Hi there! I've been browsing this site for many months now and I'm addicted. Never posted a question before, so here's my first:

I'm an expat living in Saudi Arabia. Been decorating cakes for the past couple of months, and would like to know how to make paint to use on fondant/gumpaste, etc. Since we don't have access to alcohol or products with alcohol in them , what could I use instead to dilute my colours with, so that I can paint on the fondant?

Hope this makes sense.

Are you using gel colors? I know you can you lemon juice or a clear extract (like vanilla). They might leave a bit of taste behind though. I have never tried those. I always have used vodka. So I hope that helps a bit.

You could just use the gel color or mix water with the powdered...might end up a little sticky. Ask around your compound, I bet you can find some vodka....

I use liquid gel colors straight (no dilution), but you could dilute gel paste VERY slight with water (like add it a drop at a time to ovoid over-diluting it). It will take longer to dry, but it'll work fine.

Thanks very much for all the replies. I am sure I'll be able to find some vodka on the compound but am not so sure they'll be happy to part with it for the sake of cake decorating.

I will experiment with all the suggestions and see what works best for me.

Thanks again,
Ursula