One of my favorite things is looking at the stars on a clear summer night. Whenever I do, I think about Vincent van Gogh’s famous painting.

Of course, when most people think of van Gogh, they dwell on the story about him chopping off his ear and mailing it to a lover. The truth about this is different from the myth. Because my husband cares about such things, he did a little research and found some interesting details.

“In the fall of 1888, Vincent van Gogh was living and working with the artist Paul Gauguin... in the south of France,” says Bregje Gerritse, a researcher at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. “Late in the evening of Sunday, the 23rd of December, the two artists had a blazing row. During an attack, Vincent cut off his left ear. He wrapped it in a piece of paper and presented it to a prostitute at a local brothel. The next morning, police found Vincent at home and took him to hospital.”

A week later, van Gogh tried to brush the incident off, calling it “a simple artist’s bout of craziness.” But before long, it became obvious that he was suffering from a serious mental illness, which he described as, “mental or nervous fever, or madness.” Though scholars have never determined exactly what plagued him, it no doubt contributed to his suicide on July 27, 1890 (“Discover the Life and Work of Vincent van Gogh,” Van Gogh Museum).

I’ve always been attracted to van Gogh’s free spirit. He championed experimentation in his art. He developed a unique style through hard work and an eye for beautiful colors. I’m one of the people who hopes that he’ll always be celebrated for his gifts rather than denigrated for his faults and tragic end.

That’s why I thought this tutorial would be great for this time of year. Summer gets us all outside more frequently and makes most of us feel free and experimental.

The beauty of this project is that it can be utilized as an edible cake wrap or a stand-alone display. The SmArt Sheets by Icing Images are extremely versatile edible paper, and—when combined with edible color gels from Artisan Accents—can help you achieve some stunning results in a reasonable amount of time.

As always, my tutorial is a way, not the way. Tap into your internal van Gogh, free your spirit and experiment. That’s always the fun in art anyway.

1. Cut or tear your fabric sheets.

2. Place the strips in a small bowl.

3. Add water (about a tablespoon) to dilute, then stir until dissolved (it should be the consistency of chocolate syrup when ready).

4. Add the desired color using Artisan Accents edible gel colors.

5. Using a palette knife, start painting on the SmArt Sheet. You may use a brush if you prefer.

6. Have fun swirling your color choices! Add black for the starry night look.

7. Sketch in your bunnies.

8. Add shadows and details to your bunnies. You can use your finished piece as a display or to wrap a cake!

Kim M. Simons is an award-winning artist, food artist and cake artist. She is a two-time Food Network champion and an ambassador for Satin Fine Foods. In addition, she is the author of “Get All Cook-y With Kim,” a cookbook filled with gluten-free recipes available on Amazon.com. Visit Kim at www.cakesbykimsimons.com for news about her upcoming classes—both live and online—media interviews, television competitions and live appearances.