Decorators wheel

In the center are the primary colors - Red, Yellow, and Blue. From these, all others are made. In the inner ring are secondary colors - orange, green, violet, made by mixing equal amounts of primary colors. Mix red and yellow for orange, mix red and blue for violet, and mix blue and yellow for green. In the outer ring are the tertiary colors - achieved by mixing varying amounts of one primary color with the adjacent primary. Mix a large amount of red with a small amount of blue and you will get a red-violet color. Do the opposite for blue-violet. Increase or decrease amounts form many hues in between. Blending of colors Color Mixing Chart: use these variations when mixing colors. TIPS: 1. To lighten any color, add small amounts of white icing 2. To darken any color, add small amounts of specified darker color of icing 3. For pastels, add 2 parts of white icing to 1 part of any colored icing 4. For purple icing using buttercream, the icing may have blue casts if you don't use milk to make your buttercream. TIPS:

For the deepest RED, use Baker's Preferred Gel (above). You must stop 2 shades light or it may be too dark. This won't taste bad since it is not necassary to add so much coloring. Always for vivid colors, use those with SUPER in front of the color name. Color your icing a day before using, cover and let sit. It will darken. Everything = black. The primary colors are red, blue and yellow. Equal parts of these 3 equal black. It will take more red because it isn't as strong...except with Baker's Preferred. Beware that Wilton's 'no-taste' red is very very thin! It will thin your icing and is not best quality. Powdered colors are not real strong with lots of color pigment, but are great for coloring ANY sugar or coconut. Just add and give a few shakes! Powdered BROWN is exactly the color of chocolate. It took 2 jars for me before I got one batch of royal icing colored for a basketweave display cake. One thing about using powdered coloring for royal icing is, it won't break down the icing! MOSS or AVACODO greens make more realistic leaf colors. LEAF green is good for Christmas green. GREEN: If too 'yellow' add more blue. You can do with one shade that way and not need all the dif. greens. PURPLE: If using purple color for buttercream icing, use milk for the liquid and your icing won't fade blue as it crusts. Liquid Paste and Liquid gels are faster and easier to mix with icing. Great for leaves since the icing usually needs thinned some. If using this for red etc where you need a deep color, you may need to also add more conf. sugar to re-thicken your icing. To achieve true pastels, mix coloring with just a small amount of icing and add only the amount needed for the pastel color you are trying to get. NO WASTE: Put leftover icings in one bowl and add cocoa. Or- black/brown colorings. For BLACK, when you need a lot of it...first, make chocolate icing, then add black food coloring to make it black...or almost black. Use SUPER black coloring so you use less coloring too. *All colors = black. Primary colors all are made from are blue, yellow and red. In equal portions of all you get black. Since some colors may not be as strong as others, you may need to add more of that one to get equal color.

From CHEFMASTER PRODUCTS Food Coloring Manufacture... Apricot - 2 parts Orange & Maroon - 4 parts Red Raspberry - 3 parts Bakers 1 part Egg Yellow Red & 2 parts Burgundy Rose & 1 part Christmas Red Aqua - 5 parts Sky Blue & 1 part Leaf Green Avocado - 4 parts Lemon Yellow & 1 part Leaf Green and a touch of Black Burgundy - 5 parts Bakers Rose & 1 part Violet Chartreuse - 2 parts Lemon Yellow & 1 Leaf Green Copper - 1 part Egg Yellow & 1 part Brown & 1 Christmas Red Coral - 3 parts Rose Pink & 2 parts Lemon Yellow Dusty Rose - 2 parts Christmas Red & 1 part Malt Brown Gold - 10 parts Lemon Ivory - 1 Liquid Whitener & a touch of Brown and Egg Yellow Jade - 1 Leaf Green & 1 Royal Blue & a touch of Black Lavender - 5 parts pink & 1 part Violet Marigold - 3 parts Lemon Yellow & 1 part orange Melon - 1 part Orange & 3 parts Bakers Rose Moss Green - 2 parts Violet & 3 parts Lemon Yellow Navy Blue - 1 part Sky Blue & 1 part Violet Persimmon - 1 part Ruby Red - 1 part Holiday Red and a touch of Black Rust - 8 parts orange & 2 parts Red Red & 1 part brown Sea Gold- 2 parts Sky Blue & 1 part Leaf Green Silver - 1 part Black and 1 part Blue Skin tone - 12 parts orange & 4 parts Bakers Rose & 1 part Royal Blue Teal - 9 parts Sky Blue & 1/2 part Lemon Yellow Turquoise - 6 parts Sky Blue & 1 part Lemon Yellow Wine - 3 parts Holiday Red

Yellow & 3 parts Orange & 1 part Christmas Red Plum - 1 part Violet & a touch of Christmas Red

Orange & 1 part Bakers Rose Grape - 1 part Sky Blue & 6 parts Bakers Rose

& 2 parts Rose Pink

Misty Green - 2parts Leaf Green & 1 part of Royal Blue & a touch of Black Note: Blend the colors before adding them to the icing. Add the blended color to the icing to get the shade desired.

OTHER IDEAS: AntiqueGold - Add just an extremely small touch of Leaf Green to Lemon Yellow Aqua - 5 parts Sky Blue and 1 part Leaf Green Avocado - Use Moss Green paste Blue Lavender - Mix a small amount of Violet with white icing BurgundyorWine - Mix 3 small parts Blue and 1 part Red-Red. (This is very difficult color to mix) Chartreuse - 9 parts Lemon Yellow & 1 part Leaf Green Coral - pale Watermelon makes a very attractive Coral color Flesh - Red and Green in white buttercream Gray - Add just a touch of Black to white icing Lavender - 6 parts pink & 1 part Violet NavyBlue - Mix in a large amount of Royal Blue until a deep Blue is achieved. Add a very small amount of Black. Peach - Mix equal parts of Lemon Yellow and Pink Pink Lavender - Mix a small amount of Blue color with Pink colored icing. Raspberry - Mix equal parts of Pink and Red-Red. Use enough color to get a rather deep effect. Rust - Mix enough Orange until a bright Orange is obtained. Add Christmas Red until color is dark. Add a very small amount of Royal Blue. Silver - We do not advise attempting to simulate Silver color in icing, its just gray. Instead add silver leaves or other silver accessories to the cake Turquoise - 9-1/2 parts Sky Blue & part Lemon Yellow WarmGold - Add just a touch of Red Red to Lemon Yellow

Using OUR Buttercream Icing already colored

Aqua - 1 scoop of Leaf Green and 3 scoops of Blue Dusty Rose - 4 scoops of Reddi Red and 1 scoop of Blue Lavender - 2 scoops of Pink and 1 scoop of Blue Lilac - 1/2 scoop of Reddi Red and 3 scoops of Pink and 2 scoops of Blue LimeGreen - 1 scoop of Leaf Green and 3 scoops of Yellow Mint - 1 scoop of Leaf Green and 1 scoop of Yellow and 2 scoops of Blue Orange Pastel - 3 scoops of Pink and 2 scoops of Yellow Peach - 2 scoops of Pink and 1 scoop of Yellow Pistachio - 4 scoops of Leaf Green and 1 scoop of Yellow Salmon - 1 scoop of Reddi Red and 6 scoops of Yellow Sea Green - 1 scoop of Yellow and 1 scoop of Blue Turquoise - 1 scoop of Leaf Green and 4 scoops of Blue Ameri Mist Blending Hints: Apricot - 1 part orange & a touch of peach Grape - 8 parts burgundy & 3 parts royal blue Juniper Green - 1 part forest green & 1 part orange Lavender - 2 parts deep pink & 1 pt violet Maroon - 1 part burgundy, 1 part super red & touch of royal blue Plum - 3 parts violet & 1 part christmas red Sea Foam Green - 2 parts forest green & 1 part ivory Avocado - 6 parts ivory & touch of sky blue Gold - 4 parts egg yellow & 1 part chocolate brown Khaki (Olive Green) - 3 parts lemon yellow, 2 parts violet & touch of mint green Moss Green - 1 part leaf green & 1 part orange Purple - 1 part violet & 1 part deep pink Silver - 1 part super black, 1 part royal blue & 1 part bright white Flesh tone - 2 parts bright white & 1 part peach

Jade - 2 parts forest green & 1 part leaf green Lion Color - 5 parts egg yellow & 1 part chocolate brown Navy Blue - 5 parts royal blue, 2 parts super black & 2 parts violet Raspberry - 6 parts Deep Pink, 1 part super red & touch of violet Tan - 5 parts egg yellow & 3 parts chocolate brown.

Remember if you want a deeper shade, use more color. If you want a lighter shade, use less color. Always mix your colors at least an hour in advance because they deepen with time. Colors will vary depending on what type of icing or whipped topping you use. It is suggested that you practice in a small amount of icing before using a whole batch. These blends were created specifically for Ameri Color Soft gel paste and Ameri Mist Airbrush colors.

Frosting Color Chart

I found this one on the web somewhare, sorry, don't remember where. Hope it helps. Apricot Aqua Avocado Burgundy Chartreuse Rust Copper Hunter Green Coral Lavender Black Silver (Gray) Turquoise Teal Dusty Rose Mauve Plum Gold Maroon Ivory Moss Green Navy Blue Grape Raspberry Ruby Red 2 Orange + 1 Golden Yellow 5 Sky Blue + 1 Leaf Green 4 Lemon Yellow + 1 Leaf Green + touch of black 5 Rose Pink + 1 Violet 5 Lemon Yellow + 1 Leaf Green 8 Orange + 2 Red + 1 Brown 1 Golden Yellow + 1 Brown + 1 Xmas-Red Kelly Green + small amount of black 3 Rose Pink + 2 Lemon Yellow 5 Pink + 1 Violet Mix left over color icing together, then add black skin tone - Use a small amount of copper 1 Black + 1 Blue 6 Sky Blue + 1 Lemon Yellow 9 Sky Blue + small amount of Lemon Yellow 5 Rose Pink + 1 Violet 5 Rose Pink + 2 Orange + 2 Red + 2 Black 1 Violet + a touch of Christmas Red 10 Lemon Yellow + 3 Orange + 1 Red 4 Red Red + 2 Burgundy Use ivory paste 2 Violet + 3 Lemon Yellow 1 Sky Blue + 1 Violet 1 Sky Blue + 6 Rose Pink 3 Rose Pink + 1 Christmas Red 1 Red Red + 1 touch black

More - this from WILTON:

Color Tips

Wilton paste food color is concentrated, giving vivid or deep colors without changing consistency. Add paste color to icing, in small amounts with a clean toothpick or spatula. When making deep colors, such as black, brown, or red use Wilton paste food colors in larger amounts than normal. It can take as much as 1 oz. paste food color per one cup to obtain deep colors. Deep colors are recommended for accent colors only.

When icing is colored deep red, a bitter aftertaste may be detected. Red No-Taste should be used when a large portion of red coloring is used on the cake. Red No-Taste does not contain red 3 which causes the bitter taste. When white buttercream is tinted dark black, it also can have a bitter taste. Use dark chocolate icing with a small amount of black color added. Colors deepen in buttercream icings upon setting; color icing 1-2 hours before decorating. Colors fade slightly in royal, boiled or Color Flow icing as they set. Brown color occasionally has a green overtone to it. This usually occurs with the presence of acid in the icing; lemon juice or cream of tartar. Omit the acid if tinting icing brown. Also dissolving brown color in 1/4 teaspoon water before adding to icing will eliminate the green tone. White-white is used for lightening icing that has been colored too dark. Also use it for making white buttercream made with butter or margarine. All deep colors in nature stain, like blueberries, but none of them are harmful. Paste colors can stain teeth and skin; however, simply washing skin area with soap and warm water will remove color. Bleach can be used on counter tops. Lukewarm water should be used first to spot stained color. Rinse thoroughly, allow to dry. If color is still visible use a commercial cleaner on garment, carpet, upholstery, etc. In the case of a color that has Red 3 as an ingredient use an acid such as vinegar or lemon juice to soak stain first. Proceed with lukewarm water and then allow to dry before using a commercial cleaner. Sometimes lemon juice or cream of tartar will cause colors to change, i.e. violet will become blue. If the recipe has one of these ingredients in it, omit it. In addition, some water (from various geographical areas) tends to cause color changes. If buttercream icing is made with water, use milk instead. Usually, "bleeding" colors on a decorated cake is a result of improper storage. It is not recommended to ice cakes while they are still frozen, as the cake needs to "breathe" while it thaws. Allow the cake to defrost before icing to help prevent the colors from bleeding. An air tight cover on cake stored at room temperature may encourage condensation to form which can cause colors to bleed. Sunlight or fluorescent light will cause some colors to fade. After the cake is decorated, it is best to keep in a cool room and out of direct light. Wilton Icing Color Chart When mixing color always mix a small amount of color to experiment. Start with base color and then add very small amounts of secondary color. Be sure to mix enough color for the cakes to be decorated as it is difficult to match an exact color. ANTIQUE GOLD Add just an extremely small touch of Leaf Green to golden yellow AQUA Sky Blue and Leaf Green AVOCADO Use Moss Green color BLACK Our paste color or Royal Blue, Christmas Red, Orange and Lemon CHARTREUSE 9 parts Lemon Yellow, 1 part Leaf Green CORAL Watermelon makes a very attractive coral color or bright Creamy Peach

FLESH Add just an extremely small touch of Copper to white icing. Ivory can also be used. Light pink with a small amount of brown. GRAY Add just a touch of Black to white icing. HUNTER GREEN Kelly Green and a touch of black JADE Leaf green, Royal Blue and a touch of black LAVENDER Pink and violet MARIGOLD Lemon Yellow and orange MAROON Burgundy and Red Red MAUVE Touch of Burgundy with very little black. MISTY GREEN Leaf Green, Royal Blue and a touch of black MOSS GREEN Our paste color or violet and lemon yellow MULBERRY Mix Rose with a touch of Royal Blue. NAVY BLUE Royal blue and black RASPBERRY Pink and Red Red RUST Orange, Red Red and Brown SILVER We do not advise attempting to simulate silver color in icing. Instead, add silver leaves or other silver accessories to the cake. TEAL Use teal paste color or lemon yellow and sky blue TURQUOISE Sky Blue and Lemon Yellow WARM GOLD Use Golden Yellow with just a touch of brown.

Notes About Wilton Paste Colors RED There are three different reds - Christmas Red, a blue-toned red; Red-Red, an orange toned red; and Red-No Taste, a blue toned red. Note: It can take as much as 1 oz. of red paste color to one cup of icing to get a deep red. GREEN Leaf Green is a brighter green with more yellow than Kelly Green. Both of these greens require very little color, how much color added depends on the tone of the green you want. HOT PINK Rose paste color will obtain hot pink with good results. Rose Petal is a soft, muted rose color. Pink is a traditional pastel with a slight yellow tone. BLUE Royal Blue has a red tone. Sky Blue has a yellow tone. DAFFODIL YELLOW Daffodil Yellow is an all natural food coloring and does not contain yellow #5. (Many people are allergic to this). Daffodil Yellow currently contains alcohol which all other colors do not have present. Icing Color Uses Cookie Dough A fun way to add color to cookies is to bake it right in! It's easy--Knead small amounts of Icing Color into prepared, Roll-Out Cookie Dough until desired shade is reached. Roll out, cut into shapes and bake! Take it one step further by piping decorations on unbaked cookies using thinned tinted cookie dough.

Here's how--Thin a small amount of tinted dough with 1 tsp. Water at a time until it will pass through a small round decorating tip. Add outlines, details, and even lowers. Bake following recipe instructions. Easter Eggs Create a rainbow of colored eggs for Easter matched to your basket, outfit, or bonnet! It's easy, fast and convenient, using Wilton Icing Colors. Put 1 tsp. Vinegar in 3/4 cup very hot water. Mix in icing color until the water is a very deep hue. Let water set a few minutes, stir until completely dissolved, then begin to brighten and color dozens of eggs! Experiment with different colors, using a test egg to try out different combinations! Your Easter egg-coloring possibilities are endless--even the Easter bunny couldn't do better! Bread Dough -- Just add icing color to the dough while kneading! For an extra special touch, bake bread in one of Witon's shaped pans. Punch -- You may choose to color your punch or you can use Wilton's Singles! Molds to make ice cubes. It is best to make the molds with lemon-lime soda to avoid watered down punch.

WILTON Icing Color Mixing Suggestions When mixing color always mix a small amount of color to experiment. Start with base color and then add very small amounts of secondary color. Be sure to mix enough color for the cakes to be decorated as it is difficult to match an exact color. ANTIQUE GOLD Add just an extremely small touch of Leaf Green to Golden Yellow AQUA Sky Blue and Leaf Green AVOCADO Use Moss Green color BLACK Our paste color or Royal Blue, Christmas Red, Orange and Lemon CHARTREUSE 9 parts Lemon Yellow, 1 part Leaf Green CORAL Creamy peach and a touch of pink or orange and a touch of pink. FLESH Add just an extremely small touch of Copper to white icing. Ivory can also be used. Light pink with a small amount of brown. GRAY Add just a touch of Black to white icing. HUNTER GREEN Kelly Green and a touch of Black JADE Leaf green, Royal Blue and a touch of Black LAVENDER Pink and Violet

MARIGOLD Lemon Yellow and Orange MAROON Burgundy and Red Red MAUVE Touch of Burgundy with very little Black. MISTY GREEN Leaf Green, Royal Blue and a touch of Black MOSS GREEN Our paste color or Violet and Lemon Yellow MULBERRY Mix Rose with a touch of Royal Blue. NAVY BLUE Royal Blue and Black PERIWINKLE Royal Blue and Violet PLUM Use violet with a touch of Christmas red. RASPBERRY Pink and Red Red RUST Orange, Red Red and Brown SILVER We do not advise attempting to simulate silver color in icing. Instead, add silver leaves or other silver accessories to the cake. TEAL Use teal paste color or Lemon Yellow and Sky Blue TURQUOISE Sky Blue and Lemon Yellow WARM GOLD Use Golden Yellow with just a touch of brown.

Food Coloring Facts from Chefmaster The color of food is an integral part of our culture and enjoyment of life. Who would deny the mouthwatering appeal of a deep-pink strawberry ice on a hot summer day or a golden Thanksgiving turkey garnished with fresh green parsley? Even early civilizations such as the Romans recognized that people "eat with their eyes" as well as their palates. Saffron and other spices were often used to provide a rich yellow color to various foods. Butter has been colored yellow as far back as the 1300's. Today all food color additives are carefully regulated by federal authorities to ensure that foods are safe to eat and accurately labeled. This brochure provides helpful background information about color additives, why they are used in foods, and regulations governing their safe use in the food supply. What is a Color Additive? Technically, a color additive is any dye, pigment or substance that can impart color when added or applied to a food, drug, cosmetic or to the human body.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for regulating all color additives used in the United States. All color additives permitted for use in foods are classified as "certifiable" or "exempt from certification" (see Table I). Certifiable color additives are manmade, with each batch being tested by manufacturer and FDA. This "approval" process, known as color additive certification, assures the safety, quality, consistency and strength of the color additive prior to its use in foods. There are nine certified colors approved for use in food in the United States. One example is FD&C Yellow No.6, which is used in cereals, bakery goods, snack foods and other foods. Color additives that are exempt from certification include pigments derived from natural sources such as vegetables, minerals or animals, and man-made counterparts of natural derivatives. For example, caramel color is produced commercially by heating sugar and other carbohydrates under strictly controlled conditions for use in sauces, gravies, soft drinks, baked goods and other foods. Whether a color additive is certifiable or exempt from certification has no bearing on its overall safety. Both types of color additives are subject to rigorous standards of safety prior to their approval for use in foods. Certifiable color additives are used widely because their coloring ability is more intense than most colors derived from natural products; thus, they are often added to foods in smaller quantities. In addition, certifiable color additives are more stable, provide better color uniformity and blend together easily to provide a wide range of hues. Certifiable color additives generally do not impart undesirable flavors to foods, while color derived from foods such as beets and cranberries can produce such unintended effects. Of nine certifiable colors approved for use in the United States, seven color additives are used in food manufacturing (see Table II). Regulations known as Good Manufacturing Practices limit the amount of color added to foods. Too much color would make foods unattractive to consumers, in addition to increasing costs. What Are Dyes and Lakes? Certifiable color additives are available for use in food as either "dyes" or "lakes." Dyes dissolve in water and are manufactured as powders, granules, liquids or other special purpose forms. They can be used in beverages, dry mixes, baked goods, confections, dairy products, pet foods and a variety of other products. Lakes are the water insoluble form of the dye. Lakes are more stable than dyes and are ideal for coloring products containing fats and oils or items lacking sufficient moisture to dissolve dyes. Typical uses include coated tablets, cake and donut mixes, hard candies and chewing gums. Why Are Color Additives Used In Foods? Color is an important property of foods that adds to our enjoyment of eating. Nature teaches us early to expect certain colors in certain foods, and our future acceptance of foods is highly dependent on meeting these expectations. Color variation in foods throughout the seasons and the effects of food processing and storage often require that manufacturers add color to certain foods to meet consumer expectations. The primary reasons of adding colors to foods include: * To offset color loss due to exposure to light, air, extremes of temperature, moisture and storage conditions.

* To correct natural variations in color. Off-colored foods are often incorrectly associated with inferior quality. For example, some tree-ripened oranges are often sprayed with Citrus Red No.2 to correct the natural orangy-brown or mottled green color of their peels (Masking inferior quality, however, is an unacceptable use of colors.) * To enhance colors that occur naturally but at levels weaker than those usually associated with a given food. * To provide a colorful identity to foods that would otherwise be virtually colorless. Red colors provide a pleasant identity to strawberry ice while lime sherbet is known by its bright green color. * To provide a colorful appearance to certain "fun foods." Many candies and holiday treats are colored to create a festive appearance. * To protect flavors and vitamins that may be affected by sunlight during storage. * To provide an appealing variety of wholesome and nutritious foods that meet consumers' demands.