Airbrushing Cookies – What Color Do I Use

How do you know what color to use when your airbrushing cookies? I hear this question a lot. It is really hard to give a quick answer because in my opinion, there isn’t just one answer.  It is kind of like decorating a cookie. There are many different ways to do it and get great results.

Airbrushing Cookies - What Color Do I Use by www.thebearfootbaker.comI am going to try to do a few posts on this topic that might help you decide what colors you like and don’t like so you feel more confident so you get that airbrush machine out of the closet and on the counter where it belongs.

Airbrushing Cookies - What Color Do I Use via thebearfootbaker.comHere is a quick look at what we are going to be discussing today. Colors. Some good, some bad, some invisible and some UGLY!

Airbrushing Cookies:

Where do you begin when your trying to decide how to start airbrushing cookies? I don’t think the question should be “where” to begin,  I think the question is “when” to begin. I think you need to begin when you have time to practice and play around with the colors. One of the biggest questions I had when I first bought my airbrush gun was what color do I shade with. I found the answers when I wasn’t in a hurry. One day I decided to bake and decorate several batches of cookies so I could practice. I am so gald I did because I had the time of my life. I was ready to airbrush anything I could get my hands on because it was so much fun.

If I had been in a hurry, I would never figured out what I liked and didn’t like. It would have been easy to give up and put the contraption in the closet so it could mock me every time I walked by.

The point I am trying to make is to take your time. Have fun. Practice when you can enjoy it and not when you are frustrated and trying to fill an order or finish cookies for your grandmother’s 100th birthday party.

If you are interested in airbrushing cookies and would like to purchase an airbrush gun you can get it here.

Airbrushing Cookies Tip - What Color Do I Use via www.thebearfootbaker.com

Sometimes it is easy to know what colors will work with the icing. The top cookie in this picture is shaded with red. It is almost invisible. Very hard to see. Now don’t just ignore this information because if you have a red cookie that has a dull look once it dries, spray it with the red. It will bring that dull cookie back to life.

The other cookies in this picture are shaded with the warm brown airbrush color. It is my favorite color to use for shading one red icing.

Airbrushing Cookies Tip - What Color Do I Use with thebearfootbaker.comNow in my opinion, the warm brown doesn’t look as good on the green pumpkins. It looks dirty and gives the green an orange-ish tint to it. Not my favorite.
Once I grabbed the green airbrush color, I knew I had found a winner.

Airbrushing Cookies Tip - What Color Do I Use with www.thebearfootbaker.comNow for the blue. What can I say? Some of those cookies are just ugly! The small bottom one isn’t even kind of cute. And the one above it…I won’t go there. So what do you do when the airbrush color is awful? Grab another practice cookie and try a different color until you find one you do like. I like the big cookie second from the top. Which one do you like?

Airbrushing Cookies Tip - What Color Do I Use by thebearfootbaker.comNow the yellow pumpkins are a lot different from the blue pumpkins. You could use brown, orange or yellow to shade the yellow pumpkins. I like them all.

Airbrushing Cookies Tip - What Color Do I Use by www.thebearfootbaker.comGray is hard color to shade if you don’t want something bold. Black will work but, it is very bold and it is harder to get a soft shadow. I will practice more on cookies like this and let you know what I find out.

Airbrushing Cookies Tip - What Color Do I Use thebearfootbaker.comPurple airbrush color on purple pumpkins works well. I tried other colors and let’s just say they weren’t the favorites of the day. Yuck.

Airbrushing Cookies Tip - What Color Do I Use www.thebearfootbaker.comOrange airbrush color is another color that looks good when it is on an orange pumpkin. It will add a nice shine and you can see it well enough to see that the cookies have been shaded. I also like brown on the orange. But why stop there? Try some red or yellow and see how that turns out. Who knows, you might like it.

Airbrushing Cookies - What Color Do I Use www.thebearfootbaker.comI think this is a good place to start. We will go into airbrush colors more in the future.

Now I have an assignment for you. Here is your mission should you choose to accept it. Bake some cookies. Outline and flood each cookie with different colors. Set up your airbrush gun and have a little fun. Airbrush the cookies when the icing is wet and airbrush some when the icing is dry to see which one you like best.

Take pictures so you will remember what colors work and what colors don’t. You may want to print the pictures and store them in the same container where you keep your airbrush gun for quick reference. That is what I do.

Bear hugs,

Lisa