Gum Paste Flowers...this Might Sound Like A Dumb Question
Decorating By nancylynwallace Updated 20 Jun 2008 , 8:52pm by tonedna
I have only done gum paste flowers once in my Wilton Class and the instructor already had it made up and it was white. I want to make the roses again, but want to color them. Can I add color like I do with fondant or does the color need to be painted on after they are made? I appreciate anyone's advice.
Thanks,
Nancy
Good question. I only used color for a fondant/gum paste mixture. I'm curious to know this as well.
You can add color just like you do to fondant but BE CAREFUL because it is prone to fading (I think particularly pinks, blues and purples). I learned the hard way....
While they are drying and for storage, keep them out of direct light (even covered in a dark corner with paper towel while drying) and then store completely covered in a box or something. I had beautiful mauve roses that comletely faded to white and I had to do them all over again!
[quote="awolf24"]You can add color just like you do to fondant but BE CAREFUL because it is prone to fading (I think particularly pinks, blues and purples). I learned the hard way....
Thank you so much...I was going to do pink, but maybe I'll try yellow
Pink does work - you just have to be careful. I stored my second batch in a cupboard and they are still a nice mauve almost a year later. And I think all colors have the potential to fade with gumpaste - just something to consider when using that medium.
I add gel colour to gumpaste all the time. As mentioned, as long as you keep the finished product out of the light, you should be fine.
I just colored some gumpaste yellow on Wednesday. I found that it colors the same as fondant, but it took longer to get it mixed in. It kept wanting to get stiff on me. It was probably my lack of experience, though.
I just colored some gumpaste yellow on Wednesday. I found that it colors the same as fondant, but it took longer to get it mixed in. It kept wanting to get stiff on me. It was probably my lack of experience, though.
I tried it yesterday too and had the same problem!
You can add a little bit of shortening - just a little, like just a little smear on your hands, almost like a light coating of lotion. It will help soften it up but the GP will still dry hard.
For more natural looking colors, start with a light base color. As you make your petals (or after they have dried), dust them with a darker version of your base. This will add a lot of dimension and color to your flowers.
Once the flowers are completely dry and are dusted, then you should steam them. This will set and blend the colors. It also seals the gumpaste to help prevent humidity from making them soft again. To steam the flowers use a tea kettle or a clothing steamer and pass the flowers (and leaves) very briefly through the steam. Set them aside, don't touch them or let them touch anything until they are dry. The reason I suggest a teakettle or clothing steamer instead of pot of water (which will work) is that you can see the steam and are less likely to melt your flowers.
To prevent fading, keep them out of direct light of any kind. Candy colors seem to fade more quickly than regular petal dust.
Another way to soften overly stiff gumpaste is to knead in some gum glue. Mine is tylose and water. You need very little and it seems to make the gumpaste stronger. I have very warm hands and using shortening to soften it usually bites me in the butt. It works great for some, just not for me. I do rub shortening on the ball of gumpaste to store it. This helps to prevent crusting. Using a plastic container to store wrapped gumpaste seems to work a little better than a zipper bag. It also takes up less space in the work area.
This is probably much more information than you actually wanted. Sometimes I just ramble on.
HTH anyway.
Michele
There are different ways to accomplish color.
You can make the paste the shade of the flowers and then use dusts to add contrast and accents.
You can also make "paint" from gel colors and water to paint the color and accents.
You can also airbrush flowers.
I basically make the gumpaste white for most flowers and then use dusts to color and accent. It just seems to be more realistic to me for some reason.
I would like to add that the light does fade them even florescent or house lighting. So I store in a closet in darkness to dry. Then when I'm ready to use I do as Edna suggests and dust and set the color with steam.
You can add some color and then intensify the colors after you are done.
Check my videos in Utube..they explain a little bit better
By the way.thanks pianocat..
Edna
See, this is why I love my C.C. family so much...you all are so helpful and full of knowledge and don't mind sharing it! I only hope that one day, when I'm a lot more experienced, that I can help others like you help me!
Hugs, Nancy
P.S. Sugarflowers, you are not rambling...you are teaching! There's a big difference!
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