Creating Cheese Art From Coloring Pages Tutorial

So awhile back I stumbled on a tutorial from Moey's Heart and Health for fancy cake decorating using coloring pages while scrolling through Pinterest. I pinned it for later use on birthday cakes. Then we began making bento lunches. I kept envying all these gorgeous bentos with fantastic character art. I have NO artistic talent and no food decorating experience. So I adapted Moey's technique into one that I could use on food. Using Americolor Edible markers, wax paper, scotch tape, coloring pages, and cheese. Now I am also very lazy so a lot of the time I google coloring pages and tape a piece of wax paper to my laptop screen and color while I'm watching TV. Here' show it would look if I sat down at the kitchen table to do it like a normal human being. Apologies for the poor choice in demo character, not that we don't love Lightening McQueen but he is a great example of what not to pick I'll get to that in a minute. :)

Step 1: Grab your supplies

• Americolor edible markers or other food grade coloring dye, gel, etc
• Wax paper
• Scotch tape
• Coloring page/Image you want to copy 
• Stay within the size of your cheese, it's very annoying to piece together multiple pieces
• Stay away from details that will be unreadable when flipped, as this is a transfer all images are mirror images. This is why Lightening is a poor choice, his "95" and "Rusteze" will be backwards
• Avoid too many tiny details, the colors will just smear together and make a mess
• Cheese - I find White works best, provolone, white cheddar, muenster, babybel, mozzarella, etc.

Step 2: Cut a piece of wax paper

•  Cut off a little bigger than your piece of cheese
• Do not trim the width, you'll need it to wrap the uncolored side
• Tape it to your picture 

Step 3: Channel your inner child and get to coloring

• Color in the solid colors first as tempting as it is to trace the outline save that for last
• Outline and add details 
• Check for dry spots if it starts to dry just go over it again

Step 4: Check your work

• Carefully untape your picture
• Place it over something solid color, preferably white, so you can see if you missed any spaces
• Re-color any dry spots
• This is when it will dawn on you that letters and number will be backwards

 

  

Step 5 : Place your cheese on top

• Press firmly but don't tear it
• Go over the whole picture to make sure its all in contact with the wax paper

Step 6 : Fold the wax paper like a present 

• Fold all 4 sides over be careful not to move the cheese out of position or it will smear
• You can reattach the tape over the flaps or just leave it creased

Step 7: Flip and rub

• Flip it over and rub the image firmly like you were doing a crayon rubbing
• See what I mean about being cognizant of mirror imaging

 Step 8: The big reveal

• Untape, unfold, etc. colored side down on a flat surface
• Carefully peel off the cheese
• Trim the edges with a paring knife for a clean look or cut with a cookie cutter to match your sandwich
• If you're working the night before (as I do) leave it wrapped tight over night
• The colors have more time to saturate the cheese
• It won't dry out if its taped shut

 

Here are some better examples from previous lunches:

And here's what happens when you don't color in the dry spots and select an image with too many tiny details:

In the end it's just food you can always eat your mistakes and start over :)