Veining wafer paper can be tricky to do without ripping the paper.
Since wafer paper is a starch and totally NOT flexible, you need to find a balance between wetting it to make it pliable and not making it so wet that it tears.
Using wafer paper conditioner will soften the paper and make it pliable because the glycerin in it softens the starch but doesn’t completely dissolve it. Too much can make the paper too floppy, though, and prevent it from drying.
These are some tips that I’ve learned from veining wafer paper, using a veined leaf as the test!
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Shop for materials to make wafer paper flowers on Amazon:
- 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
If you’re like I am, you might rip your wafer paper by putting too much pressure on it when it’s wet.
There are a couple of ways to prevent this, the main one being to not press too hard, but you also want to make sure that the paper isn’t too wet when you’re trying to vein it.
- Make sure the paper is pliable but not too wet.
- Use a double layer of AD wafer paper or a single sheet of wafer paper card to start so that it’s a little thicker and you can press it more.
- If you use a single thickness of wafer paper, be very careful that it isn’t too wet. Dry it out with some cornstarch dusted on the wet paper, but not too much. That can make the paper more brittle when it dries.
- For wired petals, it can be easier to put two pieces of paper together with a wire between, then cut the shape out instead of trying to cut out the shape then wiring it.
- After wiring the petals and conditioning them, let them set up and dry for a few minutes before veining them.
For another article that I wrote that talks about another method of veining petals, click here: How To Make Wafer Paper Flowers For Cakes
- When you’re using a silicone petal or leaf veiner to vein the wafer paper, choose one that has distinct veins but not really extreme shaping. If the veiner has sections that are really deep the paper might not be able to conform to those shapes, and holes could be the result.
- This rose leaf veiner is a good example of a distinct, but relatively flat surface, veiner.
- Press the veiner onto the conditioned wafer paper and hold it gently to vein it.
- Think of this as more of a way to let the paper sink into the contours of the veiner, as opposed to pressing the design into it like you would with gumpaste.
- Hold the veiner on the wafer paper for 10-15 seconds to give it time to shape the paper.
- Don’t press too hard, especially on parts of the veiner that are deeper.
- If the veiner does have deeper sections, place the paper into it before pressing the veiner sections together. Wafer paper won’t stretch like gumpaste or clay, so you’ll need to form it to the veiner before pressing it to prevent tearing.
- For this leaf, the left side was a little on the dry side, so the veins didn’t turn out as well as the right side.
- It’s better to have the paper a little bit dry because you can always wet it more, but if it gets too wet it won’t hold the shape of the veins and can shrivel up.
- If the wafer paper doesn’t hold the veining, it will flatten out when it dries. Make sure that the veined leaf or petal has clear markings on it because as it dries the markings will decrease as the starch contracts.
- As the paper dries out, it will stiffen up, so curl the wires a little before they dry completely.
- Let the paper dry a little and dust with petal dust. Dry colors will work best since it won’t soften the paper and it won’t soften the veining.
