Watercolor print wafer paper is a pretty option for wrapping cakes, punching out shapes, or making flowers for cake decorating.
Making true watercolor patterns on wafer paper is difficult without an edible ink printer, though, because of the amount of liquid needed to get a good watercolor effect.
This is the best way that I’ve found to hand paint wafer paper to get a mottled color effect.
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How to color wafer paper by hand.
To color wafer paper by hand, you will need to apply the color to the paper using an oil-based medium in order to prevent the paper from melting. This can include vegetable oil, oil-based food colorings, or vegetable shortening.
Water-based media can melt the paper or cause it to warp and bubble, so an oily medium is the best option. The color can be in powder or liquid form, preferably a gel or an oil-based food coloring.
This photo shows dry color, the same color mixed into vegetable shortening, the same color mixed in with vegetable oil, and the color dusted onto the paper after it was sprayed with wafer paper conditioning spray
You can see that the spray, which has water in it, made the paper warp, so I think that I put too much on it!
But the color wasn’t as good as the one with the vegetable shortening “paint” anyway, so that’s fine.
For this experiment I used Crystal Colors, which are certified edible petal dusts. They’re really concentrated and you don’t need a lot of it to color the media you’re suspending it in to make the paint.
The one that worked best was the vegetable shortening that had the color mixed into it. It was about the consistency of oil paint, and it went on the paper without affecting it at all.
I decided to continue using that version of the edible paint because it had the best color and didn’t affect the paper at all.
The first step in making a watercolor effect is to paint on dabs of the edible paint in different areas on the wafer paper. That’s the neat part, but it gets messy after that.
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- Wafer paper, white or colored
- Silicone flower center molds
- Petal veiners
- Petal dust
- Floral wire
- Tylose glue
- Fluffy paintbrushes
- Flower former
- Craft scissors
- Liquid Food Coloring
- Food-grade glycerin to make wafer paper conditioner
- Corn starch
- Flower paper punches
- Steamer to shape wafer paper
Using your finger, start smearing the color all over the wafer paper. I’ve tried using a paintbrush for this, but using your finger is the best way to really work the color into the paper.
Because edible wafer paper has a texture to it, this will emphasize the texture and imperfections in the paper, but this is only the first coat, so don’t worry if it looks grainy.
When the first round of color has been rubbed into the paper, you can go in to add a little more in specific spots to make the color darker. Paint it on, then rub that into the paper as much as you can.
The surface of the wafer paper will be oily, but that’s a byproduct of using anything oily on it, and it will absorb into the paper after letting the paper sit overnight.
The color will never be 100% colorfast, though, so be aware that it might come off on your hands later.
Also, adding anything oily to the paper is going to make it repel moisture later, so it can be difficult to attach the paper to itself.
Only cover one side of the paper with the paint, and let it sit for a couple of days to absorb into the paper as much as possible if you want to use it to make flowers.
After rubbing the edible paint into the paper, you’ll have an uneven color base to work with.
Take some dry petal dust in a contrasting color and sprinkle some of it onto the surface of the wafer paper.
Because the oil in the original paint will still be on the surface of the paper, you’ll be able to rub this in without having to make a paint out of it.
Rub the second color in, making an effort to cover any thin spots where the base color isn’t too deep.
This will fill in gaps and will also help to cover some of the texture of the paper, but that will never go away 100%.
If you want to really emphasize the second color, add more onto the paper and rub that in, too.
You can also add other colors if you want to mix it up a little more. At some point the oily base layer will start to dry out as you rub more dry color into it.
That’s not a bad thing, since it can help speed the drying process. The color can still come off, so handle the wafer paper carefully.
If you want to tone down the second color, or create more of a transparency effect, you can add a little more of the base color and rub that into the wafer paper.
Layering the colors can give you a depth that is a nice look, but you need to be careful not to do too much or it can get muddy.
If you think that you just need to do a little more, it might be a good idea to stop instead!
The finished wafer paper will have a watercolor effect with the layered colors. The paper can be used to wrap a cake tier, or to make flowers or other decorations.
Be aware that the oil on the surface will never dry out 100%, so the color can rub off.
Also, the texture of the paper is going to give you a patchy appearance, depending on the original piece of paper that you’re using.
This might not be something that bothers you, or it might be something that you don’t like.
Depending on your preference, it might be better to create something using an edible ink printer and photo editing software like Photoshop.
I took a photo of the finished wafer paper and used Photoshop to create a version of it that I printed using the edible ink printer.
The difference is pretty obvious…The printed version is smoother and doesn’t have the textured look of the original. You lose some of the contrast, though, so it’s a different effect.
Handmade vs. edible ink printer watercolor paper.
Printing watercolor wafer paper using an edible ink printer has some distinct advantages to trying to make it yourself with edible paint.
First, you don’t have to worry about ruining the paper by adding too much color in the wrong spots, because you’ll create a file to print that you can correct before printing it.
Second, printing watercolor effect wafer paper results in a smooth surface because the color is applied to the top of the paper, rather than being rubbed into it.
The color won’t rub off on your hands, but it will come off if the wafer paper gets wet, just like any other printed wafer paper.
Last, you’ll have a consistent result when you print the paper from a file, so you won’t have to worry about not getting the colors right, assuming that the printer isn’t acting up!
The advantage of a watercolor effect wafer paper sheet is that even if the printer does decide to print a color that’s slightly off of what you expected, the variations in the colors usually still look pretty.
One way to create a file to print watercolor wafer paper would be to do it completely digitally in a photo editing or illustration software.
I made the sheets in the photo above using Photoshop, and you can see how the color isn’t as blotchy and textured as the edible paint version. The printer applies the color evenly, so the paper looks smooth.
Printed watercolor wafer paper.
Another way to make an authentic watercolor effect on printed wafer paper is to scan an actual watercolor painting and print that onto edible paper.
The colors can be altered in Photoshop to create different color combinations, and the appearance will be 100% authentic because the original source was an actual painting.
I’ve done some watercolor blobs and washes that I’ve scanned into my computer and used to create different watercolor items.
The blue and green washes in the photo are a couple that I’ve used fairly often, and you can see them in this set of planets:
Changing the color gives the effect of a bunch of different paintings, but it’s all from the same ones!
Watercolor print wafer paper can be made a few different ways, and how you decide to do it will depend on what effect you want, and, naturally, whether you have an edible ink printer to use.
Check out this article to see how to make watercolor wafer flowers.
Regardless, the effect of watercolor on a cake is always pretty, and using watercolor wafer paper for a cake wrap or other decorations is a nice addition to most cake designs.
