Hi guys, I just coloured some gum paste black to make little black eyes on my polar bear figure but when I went to put it (immediately) on the head using some water, the black colour stained the white gum paste behind it so now my polar bear looks a little like he's been crying with mascara on! Is there some unwritten rule that you shouldn't colour and use gum paste on the same day? Or should I wait a bit? Thanks! Total novice so please spell out everything for me eve if completely basic! Thank you!!!

First of all, you can remove the stain by dampening a Q-Tip with alcohol and rubbing away the black.  It will take a few passes and probably more than one Q-Tip, but if you are persistent, you can remove at least most of the black stain.

Homemade black gum paste is a bitch.  The amount of color required to make it black completely compromises the consistence, if you use gel color.  I suppose it could be done successfully with powdered colors, but I choose to save myself the headache and just buy a small container of black gum paste or fondant and add tylose to it.  It doesn't really do a lot of good to let it set over night.  Any time you add a dark color gum paste or fondant to a light color and you use some sort of adhesive - water, tylose glue, piping gel, whatever - it will stain.  It must be done very carefully and, as I said before, touch up with a Q-Tip dampened with vodka.  Hope this helps.

I hate black, and that color run.

I have opted to use a small fresh dot of royal icing directly on the fondant and have actually glued on dried royal icing dots (pre-made and dried that I keep on hand). You always need eyeballs or dots! I can't master fondant to fondant glue on stick (super dark color on white) without a run or error.    :(

I think part of your problem was using water to attach. If you use too much water, fondant/gumpaste will bleed. I use gum glue, and just the tiniest amount. Easy too make. A heap teaspoon of tylose powder in about 3 ounces of alcohol in a small jar with a tight fitting lid. I mix in small bowl first to eliminate lumps. I slowly add alcohol to the tylose powder and stir until alcohol is gone. Then into the jar. That’s it. I use to attach all my fondant/gumpaste pieces. For big pieces I use royal icing to attach.