Color the icing first

• Mix the gel food coloring into the bowl of royal icing before adjusting the consistency.
• This keeps the color identical across the detail, hybrid and flood versions.

Make the detail consistency

• Stir until the icing is toothpaste thick, for outlining and writing.
• Lift the spatula: it should leave a soft curl that holds its shape.

Thin the icing gradually

• Keep a cup of water and a teaspoon nearby.
• Add the water a teaspoon at a time, mixing well between additions.
• Thin slowly: it is much easier to loosen icing than to thicken it again.

Reach the hybrid consistency

• Stop thinning when the icing mostly settles back into itself but still holds some shape.
• Use it for small areas and detail work that would crater with a flood.
• Shake or tap the bowl and the surface should smooth right out.

Reach the flood consistency

• Thin further until a spatula drawn through the icing flows back together immediately.
• It should not be so watery that the line disappears instantly.
• Keep it just thick enough that a little shake or tap smooths it completely.