As a mother and artist, I love sharing my creative passions with my children. When my son Phoenix was smaller, we used to paint together all the time. Once Amatullah became a toddler, I couldn’t wait to share the experience with her as well. In fact, a few days before she turned one, I got her some adorable toddler paint brushes, non-toxic paint, and sat her down at our little table for a brief art class. I dipped the brush in the paint and showed her a few practice strokes . Needless to say, she seemed a tad more interested in putting the paint brush in her mouth than actually painting! Now, I know that the paint is supposedly non-toxic, but I just didn’t feel comfortable allowing my child to eat something that is so
clearly not food. I figured to myself that there must be a way to make a nice , colorful paint from food grade ingredients. Well, there most certainly is. The following recipe for edible paint is quick, simple, and even delicious! I must say, I was rather impressed with the results… more importantly, so was my baby girl!
Ingredients
1 part glycerin
1/2 part cornstarch
A pinch of colorant ( I use Winton Cake Colors that I use for decorating cakes)
Glycerin: Glycerin, otherwise known as glycerol is a simple, polyol compound. It is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is sweet-tasting and non-toxic. It is an active ingredient found in a in a host of food and cosmetic products. Glycerin is especially helpful for hair and skin that are prone to dryness. For this project, we use it to improve the texture and viscosity of the paint. It is also better to use than water because it is shelf-stable and does not require us to add a preservative so we can store our paint right in the bin with the rest of the art supplies when we are finished using it.
Cornstarch: Cornstarch acts as a thickener when cooking, and that’s exactly why we are using it in this recipe. It also helps balance out the “oiliness” of the glycerin so that the paint dries faster when it is used. Feel free to add as much or as little as you like depending on how thick you want the paint to be.
Winton Icing Colors: These come in a pack of 12 different gel colors. The colors are very vibrant and a dab will go a long way. I already had these on hand because I used them to decorate Ama’s ladybug cake. If you don’t have any icing colorant, use any other food-grade colorant that you have. I personally wouldn’t go out and purchase these just for this project, but if you are into or want to learn cake decorating, it’s totally worth it . Comment if you would like me to give a tutorial for this ladybug cake.
Instructions:
Step 1: Gather all ingredients
Step 2: Thoroughly mix all ingredients together in a small bowl
Step 3: Pour paint into a cute little container with a lid .
Step 4: Put on a bib on your little one and enjoy!