I'm looking for some tips on coloring icing so that the colors are somewhat muted, not as vibrant. I'm wanting to make several shades of "dusty" pink -- do I need to but certain colors or is there something I can do with the many shades of pink I already have?
Thx!
truly the best thing is to buy them premixed in the shade you want (consistent color shade and you don't waste when you mess up), but in a pinch I have added the smallest amount.. speck, drop, fleck of black to mute a color. start small, you can always add more but when you turn it a muddy gray there is not going back.
I also like having the color copper to add to some colors to add a dusky tint, but start with small amounts of anything! There's no turning back if you add too much, lol
Personally I think some of the Wilton colors are so...bright...as to be almost unusable; I don't think I've ever used leaf green...but then I don't do many bright fun b-day cakes, mostly weddings and things that call for more muted colors.
If I don't have the exact shade I need, I usually add a small amount of black or dark brown to mute colors. It should take the edge off of the electric shades. Just start with a few dots of black or brown at a time.
As for dusty pink, if you're using AmeriColors Dusty Pink, you can just make up batches of icing with varying amounts of the color in it. I LOVE that particular color and I used it for my competition wedding cake. I made 5 different shades with it ranging from a dark dusty rose to a pale dusty pink. If I had had to do this with the standard Wilton pinks, I'd have definitely had to add black because with their colors, more color =s hurt-the-eyes-pink 
Rae
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