craquelle

To make craquelle you need to mix a paste that is a  bit thicker than what you normally use to glue leather or combine with jade/pva. Paint it onto the leather in a stippling motion as if it were regular glue, but leave the clumps and uneven streaks. Then, blow-dry the leather until it is crispy and dry. Take a piece of totally dried leather with the paste still on it and slide it over the edge of a counter, like you would to get the wrinkles out of a dollar bill or crumpled paper. The pressure of sliding it across a ledge will cause veinlike cracks in the surface of the dried paste. Using a piece of cotton with dye on it quickly spread the color over the surface, keeping in mind that paste is water soluble so you need to be quick and not apply to much pressure or the paste will wash off and the color will blotch onto the surface instead of only sinking into the cracks. After that you want to blow dry it again until crispy and if you want to you can add another color on top (use lighter colors first). Take the fully dried piece of leather and wash it under running water until the pieces of paste have come off, then lay it over a larger piece of davey board. Using a mister/water spray can keep the leather wet while using a butter knife to scrape off the remaining paste. The end result should be a vein-like pattern of distinct and crisp lines of color on the otherwise untouched surface of the leather.