...paint Fondant Without Making It Gooey....

Decorating By tracey1970 Updated 27 Jan 2009 , 1:50am by tracey1970

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tracey1970 Posted 26 Jan 2009 , 3:19am
post #1 of 11

I just searched "paint fondant" and got some good forum results. However, none of them addressed two issues I am worried about:

Most of the forum discussions talked about thinning the gel colours with glycerine/vodka/extract, but if I want a really bold blue or red, can I just paint on the straight gel colour?

Also, a good portion of the picture I want to do requires silver paint. I plan to mix lustre/pearl dust with something (vodka, extract?) and paint it on. Am I OK with that?

My biggest concern, having worked with fondant and fondant/gumpaste items using "gum glue," is that when I paint anything liquid on the fondant it will go all gooey. Will this happen, and how do I avoid it? If I roll out perhaps a 1/4" thick fondant piece and paint on it, can it get to goopey that it becomes useless and how can I stop this?

Any help is truly appreciated - thanks! icon_smile.gif

10 replies
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TexasSugar Posted 26 Jan 2009 , 6:23am
post #2 of 11

For red and black I think I'd order some airbrush colors. I love them for painting now. They are already thin and dry well.

When painting on fondant, I think it is best to let it dry well ahead of time. You also want to do thin coats and let those dry in between.

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milissasmom Posted 26 Jan 2009 , 6:45am
post #3 of 11

Great questions! Hope you get good answers. I will follow this forum!

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Sugarflowers Posted 26 Jan 2009 , 6:49am
post #4 of 11

I'm with texassugar. Airbrush colors make terrific paint. It stays consistent and work like ink. For the luster dusts I like to use almond or lemon extract because it has just enough oil in it to make a smooth paint.

HTH

Michele

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bananabread Posted 26 Jan 2009 , 7:37am
post #5 of 11

To paint on fondant, you have to use paste colors like the wiltons, and mix with few drops of vodka or white rum, the alcohol will evaporate and will give you brillant colors,

I have enclosed an example

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tracey1970 Posted 26 Jan 2009 , 8:38pm
post #6 of 11

Thanks everyone. Unfortunately, I live in a very small town and don't have access to airbrush colours. I will have to make due with gel colours (do I have to "thin" these, or can I use them full strength?) and pearl/lustre dust. I appreciate all the advice and would love more from anyone who has it on offer. I can't wait to get this piece started!

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bananabread Posted 26 Jan 2009 , 11:57pm
post #7 of 11

As I mentioned before, you have to thin or mix the gel color with licour, if you want to use black you have to use without mix, only add one drop of liquid. Always try your color on a piece of fondant that is dry. If you are going to paint on a cake, let dry the fondant one day, then copy the design and then lines the drawing with a black marker. if you check in my photos will see a cake with dora, using that technique.

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tracey1970 Posted 27 Jan 2009 , 1:15am
post #8 of 11

Thanks bananabread! You have been most helpful. I did read in your earlier post that you mix the gel colours with liquor. I guess I just wondered if that was something you did if you wanted a "softer" colour and whether I should do that if I want really bold colours. I will do a test run for sure. Your Dora cake is awesome!

Since you have done this before .... does it matter that I roll out my fondant on shortening? Will that affect how well the colour does or does not take?

My plan is to cut out the general shape of the Transformer figure I want to make from white fondant. Then, I am going to lay his picture over the shape and with a tiny pin head, poke holes in the fondant to indicate where the character changes colours, and then use the gel colours to paint the figure in the right colours. I then plan to lay the completed fondant shape flat on the top of a buttercream iced cake. I am going to try as best I can NOT to let the fondant shape dry out to much as I fear it cracking/breaking when I lay it on the cake if it's quite hardened. I won't have time to make/paint this shape from scratch on the day I do the rest of the cake, so I was hoping to make it a bit ahead of time and keep it relatively air tight until I needed. Since it won't have gumpaste in it, it shouldn't dry too hard too quickly. I would like it to be somewhat dry but not totally stiff where it will break.

I appreciate all the help!

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dawnnb Posted 27 Jan 2009 , 1:37am
post #9 of 11

Hey there! Good luck with your cake, it's sounds great. From my experience with painting you just want to thin the colour enough to paint. I have made the mistake of making it too thin. It took overnight to dry and I used vodka at one point and extract. I preferred the vodka. Is there any way to tint the fondant ahead of time?

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MacsMom Posted 27 Jan 2009 , 1:37am
post #10 of 11

I use black mixed with vodka all the time! The ratio for large areas is about 2 tablespoons vodka to one good squirt of Americolor black or a small blob of Wilton black (like that helps much!). Anyway, you CAN mix dark colors with vodka and get good coverage. It dries without being tacky.

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tracey1970 Posted 27 Jan 2009 , 1:50am
post #11 of 11

Thanks Dawn and Macsmom! I am really looking forward to trying this. If it's a bust, I'll have lots of time to do a FBCT. If it works out, bonus! I think the actual painting of the fondant (and it not going gooey) was one of my concerns. The other is that it will take me so long to paint it that the fondant will dry up during the process and then be so hard that it will crack/break when I put it on the cake. That would leave me ZERO time to make another one on the day of the party. If I can keep it somewhat pliable until cake-laying time, I am optimistic that it will turn out OK. Wish me luck! And please keep the tips and advice coming if there's anything that's not been mentioned.

Thanks again!

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