How To Draw or Digitize on a Cookie Without Using an Expensive Equipment

Kurabiiki-Cookie Decorating Tutorial

I first began my adventures in the world of cookie decorating about three years ago, when I was planning my daughter's birthday party. I absolutely fell in love with it. However, it didn't take me long to realize that I'm not nearly as gifted as most of the cookie artists out there. It would take lots of practice, but I was up to the challenge! I began to focus my efforts and research. I attended the 2012 CookieCon convention, and I have to say, it was a total eye-opener for me. I was able to learn so many techniques and check out some amazing products that I didn't even know existed! More importantly, I was able to have the chance to learn from the best in the industry and try all of the “cool toys.”

One product stood out among the rest. The KopyKake seemed to be the must-have product if you wanted to create amazing character cookies. It is a projector that lets you trace an image onto cookies, cakes, or any other pastry that you can decorate. If you cannot draw, or have poor handwriting, then this is absolutely the tool for you. I have to admit, I wanted it badly. Just thinking about all of the things I could create with it, so many cookies!

Unfortunately, I did not have the room in my kitchen nor the money to spend on an expensive toy for my hobby. What I needed was an alternative, something smaller and cheaper that I could also hide away when my children were awake and running around - yes, I only decorate cookies at night, much like all you other moms! I searched high and low, but no matter how hard I looked and how much I thought, I simply couldn't come up with a solution. I tried tracing on wax paper, and I even used a tracing iPad application. But none of these techniques would produce the desired result I was looking for. I almost gave up looking, until one day I saw my daughter sitting quietly in her bedroom, tracing her favorite animals on paper. Then it dawned on me...if she could do it on paper, than I could likely do the same thing on a cookie!

After a few days of testing out my theory, I realized that I had the perfect solution; a cheaper and smaller version of the KopyKake! I have put together a step-by-step guide to share with you so you can be on your way to creating beautifully scrumptious cookie creations in no time! 
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You Will Need: 

1. The image you would like to trace.
   
2. Transparent film for either a laser or inkjet printer – depending on what you have at home. Don't have a printer at home? No worries! You can bring or e-mail your file to your local office supply store and I am sure they will be happy to print it for you on transparent/clear film!
3. Alex Toys Draw Like A Pro Craft Kit - $36.00 via Amazon.com
4. Food Coloring Pens/ Markers. My favorite are Kopykake Coloring Pens - $15.95 via Amazon

This toy works very similar to the KopyKake. Not as professional, but  it's the perfect toy if you are beginner or you dont have the money to invest in a professional equipment. The main difference is that you will have to scale your image before you print it and start tracing. All images would need to be smaller than 1.5” X 1.5” in order to fit into the image box. This is actually simpler to do than you may think!

Here Are The Steps Needed To Trace Your Image Onto A Cookie:

1) Open the template that I have created here. This is simply a Word document with 1.5” X 1.5” cells. 

2) Once you have the document open, click in the first cell, then click  'insert'  -  'picture.' This is assuming that your file is in either  JPG, JPEG, TIFF, or BMP format.

3) Your image will most likely not fit into the box and you will need to resize it. Simply click on one of the corners and drag the angle until you have reached the designer's size (until your image fits the 1.5” X 1.5” box.)

4) It will be easier if your image is centered, however it is not a requirement to center your image. All you need to do is select the cell that your image is, right click, and simply select 'cell alignment.' Choose 'center.'

5) You are ready to print!

6) If you do have a printer at home, print your document on transparent film. I use a laser printer and a transparent film sheet. There are many different brands. Just make sure that the one you buy is compatible with your printer.

Tip: To decrease the cost of printing per image, print more than one image per sheet. You can fit approximately 30 images within the Word template that you are using.

7. Cut your image and place it upside down within the small plastic box.

8. Voila! Now you are all set to start digitizing! 

There is a little focus button at the top of the projector that will help you to adjust the sharpness of your image.

Sometimes, you may find that your image is slightly larger than your cookie. For example:

When this occurs, you have three options available: 
- You can either scale your image (make it smaller) and re-print it. But this can get expensive.

- You can adjust the top of the toy by pushing it down. However, this can make it uncomfortable to digitize, since the toy is small already and you don't have a lot of room. 

- You can elevate your cookie. This is the method that I use. Since I cannot think farther than my kitchen, I usually just grab a bowl. Yes, you read that right, a plain ceramic bowl! Simply turn it upside down and place your cookie on it and you are ready to go again!

Here is the outcome and  a few more cookies I decorate using the same toy

I would love to hear from you! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to comment below. For more free decorating tutorials, tips and tricks, please follow me on Instagram
 Check out this tutorial on how to make cookie decorating rings! You would not believe how easy and fun these cookie rings are!