How do they do that? (the bonbon thread)

[Kerry Beal]

Wonder if it's drops of colour and an empty airbrush

[Pastrypastmidnight]

1 hour ago, Kerry Beal said:

Wonder if it's drops of colour and an empty airbrush

Maybe. It seems like it would be hard to get drops of that many colors in there and then hit it with the air before it crystallizes. And it seems swirly—I’m not sure if air can do that, but I’ve only dropped 1 color, sprayed, then dropped the next and sprayed. I’ll have to play around and see what I can come up with. Thanks for the idea   

[curls]

They also might be marbling a bunch of colors together in white chocolate (or extra whitened white chocolate) and then shelling with the marbled chocolate.

Edited April 12, 2018 by curls (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Yeah - on this computer I can see the swirly better - perhaps it's swirls of a second colour when the first is still liquid.

[pastrygirl]

9 hours ago, Pastrypastmidnight said:

This is probably super simple and obvious, but how do you get this soft, kind of marbled effect? 

 

Note it’s a repost from Monde du Chocolat in Toronto. Her page has a lot of similar water-painterly pieces. Do any of our favorite Canadians know her?

[keychris]

I would seriously doubt that's sprayed. I'd do that by finger application.

[Jim D.]

8 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

 

Note it’s a repost from Monde du Chocolat in Toronto. Her page has a lot of similar water-painterly pieces. Do any of our favorite Canadians know her?

 

Her work is very impressive. Take a look at her Easter eggs. Her flavor combinations are also intriguing.  However she achieves the pastel water color effect (my guess is paintbrush with a very light touch--maybe using some of the "opaque" cocoa butter colors that contain white coloring), I imagine she uses a lot of white chocolate in her work.

Edited April 12, 2018 by Jim D. (log)

[Sweet Impact Mama]

9 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

 

Note it’s a repost from Monde du Chocolat in Toronto. Her page has a lot of similar water-painterly pieces. Do any of our favorite Canadians know her?

I think this is done by hand. Basic abstract color theory, in terms of order of application, plus possibly a smudging sort of color muddling? Jim D. said you might be interested in these that I just did last night. Not entirely happy with the color results, but it was all done by hand. (I'm sure you experts will be able to tell that right off the bat... )  The hardest thing I've found about doing these sorts of designs is remembering to reverse what colors need to show up in the front.  It was just a splatter of (all natural) cherry red, then i put on the green stripe (oops - should have done the lavender first), lavender dots along the green, and then degrees of intensities of yellow were added with a paint brush. 

These are my Lemon Lavender truffles. 
 

[Pastrypastmidnight]

15 minutes ago, Sweet Impact Mama said:

I think this is done by hand. Basic abstract color theory, in terms of order of application, plus possibly a smudging sort of color muddling? Jim D. said you might be interested in these that I just did last night. Not entirely happy with the color results, but it was all done by hand. (I'm sure you experts will be able to tell that right off the bat... )  The hardest thing I've found about doing these sorts of designs is remembering to reverse what colors need to show up in the front.  It was just a splatter of (all natural) cherry red, then i put on the green stripe (oops - should have done the lavender first), lavender dots along the green, and then degrees of intensities of yellow were added with a paint brush. 

These are my Lemon Lavender truffles. 
 

Those are beautiful! Do you mind sharing what style of paint brush you are using? Mine must be too stiff because they leave very sharp brush strokes that don’t give that soft, watercolor effect. 

[Sweet Impact Mama]

4 minutes ago, Pastrypastmidnight said:

Those are beautiful! Do you mind sharing what style of paint brush you are using? Mine must be too stiff because they leave very sharp brush strokes that don’t give that soft, watercolor effect. 

For the swipes of color, i use various sizes of these: https://www.amazon.com/Royal-Brush-Golden-Taklon-Filbert/dp/B0018N4M5M/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1523541590&sr=8-7&keywords=royal+crafter's+choice+paint+brush (Picked them up a a craft store. My criteria was plastic handles that could handle the regular hot water/sanitizer washing that food service demands. 

These are my favorites for detail. The short bristles are amazing for control. https://www.amazon.com/Wilton-5-Piece-Decorating-Brush-1907-1352/dp/B00IE6Y6J8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1523541708&sr=8-3&keywords=wilton+paint+brush+set

 

And these are my dusting ones: https://www.amazon.com/Wilton-1907-1351-2-Piece-Dusting-Brush/dp/B001WT22AE/ref=pd_bxgy_79_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B001WT22AE&pd_rd_r=0PRQ2SH7XBW8N5NNMVPA&pd_rd_w=I9yWl&pd_rd_wg=9LO2E&psc=1&refRID=0PRQ2SH7XBW8N5NNMVPA

 

 

[Sweet Impact Mama]

And thank you for the compliment! 

 

[Jim D.]

1 hour ago, Sweet Impact Mama said:

I think this is done by hand. Basic abstract color theory, in terms of order of application, plus possibly a smudging sort of color muddling? Jim D. said you might be interested in these that I just did last night. Not entirely happy with the color results, but it was all done by hand. (I'm sure you experts will be able to tell that right off the bat... )  The hardest thing I've found about doing these sorts of designs is remembering to reverse what colors need to show up in the front.  It was just a splatter of (all natural) cherry red, then i put on the green stripe (oops - should have done the lavender first), lavender dots along the green, and then degrees of intensities of yellow were added with a paint brush. 

I assume you are using a brush to mingle the colors (perhaps the "dusting" brushes you referred to?). That means you apply the colors quite quickly and mingle them just as quickly before they crystallize. So you keep all the colors (you referred to various shades of yellow) ready at once? That is quite a feat unless you have a way to keep them all heated to the appropriate temperature. I use a heating pad, but its temperature is not reliable. I know some use yogurt makers.

 

P.S. I'm glad my demisphere molds are being put to such beautiful use! You inspire me.

[Sweet Impact Mama]

Ya'll give me waaaaay too much credit, when it comes to planning or organization. I'm highly intuitive about this stuff. (Which probably means it would freak out anyone who does large production.) 

 

Literally, I play with cocoa butter like I used to play with paint on ceramics. I did the little detail elements, and then I started with white cocoa butter - added a bit of yellow- then painted the first swipes on all of them. Then I added more yellow, until I liked the color, and painted another swipe, with one edge behind the lighter one, but most of the swipe going the same direction, but parallel. Then I took the straight yellow and went around the other side. I could probably never get them to look exactly like these, again... but my color sense is really "picky" so they'd be close. My cocoa butter sits in a 1/3 hotel pan, and a heating pad sits under and around them, inside the pan. I use a microwave or heat gun to get them closer to melted, and shake. Then I play with the color in little sampling 2 oz cups. I have a tiny crock pot with a warm setting, that I keep a cloth in (sort of a bit browned onthe bottom now... keep forgetting to dampen it.) and if the cocoa butter cups need a rewarm, I stick them in there for a little bit. 

 

 

[Sweet Impact Mama]

10 minutes ago, Jim D. said:

I assume you are using a brush to mingle the colors (perhaps the "dusting" brushes you referred to?).  

 

P.S. I'm glad my demisphere molds are being put to such beautiful use! You inspire me. 

 

Forgot to say "thank you" again. You're very kind. 

I use the back side of a paint brush to mix the cocoa butter... then I wipe it off with a paper towel.  The dusting brushes don't get used with wet stuff. I only have ever just dampened them to use with my dusting powders, to get a stronger color. I like them kept on hand, fluffy. 

[Pastrypastmidnight]

Thank you for sharing all of these details @Sweet Impact Mama! These things seem so simple until you go to do them and then you realize how finicky chocolate/cocoa butter is and you discover 1,000 new challenges . Thanks again!

[Sweet Impact Mama]

23 hours ago, Pastrypastmidnight said:

Thank you for sharing all of these details @Sweet Impact Mama! These things seem so simple until you go to do them and then you realize how finicky chocolate/cocoa butter is and you discover 1,000 new challenges . Thanks again!

so stinkin' true!

 

[julie99nl]

I'm wondering if there isn't a sponge being used in the MondeduChocolat bonbons. Looking through her insta, quite a few of the eggs look like there's finger painting involved, but also something else.

[Pastrypastmidnight]

12 minutes ago, julie99nl said:

I'm wondering if there isn't a sponge being used in the MondeduChocolat bonbons. Looking through her insta, quite a few of the eggs look like there's finger painting involved, but also something else.

Good idea!

[pastrygirl]

This is not one that I'm eager to replicate, but still one that I can't figure out what tool(s) they used ...

Some of the scratches are centered in the white but then there are white lines without scratches.  Parallel lines

make me think dipping fork, but the scale is wrong and who would do that to their molds? 

 

[Sweet Impact Mama]

1 minute ago, pastrygirl said:

This is not one that I'm eager to replicate, but still one that I can't figure out what tool(s) they used ...

Some of the scratches are centered in the white but then there are white lines without scratches.  Parallel lines

make me think dipping fork, but the scale is wrong and who would do that to their molds? 

 

They might be trying to put the white on with a little sculpting tool. It's a bit odd looking. Can't figure out if they meant to have the cuts through the white or if that was just accidental.

 

[Sweet Impact Mama]

OR - they might have tried to straighten out the white lines they painted on, using a silicone sculpter... One of those things you don't see until you've turned them out. 

 

[Kerry Beal]

or drizzles of white then scrape through it with the silicone tool?

[keychris]

I guess pipe in white, then toothpick through it.

 

definitely not a professional look to my eyes though - I've made worse though

[Kerry Beal]

Link sent to me yesterday by chocolatier friend in Manchester - here

[Tri2Cook]

25 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

Link sent to me yesterday by chocolatier friend in Manchester - here

That's pretty cool. I'm not into doing showpieces mainly because I don't seem to have much of the sculptor side of artsy in me, didn't do too well during the phase where I attempted to learn cakes that look like something besides cakes either. But I like seeing the showpieces those with the talent to do them create, they're always impressive and somewhat jealousy inducing.