The 48 Hour Color Experiment

Organization or Procrastination . . . which category do you fit into?  Those who know me know I hate to procrastinate, for it gives me MAJOR anxiety and usually leads to bad juju.  I like to be prepared for anything that comes my way . . . the good, the bad and the ugly.  If you are a born procrastinator, you know that being organized is easier said than done.
However, change is good and being organized has its benefits for sure.  
You will see . . . for I will prove it to you!

When I have a cookie order to get out, I always start the week beforehand.  
Why???  Well, I just downright despise nasty surprises and when I procrastinate . . . it never fails.  I have woken up to darker colors, millions of air bubbles, craters the size of the moon and cracks that take up the whole darn cookie.  Some things can't be prevented and still remain a mystery to us all.  The one thing that you can prevent from happening, is having your colors change on you.  Food colors need time to settle to their right shade, so taking the time to prepare them in advance will keep you from those nasty surprises and the bonus is . . . less food coloring in your icing.
Colors that contain primary colors seem to darken fairly quickly, but colors like black and brown take some extra time to deepen.  I mentioned on my very first post how patience is key during mixing icing . . . and that is oh so true!!!

I woke up the other day and had this bright idea to do a color experiment to show the progression of color changes over a 48 hour period.  For the experiment, I used two tablespoons of royal icing and two drops of food coloring.  I let the colors sit in airtight containers to darken and then photographed them at timed intervals for a full 48 hours.  Please note:  I would've done 12 hour and 18 hour intervals, but I was in a deep sleep dreaming about colorful rainbows and gummy bears:-)

The start of the experiment was done Tuesday August 19, 2014 at 10:45 am.

This was taken 8 hours later on Tuesday August 19, 2014 at 6:45 pm.

This was taken 24 hours later on Wednesday August 20, 2014 at 10:45 am.

This was taken 48 hours later on Thursday August 21, 2014 at 10:45 am.

Super Red

Orange

Lemon Yellow

Leaf Green

 Royal Blue

Regal Purple

Deep Pink

Chocolate Brown

Super Black

Conclusion:  The start color is the lightest shade and by the 8th hour it progresses to a darker shade.  The color maintains the same shade at the 24th hour as it was at the 8th hour, but darkens significantly by the 48th hour.  

What does this all mean???  Well . . .  it means that you can get the colors you want simply by mixing your colors early, without having to add more food color.  It also means, no pouting when your colors don't come out the way you planned because you planned ahead.  WIN/WIN!!!   

Have a wonderful and colorful week:-)

 

Color Theory Post Links

Color Theory ~ Back-to-Basics

Color Theory ~ Back-to-Basics II

Color Theory ~ Back-to-Basics III

Color Bias - Choosing The Right "Primary" Colors 

Mixing Tertiary Colors The Easy Way

Food Color Cross Reference

Over the past few months, I have mixed MANY colors using Americolor food gels.  I want to share my mixing knowledge with ALL bakers, not just the ones who use Americolor as their brand of choice.  So...I have made cross reference charts for each popular brand of food colors.  This way, you will know your brand's equivalent to Americolor and you can mix the same colors shown on my blog...the correct way.   

The Americolor Color Bias Charts (Below) are a reminder as to which color belongs to which color bias group.  This is important information to know folks!!!  If you know what groups your colors belong to, you will mix the right colors all the time.

Each chart (below) has the brand of color you are using to the left and the Americolor equivalent to the right.  Some brands have more colors than others.  If your brand doesn't have a color you need, you will need to create it in order for the final color to be accurate.  For example:  If you need Egg Yellow, but you only have Lemon Yellow, you will have to mix some Orange into the Lemon Yellow to create Egg Yellow.  (Color Tip: Electric Blue is a mix of Royal Blue and Sky Blue...both are blue-green bias)  **Click on the chart for a larger view.  Please feel free to save it and print it out for a handy cheat sheet**

Now here comes the fun part!!!  My good friend Rebecca from The Cookie Architect, has asked me to be part of her "Practice Bakes Perfect" challenge over at Cookie Connection. The theme is Summer and I am thinking "vintage"!!!  

So here it is...your color palette!!!  You must use at least 4 of these colors, but feel free to use all five of them.  Use your cross reference charts (above) to help you mix these colors if you are using a brand other than Americolor.  If you don't have the color in the formula, use what you have learned in my previous post on Color Bias to mix your colors the proper way by using my Americolor Color Bias charts (above).  Please note, there is no ratio listed for these formulas because there is no way to accurately measure food gels.  One drop from my bottle may be a different drop from your bottle and some don't even use squeeze bottle food colors.  Painters use their eyes to measure ratios and blend until they see the desired color.  This might be challenging for some of you, but it is the most accurate way of mixing colors. Just give yourself time and patience . . . and you will get it, I promise.  The best way to mix icing, is to start with your lightest color and add the darker color a little at a time until you reach the desired color (Mixing Tip: I use a knife to dab color into my icing...never drops.  This prevents over coloring your icing and going too dark).  Please note that saturated colors will deepen over time (a few hours to overnight), so try and be patient before adding more dark colors to your mix.    

My color inspiration came from these beautiful vintage beach posters (below).  

Just remember the most important thing about mixing is to have fun with it.  I can't wait to see these colors come to life, so get baking and mixing...and good luck!!! 

Have a wonderful and colorful week:-)

Grays and Browns - Mixing Muddy Colors . . . On Purpose

I'm back and ready to mix some colors . . . WHOO HOO!!!  

Awhile back, (which seems like FOREVER ago) I talked about using the color bias trick to avoid mixing muddy colors.  Well, this time we are going to learn to mix muddy colors.  Yeah, that is right . . . on purpose!  Mixing two complementary colors together will create a neutral color.  The color wheel (below) shows the colors that are complementary to each other.

Even though we are playing with mud today, the color bias theory will still play a HUGE role in getting the right neutral color.  The complementary color chart (below) will help you remember which two colors are directly opposite of each other on the color wheel.

Now, you're probably thinking "Why do I need to use the color bias chart to mix a muddy color . . . can't I just mix any two opposite colors?"  I would love to say "yes", but the answer is "no" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Our food colors are made of more than one color and they are color biased, so the same rule that we used to make pretty and vibrant colors will be used to make our neutrals.  

For example, let's make a brown by mixing two complementary colors, such as red and green. Think back to the color bias charts (your good ole BFF) from my previous posts "Choosing the right "Primary" Colors" and "Mixing Tertiary Colors The Easy Way".

Your red will be either a red-orange or a red-violet and your green will be either a yellow-green or a blue-green.  

If we were to mix a red-orange with a yellow-green, it would be orange because red and yellow (which makes orange) are dominate in the mix and it cancels out the red and green. Yellow and orange are not complementary colors.

  

Tulip Red (Red-Orange) + Electric Green (Yellow-Green)

What if we mix a red-orange with a blue-green? 

Tulip Red (Red-Orange) + Teal (Blue-Green)

We will get a true neutral color of course, because red and green are complementary and orange and blue are also opposites.  If the two colors you mix aren't exactly across from each other on the color wheel, then you won't get a gray or brown . . . you'll get a muted version of a secondary or tertiary color.  On a positive note, you might get a super cool color that you weren't expecting . . . which is always a plus in my book.  

I made icing samples (below using Americolor Soft Gel Paste) by mixing complementary colors to show you which colors create a neutral.  I also added a touch of brown to each second set of colors to show you how many different variations of neutrals you can make by simply adding it to a set of complementary colors.

(Red + Green)

Super Red mixed with greens
(1) Electric Green  (2) Mint Green  (3) Avocado
(4) Leaf Green  (5) Forest Green  (6) Teal 

Super Red mixed with greens and Chocolate Brown
(7) Electric Green  (8) Mint Green  (9) Avocado
(10) Leaf Green  (11) Forest Green  (12) Teal

Red Red mixed with greens
(13) Electric Green  (14) Mint Green  (15) Avocado
(16) Leaf Green  (17) Forest Green  (18) Teal 

Red Red mixed with greens and Chocolate Brown
(19) Electric Green  (20) Mint Green  (21) Avocado
(22) Leaf Green  (23) Forest Green  (24) Teal 

Tulip Red mixed with greens
(25) Electric Green  (26) Mint Green  (27) Avocado
(28) Leaf Green  (29) Forest Green  (30) Teal

Tulip Red mixed with greens and Chocolate Brown
(31) Electric Green  (32) Mint Green  (33) Avocado
(34) Leaf Green  (35) Forest Green  (36) Teal

Xmas Red mixed with greens
(37) Electric Green  (38) Mint Green  (39) Avocado
(40) Leaf Green  (41) Forest Green  (42) Teal

Xmas Red mixed with greens and Chocolate Brown
(43) Electric Green  (44) Mint Green  (45) Avocado
(46) Leaf Green  (47) Forest Green  (48) Teal

Holiday Red mixed with greens
(49) Electric Green  (50) Mint Green  (51) Avocado
(52) Leaf Green  (53) Forest Green  (54) Teal

Holiday Red mixed with greens and Chocolate Brown
(55) Electric Green  (56) Mint Green  (57) Avocado
(58) Leaf Green  (59) Forest Green  (60) Teal 

Burgundy mixed with greens
(61) Electric Green  (62) Mint Green  (63) Avocado
(64) Leaf Green  (65) Forest Green  (66) Teal

Burgundy mixed with greens and Chocolate Brown
(67) Electric Green  (68) Mint Green  (69) Avocado
(70) Leaf Green  (71) Forest Green  (72) Teal 

Maroon mixed with greens
(73) Electric Green  (74) Mint Green  (75) Avocado
(76) Leaf Green  (77) Forest Green  (78) Teal

Maroon mixed with greens and Chocolate Brown
(79) Electric Green  (80) Mint Green  (81) Avocado
(82) Leaf Green  (83) Forest Green  (84) Teal 

Turquoise mixed with reds
(85) Super Red  (86) Red Red  (87) Tulip Red
(88) Xmas Red  (89) Holiday Red  (90) Burgundy 

Turquoise mixed with reds and Chocolate Brown
(91) Super Red  (92) Red Red  (93) Tulip Red
(94) Xmas Red  (95) Holiday Red  (96) Burgundy 

Terracotta mixed with greens
(97) Electric Green  (98) Mint Green  (99) Avocado
(100) Leaf Green  (101) Forest Green  (102) Teal

Terracotta mixed with greens and Chocolate Brown
(103) Electric Green  (104) Mint Green  (105) Avocado
(106) Leaf Green  (107) Forest Green  (108) Teal 

Turquoise mixed with oranges
(109) Terracotta  (110) Electric Orange  (111) Orange
(112) Copper  (113) Peach 

Turquoise mixed with oranges and Chocolate Brown
(114) Terracotta  (115) Electric Orange  (116) Orange
(117) Copper  (118) Peach

Copper mixed with greens
(119) Electric Green  (120) Mint Green  (121) Avocado
(122) Leaf Green  (123) Forest Green  (124) Teal  

Copper mixed with greens Chocolate Brown
(125) Electric Green  (126) Mint Green  (127) Avocado
(128) Leaf Green  (129) Forest Green  (130) Teal

Peach mixed with greens
(131) Electric Green  (132) Mint Green  (133) Avocado
(134) Leaf Green  (135) Forest Green  (136) Teal 

Peach mixed with greens and Chocolate Brown
(137) Electric Green  (138) Mint Green  (139) Avocado
(140) Leaf Green  (141) Forest Green  (142) Teal

Electric Purple mixed with greens
(143) Electric Green  (144) Mint Green  (145) Avocado
(146) Leaf Green  (147) Forest Green  (148) Teal

Electric Purple mixed with greens and Chocolate Brown
(149) Electric Green  (150) Mint Green  (151) Avocado
(152) Leaf Green  (153) Forest Green  (154) Teal

(Yellow + Violet)

Lemon Yellow mixed with violets
(1) Violet  (2) Regal Purple  (3) Electric Purple

Lemon Yellow mixed with violets and Chocolate Brown
(4) Violet  (5) Regal Purple  (6) Electric Purple

Electric Yellow mixed with violets
(7) Violet  (8) Regal Purple  (9) Electric Purple

Electric Yellow mixed with violets and Chocolate Brown
(10) Violet  (11) Regal Purple  (12) Electric Purple 

Egg Yellow mixed with violets
(13) Violet  (14) Regal Purple  (15) Electric Purple 

Egg Yellow mixed with violets and Chocolate Brown
(16) Violet  (17) Regal Purple  (18) Electric Purple

Gold mixed with violets
(19) Violet  (20) Regal Purple  (21) Electric Purple

Gold mixed with violets and Chocolate Brown
(22) Violet  (23) Regal Purple  (24) Electric Purple 

(Blue + Orange)

Royal Blue mixed with oranges
(1) Terracotta  (2) Electric Orange  (3) Orange
(4) Copper  (5) Peach 

Royal Blue mixed with oranges and Chocolate Brown
(6) Terracotta  (7) Electric Orange  (8) Orange
(9) Copper  (10) Peach 

Electric Blue mixed with oranges
(11) Terracotta  (12) Electric Orange  (13) Orange
(14) Copper  (15) Peach 

Electric Blue mixed with oranges and Chocolate Brown
(16) Terracotta  (17) Electric Orange  (18) Orange
(19) Copper  (20) Peach

Sky Blue mixed with oranges
(21) Terracotta  (22) Electric Orange  (23) Orange
(24) Copper  (25) Peach

Sky Blue mixed with oranges and Chocolate Brown
(26) Terracotta  (27) Electric Orange  (28) Orange
(29) Copper  (30) Peach 

Navy Blue mixed with oranges
(31) Terracotta  (32) Electric Orange  (33) Orange
(34) Copper  (35) Peach 

Navy Blue mixed with oranges and Chocolate Brown
(36) Terracotta  (37) Electric Orange  (38) Orange
(39) Copper  (40) Peach 

(Brown + Neutral)

Chocolate Brown mixed with neutrals
(1) Ivory  (2) Warm Brown  (3) Black
Warm Brown mixed with neutrals
(4) Black  (5) Ivory
Black mixed with neutrals
(6) Ivory

Holy icing samples Batman . . . that is 224 colors for this week!!!  Who says that browns and grays have to be a pain to mix???  You now have the options of creating the neutrals you want . . . and it doesn't even have to come from a bottle of brown or black.  

Have a wonderful and colorful week:-)