Hi everyone. I was wondering, I have posted these cookies below. I am quite happy with them, but was looking for some sort of advice. mostly regarding royal icing for details. For example, how would I make the "dents" in the JOL cookies? How do I get my RI thick enough to do more precise details? See how the JOLs eyes look wonky? Thank you!!!
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When you say "dents" in the JOL - do you mean the ridges you see in a real pumpkin? If so, you can do that with a quilting technique. There are many youtube tutorials...Montreal Confections has one and Haniela's has one I know. OR, you can pipe thicker icing lines on top of your crusted/dried base coat to look like the pumpkin ridges - but more decorative instead of realistic. I'm sure many will share icing techniques - I tend to make my recipe of RI very, very thick and use a spray bottle of water to thin it to the consistency I need for flooding or piping details. Julia Usher has a wonderful series on her youtube channel (or you can buy her DVD - which is what I did). She shares lots of technique that helped me understand how certain things were done in the cookie decorating world! Marlyn at Montreal Confections is a great teacher and will show you all the steps to completing her projects. Go look at her blog for links to some of the older projects...or subscribe to her YouTube channel. I'm self-taught from watching YouTube! Good luck!
I don't think the jack o' lantern eyes look very wonky. But how did you want them to look - to lie flatter (the ones in the background are raised), to sink less into the other icing (the ones in the foreground are flush with the rest of the icing), or something else? If you could describe the look you were trying to achieve, I could perhaps help. If it's simply more precise lines that you want, then use a thicker royal icing (add powdered sugar to thicken it) and/or a smaller round pastry tip or hole in a parchment cone.
I think you did a fine job. 
thank you guys! all your advice is very helpful. I think I just meant for the look to be cleaner. it looks more like it was too watery, as far as the icing goes. I'm going to experiment with RI. and thank you for the advice on creating the ridges on the pumpkin! LOL! I had no idea what to even call those!
