HOW I COLOR GUMPASTE FLOWERS

 

I sometimes dust my gumpaste flowers with luster dusts and/or super pearl dust.  Then I hold them over a steaming teakettle and move in a circular motion 2 or 3 times.  This makes them have a nice sheen.  If I make the flowers from tinted gumpaste, I sometimes use the colored luster dust to enhance the color.  Sometimes I dust the colored flower with super pearl dust and steam for more sheen.  If I make gumpaste flowers and do not use any luster dust or super pearl dust, I still steam them over the teakettle to seal them and give them a slight sheen.  I do the same with gumpaste leaves.

 

I also use the airbrush to color gumpaste flowers.  I mix 2 containers of luster dust or super pearl dust in a 2 ounce plastic bottle filled with vodka.  SHAKE WELL each time before pouring into the airbrush cup.  I then spray the flower as desired.  You will find you must refill the airbrush cup often when doing this.  Also, I increase the pressure when using this mixture so as to avoid the needle becoming plugged.  This method gives your flowers a lot of sheen and luster.

 

You can also make a mixture of vodka and paste or gel color in a jar or cup, large enough to dip what you want to color.

I add the amount of color necessary for the shade I want.  You can color flowers or leaves in this manner.  You dip the flower into the mixture (in and out) and then twirl it to remove the excess.  Try not to touch the flower until it dries.  This works well with flowers on wires because you can hold the wire and twirl it to remove the excess, then hang it over something to let the flower dry.  Flowers colored this way have a glazed sheen to them.  I even sometimes dip a colored flower into this kind of mixture to get a deeper shade.  This is a good way to color leaves because they have a nice sheen to them.

Using this mixture you can also paint the color onto a flower with a brush.  If you are coloring ivy leaves and want them variegated, using a small brush, brush the edges of the leaves with Crisco before dipping.  The part of the leaf that has been brushed with Crisco will come out white.

 

One can mix a little vodka with luster dust and paint a flower or leaf using a brush.

 

I have always used vodka for these ways of coloring gumpaste flowers and leaves.  You can also use gin or lemon extract.

 

 

HOW AND WHY I STEAM GUMPASTE FLOWERS

 

Steaming gumpaste flowers, leaves, etc. gives them a natural luster.  Dusting with luster dust or super pearl dust and then steaming gives the flowers and leaves more sheen and helps them to stand out on a cake and receive admiration from admirers.

 

I almost always dust my dried gumpaste flowers, leaves, etc. with colored luster dust or super pearl dust.  Then, I steam them over the teakettle, being careful to hold them by the edges so as not to smudge them while they are wet.

 

To steam, I hold each flower over the steaming teakettle, moving in a circular motion 3 or 4 times, until the flower has a slightly wet appearance.  Experience will enable you to know just how long to hold the flower over the steam.  Usually a little longer for larger flowers and less time for leaves and small flowers.

 

If you have many flowers and leaves to steam, it will take you a few minutes but the results are well worth the time.

 

When using a gumpaste/fondant mixture, it will take less steaming time.  A couple of circular motions over the steam will usually be sufficient.

 

When I have a plaque or larger item to steam and it would be difficult to hold over the teakettle, I use my steam iron.  I move the iron in a circular motion over the item being steamed 3 or 4 times careful not to hold the iron too close to the object being steamed—just close enough for the steam to make contact with the item being steamed.