I have some detailed medallions to make out of gumpaste soon, and areas of them that I want to paint on. I want to use the vodka method, but need to know whether I should buy powdered coloring, or the paste kind like Americolor offers. And, where should I order them from, who has the biggest selection in a kit, so I don't have to buy individual bottles. I want the best results! And if there is another method, I'd sure appreciate some advice!

The desired effect is like Colette Peters' chess pieces in her birthday cake book. I think that's the book. Thanks for helping!

My personal preference is using Americolors and vodka to paint pieces. I have used powdered colors in the past but prefer gels. I suggest that you try both ways on a practice piece and see what yields the best results for you.

I haven't seen the chess pieces you mention, but on the groom's cake I have posted I painted the faces/patterns using a gel/vodka. You can do really detailed work with the mixture and it doesn't run at all.

I like using the lustre dust mixed with vodka for painting gumpaste jewelry. But I agree with Sparklepopz (what a great name by the way! ) in that you should try both methods and see what works for you. By the way I just heard of someone using the airbrush pearlized colors (gold, silver and pearl colors for airbrush) and painting with those (sans the airbrush.) I haven't tried that yet either but it's on my list of cool new things to try this year!

Thank you, bobwonderbuns! I am a little paranoid about it now, because a little while ago a "friend" of someone with a similar screen name sent me a couple of private messages saying it was not fair that I chose a similar screen name as her friend, who has been a member here for a number of years, and I should expect her to contact me about it soon. Yikes! Sparklepopz is my gmail address and my eBay screen name and I was surprised it was available to use here as this site has a huge membership.

Thanks for the replies everybody! It seems that there are more colors available with the paste gels, I mean in one kit all together, so I will probably order that instead of the powder! I am limited to Wilton stuff where I live, so ordering is a must for some stuff.

If you are going to go out and buy something, my newest favorite thing to 'paint' with is airbrush colors. Americolor has a big selection. What I love about them is that they dry nicely so you can handle them, and you can use them straight from the bottle with out having to add anything to them.