Icing Rose Petal Edges: Cookie and Photos by Dolce Sentire
  • Unpiped Parts of Rose: Cookie and Photo by Dolce Sentire
  • Handpainting Rose: Cookie and Photo by Dolce Sentire
  • Dimensional Rose Cookie - All Finished!: Cookie and Photo by Dolce Sentire

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Comments (29)

Newest · Oldest · Popular

Thank you so much for this illuminating tutorial.  This is the next technique I want to try, and your excellent step-by-step instructions will make it so much easier.  Outstanding work!

Cookies4You posted:

Thank you so much for this illuminating tutorial.  This is the next technique I want to try, and your excellent step-by-step instructions will make it so much easier.  Outstanding work!

Thanks dear Cookie4You! <3

Manu posted:

Thank you so much, Aixa. Every passage is clearly explained and you make it look very easy by anticipating any possible concern. The rose is a piece of art.

Thank you Manu, I'm happy to know it iked you! <3

This is such a gorgeous cookie and wonderful tutorial!  I am curious - how does one use the vodka with the dust palette?  Do you dip your whole brush into the vodka and then onto the dry palette?  Do you need to "rough-up" the palette first (which I have to do when I paint with dry dusts) before you use them with the vodka?  I am just starting to experiment with my palette, and have never used vodka with it.  I am intrigued!

Verónika posted:

Maravillosas creaciones como siempre Aixa, gracias por ser tan generosa!

 

De nada Verónica! mi recompensa es ver que os gustan estos tutoriales y que os ayudan a crear! un abrazo! <3

Dolce Sentire posted:
Verónika posted:

Maravillosas creaciones como siempre Aixa, gracias por ser tan generosa!

 

De nada Verónica! mi recompensa es ver que os gustan estos tutoriales y que os ayudan a crear! un abrazo! <3

Me encantan, he estado en otras cosas, voy a ver como usar todos tus cortadores ( me faltan como 4???) con los tutoriales que has enseñado, a penas tenga unos días. ��

Bakerloo Station posted:

This is such a gorgeous cookie and wonderful tutorial!  I am curious - how does one use the vodka with the dust palette?  Do you dip your whole brush into the vodka and then onto the dry palette?  Do you need to "rough-up" the palette first (which I have to do when I paint with dry dusts) before you use them with the vodka?  I am just starting to experiment with my palette, and have never used vodka with it.  I am intrigued!

Thanks dear Christine! ^^

Well, I'll tell  you about my (first) experiencie with this colors: yes, I had to rought some colors up first I don't know why but some colors (white, for instance), seems to be harder than other colors and they can't be easily "soften" only with vodka (for instance, pink or green tones). Probably, it happens the very first time you use the palette (maybe I need to paint another 1000 roses ).

So, after each color was well hydrated, I started painting by dipping the whole brush into the vodka again.

In my opinion, color palettes are practical and helpful if you don't want to have tons of colors (Who, cookiers? nuh!! ) or you are away from home and don't want to bring your tons of colors along . To tell the truth, they provide a confortable way to handpaint, but they don't cover as well as powder/gel/paste colors usually do.

Despite it, one thing I loved: the "watercolor" finish they give to the design.

Last edited by Dolce Sentire - Aixa Zunino
Verónika posted:
Dolce Sentire posted:
Verónika posted:

Maravillosas creaciones como siempre Aixa, gracias por ser tan generosa!

 

De nada Verónica! mi recompensa es ver que os gustan estos tutoriales y que os ayudan a crear! un abrazo! <3

Me encantan, he estado en otras cosas, voy a ver como usar todos tus cortadores ( me faltan como 4???) con los tutoriales que has enseñado, a penas tenga unos días. ��

Uy pues ya sabes, aquí tienes "tuto" y cortadores para entretenerte un buen ratito ))

besotes! <3

Dolce Sentire posted:
Bakerloo Station posted:

This is such a gorgeous cookie and wonderful tutorial!  I am curious - how does one use the vodka with the dust palette?  Do you dip your whole brush into the vodka and then onto the dry palette?  Do you need to "rough-up" the palette first (which I have to do when I paint with dry dusts) before you use them with the vodka?  I am just starting to experiment with my palette, and have never used vodka with it.  I am intrigued!

Thanks dear Christine! ^^

Well, I'll tell  you about my (first) experiencie with this colors: yes, I had to rought some colors up first I don't know why but some colors (white, for instance), seems to be harder than other colors and they can't be easily "soften" only with vodka (for instance, pink or green tones). Probably, it happens the very first time you use the palette (maybe I need to paint another 1000 roses ).

So, after each color was well hydrated, I started painting by dipping the whole brush into the vodka again.

In my opinion, color palettes are practical and helpful if you don't want to have tons of colors (Who, cookiers? nuh!! ) or you are away from home and don't want to bring your tons of colors along . To tell the truth, they provide a confortable way to handpaint, but they don't cover as well as powder/gel/paste colors usually do.

Despite it, one thing I loved: the "watercolor" finish they give to the design.

I was wondering the same thing as Christine/Bakerloo, so thanks for this helpful information.  I have a palette of petal dusts too but have only used them dry. I'd like to try this technique.

Beautifully done painting, and a really good tutorial.  Thank you!!

BAKRGAL aka Barb Florin posted:
Dolce Sentire posted:
Bakerloo Station posted:

This is such a gorgeous cookie and wonderful tutorial!  I am curious - how does one use the vodka with the dust palette?  Do you dip your whole brush into the vodka and then onto the dry palette?  Do you need to "rough-up" the palette first (which I have to do when I paint with dry dusts) before you use them with the vodka?  I am just starting to experiment with my palette, and have never used vodka with it.  I am intrigued!

Thanks dear Christine! ^^

Well, I'll tell  you about my (first) experiencie with this colors: yes, I had to rought some colors up first I don't know why but some colors (white, for instance), seems to be harder than other colors and they can't be easily "soften" only with vodka (for instance, pink or green tones). Probably, it happens the very first time you use the palette (maybe I need to paint another 1000 roses ).

So, after each color was well hydrated, I started painting by dipping the whole brush into the vodka again.

In my opinion, color palettes are practical and helpful if you don't want to have tons of colors (Who, cookiers? nuh!! ) or you are away from home and don't want to bring your tons of colors along . To tell the truth, they provide a confortable way to handpaint, but they don't cover as well as powder/gel/paste colors usually do.

Despite it, one thing I loved: the "watercolor" finish they give to the design.

I was wondering the same thing as Christine/Bakerloo, so thanks for this helpful information.  I have a palette of petal dusts too but have only used them dry. I'd like to try this technique.

Beautifully done painting, and a really good tutorial.  Thank you!!

Thanks!!!! <3

What a wonderful Tutorial Dolce!! Painting is such a challenge to me. So  much so that I really shy away from it. Perhaps your techniques shown here and explained in great detail will help me overcome some of these feelings...I'm willing to give it a try . That's probably what matters the most since we all start decorating cookies somewhere...

Love your tutorials!!!

Cookies Fantastique by Carol posted:

What a wonderful Tutorial Dolce!! Painting is such a challenge to me. So  much so that I really shy away from it. Perhaps your techniques shown here and explained in great detail will help me overcome some of these feelings...I'm willing to give it a try . That's probably what matters the most since we all start decorating cookies somewhere...

Love your tutorials!!!

Thanks Carol!

I'm looking forward to see your handpainted cookies! ^^

Hugs!

Dolce Sentire posted:
Verónika posted:
Dolce Sentire posted:
Verónika posted:

Maravillosas creaciones como siempre Aixa, gracias por ser tan generosa!

 

De nada Verónica! mi recompensa es ver que os gustan estos tutoriales y que os ayudan a crear! un abrazo! <3

Me encantan, he estado en otras cosas, voy a ver como usar todos tus cortadores ( me faltan como 4???) con los tutoriales que has enseñado, a penas tenga unos días. ��

Uy pues ya sabes, aquí tienes "tuto" y cortadores para entretenerte un buen ratito ))

besotes! <3

Gracias, estoy esperando poder tener tranquilidad para ponerme a ello. Un abrazo,

V.

Beautiful Rose.....how thick is the icing please?  I have wanted to do dimensional piping for ages but have been too afraid.  Since I am closed until further notice because of Covid-19 I now have a chance to try new techniques.  Thank you so much. Claire x

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