I am trying to find a good article to explain what it is and how to color it. I have decided to do a butterfly cake for my baby's first birthday. Two tiers. Round. I want to attach some butterflies on it, and I have NO time to learn how to do the gorgeous ones on rice paper...and I have seen several cakes on this site with gumpaste butterflies and flowers, but I have no idea what it is or if it's hard to work with...

Any input would be great!!
Thanks
Angie

Gumpaste will roll thin and color well, but it does take some time to master. have you considered using candy melts? for a single butterfly, you can trace the outline of your butterfly onto paper, cover it with parchment or waxed paper, and draw it with melted chocolate in a pastry bag. You can uses several colors, and different designs.

I got a template on my computer, copied it several times on the same sheet, then covered the whole sheet with parchment. I taped it down on the table to prevent slipping. Then outlined the butterfly and filled them in. You can fill it with a lacy patter, or fill it solid, and mix the colors. Let them dry (a few minutes in the fridge is quick) and they will peel off really easily. If you get some breakage, make the lines a bit thicker.

Once the wings are dry, you can just place them together, or make a body and add the wings. Make sure the body is cool before you stick in the wings, or they will melt.

Chocolate (or candy melts) will taste much better than gumpaste. you can use either side of the butterfly. The paper side will be smooth and shiny.

gumpaste is a "dough" that dries hard. You can knead color into it or paint on it when it's dry. It rolls out thin and you can model with it, but it dries fairly quickly so you have to work fast.

You can buy it premade or get the gumpaste mix from wilton that you add water and I think powdered sugar to (can't remember - it's been awhile since I used the wilton).

Another suggestion is to purchase preprinted butterflies on wafer paper. sugarcraft carries them and gives a tutorial on how to make them.

Thank you for all the information. Lots to think about. I was going to use cookies on a stick, but I know they will be too heavy. I will do some shopping tomorrow, and try some different methods.

Thank you again.
Angie