Airbrushing a Lace Pattern on Cookies

Have you ever had an amazing idea only to realize that it wasn’t nearly as great as you thought it was?  It turns out that I have “terrible” great ideas all the time.

I’ve been planning an airbrushed lace cookie tutorial for almost a year but never could find the time.  Lucky for me I waited because I came up with what might possibly be the most complicated way EVER to create this look .

Airbrushed Lace Cookies SweetSugarBelle 1Wouldn’t I have been embarrassed if I had not run across this ingenious idea from SugarNosh Treats BEFORE I opened my big mouth?  My attempts may or may not have involved cardboard, Exacto knives, glue guns and an iron…I’ll spare you the gory details.  I think it’s best to let Heather take it from here.

Airbrushing lace on cookies SweetSugarBelle

Hi, my name is Heather, and I am the artist behind SugarNosh Treats.  Today I am sharing my quick and simple technique for airbrushing a lace pattern on cookies.

To make these cookies you will need:

Most fabric and craft stores sell lace by the yard.  The lace I purchased was about six dollars a yard, but I only purchased half a yard which is enough for several cuts.  If you’re really on a budget they will usually let you buy as little as ¼ yard, which is plenty.

The best type of lace for this project has more of a mesh/net background.  Solid or tightly woven fabrics will just act like a mask and you won’t get that pretty lacy look.  Lace with beads and sequins is also not recommended.

Embroidery hoops are available at both Joann Fabrics& Hobby Lobby as well as various online retailers. I use is the Susan Bates “Hoop-La” Plastic embroidery hoop.  It comes in a variety of sizes.  The 6” & 8” were less than three dollars.

To cut the lace, lay the hoop on the lace and trace around roughly ½” larger than the hoop.  Your finished circle should be 1” larger than diameter of the hoop.

Airbrushing lace on cookies SweetSugarBelle 1

Once the lace is in the hoop, it should be firm but not overly taut.  It should have a small amount of give so it can touch the surface of the cookie more completely instead of “balancing” it on top.  The lace acts like a mask.  The pattern visible will be the color of the icing base.

Airbrushing lace on cookies SweetSugarBelle 2Before airbrushing, outline and flood the base cookie and let them dry completely.  The hoop should be placed with the lace surface directly on the cookie (as shown in the photo) Build colors in light layers being careful not to over-saturate the lace.  The design will be less detailed if the spray is too heavy.

Airbrushing lace on cookies SweetSugarBelle 3

If you are only airbrushing a portion of the cookie, flood & spray that portion of the cookie  first.  Over spray can be covered with the rest of the design.  Another option is to cut a mask out of parchment for more simple shapes and place it on the cookie under the hoop/lace.

Absolutely do not remove the hoop from the top of the cookie until your color has reached the desired intensity.  You’ll never be able to line the pattern up again to respray.  It’s really not necessary to wait for any drying time before removing the hoop.  Lift it straight off the cookie.

Airbrushing lace on cookies SweetSugarBelle 4

If working with multiple colors, work from light to dark in the event that your lace has accumulated a lot of color or have additional lace pieces to switch out.  (This was never really an issue until I had to really concentrate a lot of color to get a nice finish with the black airbrush color.  Normal spraying doesn’t seem too be a problem)

Airbrushing lace on cookies SweetSugarBelle 5

Airbrushed lace cookies are a great option for simple “filler” cookies.  They’re beautiful, but do not take a lot of time to make.  A lace pattern also also serves as a great great background for monograms, silhouettes and other lettering.

Blog break

Thank you so much for sharing your skills, Heather.  I wish I had had your help when I attempted airbrushed lace.  I see two problems {overspraying and moving the lace before the color was dark enough} that I could have definitely avoided with your tips!  I hope that everyone is encouraged to dress up their cookies with this simple but stunning idea.

For more helpful ideas, be sure to check out these posts:

Be sure to pop on over to SugarNosh Treat’s Facebook page and give Heather a big ol’ thank you for being the super resourceful decorator she is!