I hope someone can help me! I am making fondant tiles and painting them to look like a talavera tile design for a cake. Everything is going great, but when the "paint" dries it looks so dull and ugly! Is there anything I can paint on top of them to make them look shiny like a glazed ceramic tile?

Amber

You can use some thinned out luster dust. A pearl dust would add a bit of sparkle to it nad give it a sheen. Very thin because if you use too much it will look opaque. The best way is to air brush this on.

When I took a class with Nicholas Lodge, he mixed the luster dust with confectioners glaze. You may able to buy or make some, but the end result had a nice shine.

Thanks for the replies. I don't have luster dust or an airbrush, so that's out. I am afraid the luster dust might be too sparkly, not the glazed tile look I am going for. I will look into the confectioner's glaze you spoke of JoAnnB. Anyone else have an idea how I can achieve this look- wet/glazed/shiny tile?

Amber

You could use a thin layer of piping gel? or corn syrup?

Hmmm....I need something that would dry completely, and I don't think either of those would dry without being sticky. Maybe I just have unrealistic expectations .

Amber

You could paint a very thin layer of piping gel on the tile than lay them out to dry under a fan. this would make them very shiny and if left to dry long enough, should not be sticky.

piping gel

What about painting on just a touch of Crisco?

Okay then, a couple more questions. I am going to transport these tiles on an airplane so I really need to be able to stack and box them.

Will the piping gel really dry completely? I have never used it for something like this- I just assumed it would stay wet.

JoAnnB- do you have a recipe for the confectioners glaze? All I can find is the kind of glaze you use to ice cinnamon rolls and the like- but I know that what you are talking about is completely different.

Thanks for bearing with me here ...

Amber

hey- how about thin gelatin layer- clear gelatin, dissolved in water then brushed on. it gives shine glaze to fruit. why not to fondant? i never tried it, just thinking outloud.
for a brush- kids paint brush- anything with soft bristles. and if not- improvise with something soft to glide the glaze over- like even a back of a soft tomato! (don't laugh, i am trying to help)! good luck!

Sorry, I buy the confectioners glaze. It is a regular commercial product, so there may be a source or bakery near you that will sell you a couple of ounces.

http://www.temuss.com/html/agricultural.html

wonder if this would work.......it's food shellac


here is a link for a place that sells it too
http://marquefoods.com/pastryaccessories.htm

it's the 14 thing down on the list.

if you paint the piping gel on thin enough it should dry.It dries when you paint it on rice paper. and if your transporting these tiles I would lay them out in single layers with wax paper in between each layer. I never thought of food shellac. that might work too.

sweetamber, now I'm all intrigued. You are making talavera tiles and transporting them on an airplane? Sounds like an interesting cake.

(I have a collection of talavera plates in my dining room)

Egg whites might work, but I would only use the "just whites" ( the ones like egg beaters).

Thanks for the ideas everyone ! I am going to try a couple more things but I am pretty sure I am not going to get what I want and still be able to transport them so...I think what I'll probably end up doing is take them as they are and then when I'm there and ready to decorate the cake I will glaze them with piping gel as I arrange them. It just seems like the best way to me.

Both of these cakes should be pretty interesting- and I'm sure I'm not through asking questions yet! I will be sure to post pictures when I get them done!

Amber