I have some issues when I use the regular inks to hand paint my cookies, they don't work well, what should I use? What should I use to lighten the dark color? It is just different than the kind of ink I use for stamping my cookies? Help me please. I am kind of new here and I don't know what to do, I ruined 4 cookies already.
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Can you give us more information to help troubleshoot? Specifically, what type of coloring are you using (i.e., brand and type - gel or liqua-gel or airbrush)? Are you using it straight-up or diluting it? When you say your colors "don't work well", what do you mean by that? What specifically is the trouble (i.e., too much color, too little color, pitting of the royal icing surface, or something else)?
Not sure I am equipped to do a full diagnostic - just trying to understand the issue, so I can either answer or direct to another expert.
Patito posted:I have some issues when I use the regular inks to hand paint my cookies, they don't work well, what should I use? What should I use to lighten the dark color? It is just different than the kind of ink I use for stamping my cookies? Help me please. I am kind of new here and I don't know what to do, I ruined 4 cookies already.
Hi Patito!
I usually handpaint my cookies with powder colors (my favorite brands are: Rainbow Dust, Sugarflair and Fratello) mixed whith some drops of vodka. They work better than paste or gel ones since they dry faster.
Anyway, when I want to lighten a dark color (powder, gel or paste) I mix it with a little amount of white powder (I always use Sugarflair Extra White) 
I usually use Wiltons gel food coloring and add some white food coloring (since the gel coloring on it's own is too dark) and depending on what effect I'm going for I dilute them with clear vanilla extract to get a water color effect.
When I use the gel food coloring it usually stays tacky for a few hours but when I dilute them with the vanilla extract they dry quickly.
