Advice for cake decorating? Piping problem?

Hi, I'm just starting out in cake decorating and need some advice.





After a pipe a design in icing, there's always a raised point in the middle where the tip was picked up. This happens with every tip I use and I'm not sure why. I read that I'm supposed to completely stop squeezing the bag, then pull the tip away from the icing. That's what I've been doing, but I still have that raised icing tail at the end. How do I fix this?





I know you can use a moist toothpick to pat it down for some piping designs, but that doesn't work for star tip, etc. What can I do??





Thanks!Advice for cake decorating? Piping problem?
Don't be afraid to force the icing a little, short sharp moves are the best, and yes, no pressure when you raise the bag and pull the tip away. Even the best of decorators will have a tail, but make sure the icing is not too soft. Cornstarch is a cake decorators best friend at times like this so dip your finger into it to flatten that darn tail! Go to www.wilton.com for all these techniques, their Yearbooks are a fab investment.Advice for cake decorating? Piping problem?
I push down with the star tip before I raise it up. It will still have a small ';tail'; but not as bad.
wet your finger lightly and touch it, don't pull up but in the direction of the piping.......