FREE Poppy 101 created by Sprinkles & Sparklesbb

Here are our general guidelines for dry times per layer of Poppy Paint. The range accounts for temperature and humidity:

Poppy Paint - 10-30 seconds
Poppy Paint Pearlescents - 30-60 seconds
Poppy Paint Super Shine - 5-10 minutes

When painting with Poppy Paint, always keep a shot glass (or similar) containing a high concentration alcohol at your workstation. We generally use 91% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, but lemon extract or 180+ proof grain alcohol are good alternatives. Rubbing alcohol is the most cost-efficient choice, but since it is inedible it requires that you thoroughly wash your brush between each use.

While Painting
Place used brushes tip-down in the glass of alcohol to prevent the paint from drying. When ready to use one of these brushes again, rub the brush around the bottom of the glass to wash out most of the residual paint. Remove the brush from the alcohol and wipe the brush tip along a paper towel to remove the remaining paint and alcohol. If you are using lemon extract or grain alcohol, this brush is now ready to be used again. However, if you are using rubbing alcohol, you’ll need to make sure all traces of that alcohol are removed from the brush before using it again. To do this, wash the brush tip thoroughly with dish soap and water. Make sure the bristles are completely dry before using this brush again, as water will cause the paint to gum up.

When Done Painting
Ensure that most of the residual paint is out of the brush tip. Wash the tip with dish soap and water, then rinse thoroughly and set aside to dry. Even if the brush is completely clean after soaking in the alcohol, washing the tip with dish soap will ensure your brush stays soft and pliable.

Note: If you have a brush tip that is seized up with dried Poppy Paint, simply soak that brush in alcohol for a few minutes and then clean as above.

Super Shine is our high concentration glaze. Paint it on top of your finished confections to add a beautiful shine. It can also be used on top of Poppy Paint to give a gloss finish!

Note: Super Shine cannot be used directly on royal icing. Royal icing is too porous and will absorb the Super Shine. You can, however, use Super Shine on top of Poppy Paint which has been painted on royal icing.

Poppy Thinner is our low concentration glaze, used to thin out other Poppy Paints. Add a little Poppy Thinner to your Poppy Paint when wanted to paint very small details. Add a lot when you want to brush on a water color effect! Poppy Thinner can also be used to erase small blemishes if you happen to make a mistake when painting – simply wet your brush in the thinner, and use it to wipe the mistake away.

Generally speaking, yes! The paint base varies from color to color, but the ingredients contained in the base remain the same. Colors made from multiple bases may not be as stable when stored over time, but work perfectly fine when combining in a palette directly before use.

When creating a light color such as a pastel, start with White Poppy Paint and add the darker colors drop by drop, mixing well between each drop. Be careful when mixing darks and/or vibrants - they can quickly turn brown or gray if used in the wrong amounts.

Due to the risk of clogging your airbrush equipment, and the difficultly in cleaning it out (since you cannot clean Poppy Paint with water), we do not recommend running Poppy Paint in your airbrush. It has been done with some success by first thinning out the Poppy Paint with Poppy Thinner, but please be aware the risks to your equipment associated with trying.

No. Poppy Paint is intended only for use as a paint to color low porosity surfaces of food items. If used as a dye, the alcohol will not be trapped in the chocolate and will effect it's texture and taste.

Combine your choice of color with our Poppy Paint Thinner in order to “water down” the paint. Begin with around 10 drops of thinner for every 1 drop of paint, and alter the ratio accordingly to get your desired transparency.

Clear the clog by pressing through the tip opening with a scribe or toothpick. Be sure to wipe your tip clean after each use and store with the lid sealed tight.

Since Poppy Paint has a long shelf life, there may be times when it sits for several months before being used. As with any paint, the solids can agglomerate over time and become hard to disperse. If you are having a hard time getting the paint to shake up, the best thing to do is gently squeeze the bottom of the bottle where the sediment is stuck. Pressing against the chunk of sediment can help to break it up, as well as separate it from the bottle.