Royal Icing Part 2 - Tips & Beginner Info

Royal Icing is probably in the top 10 of those easy, yet complicated, kind of tasks. It's something that takes time and practice. It's also somewhat of an art. So no matter how much experience you have, it's still possible for things to go awry... that's how it is in the kitchen.
Nothing is perfect.
---But to help you get closer to perfection I have listed the 3 main consistencies that are popular for cookie decorating. 
This is really just a starting off point for understanding how to utilize royal icing. You will need to play with it and figure out what you prefer.

Before we get to those here are a few extra tips before you start making your icing:

Preparation is KEY with royal icing.
Wipe all your tools down with white vinegar.
Literally anything that is going to be touching the royal icing should be wiped down. Any grease or greasy residue will destroy your icing. I do this every single time.
Bowl, attachment, spatula.. everything.

Lastly. SIFT your powdered sugar. I sift mine right into my mixing bowl but either way SIFT IT. Nothing is more annoying than piping along and a clump of sugar clogs your flow or creates a gross mess on your pretty cookie.
It doesn't take long, go ahead and sift it!
I also do this every single time. 

I hope these little tips are a huge help for you!
I know they were for me!
Now onto the 3 consistencies. 

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Stiff Icing

I like to start with stiff icing.
It's easier to put into a container and save at this stage. It's a lot easier to thin the icing out for what you need than to thicken it back up again.
Just like it sounds it is STIFF.
Mostly used for writing, flowers and other details.

Transfer/Medium Icing

I say "transfer" icing because this is a good consistency to use for creating transfers (as shown above). This is actually my default icing. I don't like to make separate flood and outline icings so this is usually what I use for most of my cookie work. I also like to use this consisency for decorating with my kiddo. 
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I'd say it's usually a 15-18 second icing. Which just means as you're adding water to thin it out, it should take about 15-18 seconds for the icing to reincorporate into itself.
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Drag your utensil across the top of your icing and see how long it takes for the icing to fall back into itself and become perfectly smooth. You can shake the bowl a bit to encourage it. 

Flood Icing

​This is the thinnest icing of the bunch. Used commonly to completely cover (flood) cookies.
Ideally, flood icing is usually a 5-10 second icing. It will fall back into itself almost instantly. 
Use this consistency with care as it can become really messy if you're not using a thicker consistency to keep the flood on the cookie. 

In Closing:

This is just the bare minimum basics about royal icing.
From here take this information and start watching some YouTube videos. 
There are some excellent tutorials out there for royal icing and you can search specifically for different techniques such as "royal icing flowers"
"royal icing writing"
"royal icing consistencies"
Even just basic "royal icing" searches will start you off in the right direction.

*Extra tip for fun: You can make your own sprinkles and candies with royal icing as long as you're using meringue powder and not egg whites. You can also find tutorials for that on YouTube.

I hope this was a helpful little bit of information.
Enjoy all your royal icing endeavors!
Much Love
Amanda