Just because a customer might request a "purple" or a "coral" flower, that doesn't mean you should just paint with that one specific color. Sure, your customer might be satisfied with just a purple flower, but you could make it so much more while still giving them what they want. Don't settle for painting one color on a gumpaste flower. "It might look like 'just a purple flower,'" says sugar artist Zane Beg. "But that flower has six different colors on it." Using multiple colors will add depth and dimension to any flower.

And if you plan to enter your sugar art in competition, you're going to need an edge. According to Norman Davis, two things judges will have their eye on when it comes to flower designs—mistakes and dimension of color. Adding multiple colors onto flower petals not only gives dimension but also texture. Take this orange flower...Davis added flecks of yellow into the orange to texturize the color. Be sure that you paint petals before shaping them with a ball tool.

If you're ready to show off your floral work at competition, you still have time to register for the Divisional competition at the National Capital Area Cake Show in Annandale, VA, March 26-27. Visit www.cakeshow.org for more details.