Video Clips of the Process of Painting a Giant Hot Fudge Ice Cream Sundae

 

Happy Friday! I thought I'd share some video clips of the Giant Hot Fudge Ice Cream Sundae I painted in 2023 for my solo show at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina. This was a tricky one, both because of the soft whipped cream and the texture of the glass. I also sometimes change details that may be present in my reference photo, but that I think just won't look right in a painting. I did that here, actually, part-way through the painting. Working big is always a challenge, too, in part because I often have to make up the details to make things look convincing. 

This piece is sold, but I'm working on a couple of new big ones that should be shipping to HB soon. To see what other works I may have available, visit the HB website here.

Thanks for watching!

Hot Fudge Sundae, 50" x 40", acrylic on panel. SOLD.

Chocolate & Strawberry Sauce Duo October Print Sale

 

Happy Tuesday! For the rest of the month, you can get a super-sweet deal when you buy these two prints together, Chocolate Sauce and Strawberry Sauce, both borderless 16" x 12" limited-editions. These prints were based on two paintings that I did for my 2022 solo show at Hidell Brooks Gallery. For the reference photos I used, I actually made my own "soft serve" at home, which is tough to do, and pumped it into the cones using a pastry bag and decorating tip (since I don't have my own soft-serve machine!). But the I think the effect was pretty great, and then I added my own sauces to them, dripping down over the sides. 

The prints are pretty beautiful, if I do say so myself, and would add a great pop of color to any space.

So save 20% when you purchase the two through the link here. Thanks so much for looking!

Limited-edition ice cream prints by Kim Testone are available on her website. Each print is limited to 50, signed and numbered in pencil, and printed with archival inks on heavy-weight, museum-quality paper. Prints ship flat and free via FedEx (within the continental U.S.). 

Painting a Giant Strawberry Ice Cream Sundae in Acrylic

Happy Friday! Here's a short video showcasing clips of me painting the Strawberry Ice Cream Sundae for my 2023 solo show at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina. Acrylic on panel, 48" x 36", SOLD. 

I really loved all of the abstract shapes in this one, particularly when it comes to painting the ice cream behind the glass container. You'll also notice that I paint this one upside down at one point. I do this for a lot of my paintings because it helps me to see the shapes and colors more objectively, rather than trying to make them look like something. There's a great book that taught me this little trick years ago, although it was intended to be used for drawing, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. I still find this book to be incredibly helpful even today, as it keeps my paintings more accurate and has taught me to see things differently as I work. 

Thanks for visiting!

Strawberry Sundae, acrylic on panel, 48" x 36", 2023. SOLD.

New Print Release - Cotton Candy Swirl Ice Cream Cone

 

Cotton Candy Swirl, now available as a limited-edition print.

Hot off the press! I'm excited to announce that my Cotton Candy Swirl painting is now available as a limited-edition print. I really loved painting the "swirl" on this one, and after many hours of work on getting the print just right, I'm super-happy with the final print result. 

If you are looking for a really colorful, cheerful piece of ice cream art, this might be the piece for you. Thanks so much for looking!

First print, coming off the printer!

Short Realistic Painting Video Demo of a Small Vanilla Rainbow Sprinkles Ice Cream Cone

 

Happy Monday! Here are short video clips of the process I used when painting the small vanilla cone with sprinkles, acrylic on panel, 16" x 12", completed earlier this year. Loved the drip on this one! Plus, it's actually a really great painting challenge to paint "white" ice cream on a white background. 

Sold through Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina. Thanks for watching!

Small Vanilla with Sprinkles, acrylic on panel, 16" x 12". Sold.

Critiquing Art from My Childhood: Age 8, the Halloween Coloring Contest

 

The Haunted House by artist Kim Testone, age 8, winner of the 3rd grade monthly coloring contest.

As a kid, I took Halloween very seriously. I never used those plastic store-bought costumes. Either my mom made them, or starting in about mid-elementary school, I started making them myself. In our small town, Halloween was celebrated the Saturday before Halloween, starting with a parade down the middle of town, past a panel of judges, then into the firehouse for a cookie, an orange drink and a fifty-cent piece, then trick-or-treating, all in a pretty orderly fashion. 

Yes, trick-or-treating in the middle of the afternoon, on a Saturday. My husband always thinks this is quite weird, but I think it was really a wonderful childhood memory. Everyone would walk in pretty similar pathways, with neighbors often sitting on their porches to make things easier. Some elderly neighbors would even set up fun things like custom cookie-decorating tables (remember, these were people we knew, and it was a very different time).

I think what I liked best about this whole event is that, in the daylight, your costumes could be seen, and so that made me want to make the best and most impressive-looking costume I could. I may share some of these creations in a future post, but for now, let's get back to the coloring contest. 

In third grade, every month our teachers held a collective grade-wide coloring contest. I don't quite remember if there were two or three classrooms, but I think the number "12" in the upper right corner of my coloring above may have represented my student number for the anonymous entries. My guess is there was somewhere around 60 or 70 students. 

At this point in my life, I already very much considered myself an artist, and so when the first September coloring contest came about, I remember being quite disappointed that I didn't win. But the October contest, well, I was quite excited to see it was a Halloween piece, and I knew exactly what to do. 

If I recall correctly, the students actually took the pieces home to color, rather than doing it in the classroom. Now, although I preferred my daytime Halloween trick-or-treating, I'd seen "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" often enough to know that most people associated Halloween with the night, so naturally I made this a nighttime piece. 

In looking at the piece, there are a few things I think are important to note. First, I ADDED the stars in the sky, desperately trying to draw the sky and essentially leave blank space to be the stars. Maybe not perfect, but it did give the right effect. Second, I ADDED that frame to make it look wooden. I think there may have been four corner lines to represent the corners of the frame, but nothing else. I remember thinking, it should look like the frames in my house, so I added the lines for the grooves of the wooden textures. Third, I used two different mediums - markers for the bushes, sky and the black area on the roof, probably because it gave the color intensity I wanted for those areas, and crayons for everything else. 

When I brought the piece to school, I was quite proud, but when the teachers hung them all up in a line for judging, I remember being shocked to see that no one else had made the piece like mine. There may have been a nighttime scene here or there, but they featured solid black or blue skies, and certainly no faux wooden frames. I remember still very much liking my piece, but wondering if I had done it wrong, since mine was quite different from everyone else's. 

But I won, with the prize being that your picture got laminated and hung in the window of the classroom for the rest of the school to see. It was the first art contest I'd ever won, and I'm so glad I kept the piece. 

It's significant to me for a few reasons. First, I think it's important to trust your gut and make what feels right to you, drawing on everything you find interesting and inspiring, to create something that you, the artist, wants to see. Don't worry about what you think other people want to see; trust yourself first. Second, even when your work is out in the world, don't worry about comparing it to what other people make; just be yourself, and keep making work and refining your vision.  

Happy Halloween Season! Thanks for stopping by!

Step by Step Short Acrylic Painting Demo Video of the Cotton Candy Swirl Ice Cream Cone

 

Happy Tuesday! Here's a short painting demo video showing some of the steps I used to paint a 16" x 12" Cotton Candy Swirl Ice Cream Cone, acrylic on panel. When taking reference photos for this one, I happened upon this one lucky scoop that included that lovely bullseye swirl. Since I was quite sure I'd never be able to scoop something like this again, I had to paint it! 

The original piece has been sold through Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina. You can click here to see what other original paintings I may have available. Thanks for looking!

Cotton Candy Swirl, acrylic on panel, 16" x 12", by Kim Testone. Sold.

 

New Paintings Framed and Available at Hidell Brooks Gallery

 

Newly framed paintings from Kim Testone.
Available at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Happy weekend! Hidell Brooks Gallery just got these two recent paintings of mine back from the framer, so they are ready to go. Love seeing my work when it's framed. Just gives it such a finished look. 

Pricing and availability here. Both are 16" x 12", acrylic on panel. Thanks for visiting!

Fudge Ripple, acrylic on panel, 16" x 12". Available at Hidell Brooks Gallery.

Orange & Yellow Sherbet, acrylic on panel, 16" x 12". Available at Hidell Brooks Gallery.

Step by Step Video Demo Painting a Strawberry Raspberry Vanilla Triple Scoop Ice Cream Cone in Acrylic

 

Happy Wednesday! I thought I'd share another short video demonstration, this time painting this Raspberry Swirl, Vanilla, Strawberry Triple Scoop cone. As with all my pieces, I used my own reference photo, after having sculpted numerous ice cream combinations with my bare hands and some kitchen tools. The drip of the vanilla down through the strawberry and onto the cone give this piece a little personality and feel for how it was starting to melt. This piece took about 50 to 60 hours to complete.

The original 24" x 12" acrylic on panel painting has been sold. You can see what other works I may have available at Hidell Brooks Gallery here. 

Thanks for watching!

Summer Triple Scoop, acrylic on panel, 24" x 12". SOLD.

Critiquing Art from My Childhood: Age 3, The Butterfly

 

One of my earliest artworks, from approximately age 3.

I am fortunate to have quite a few artworks from my childhood that have survived, either through my mom's careful curation or my tendency to save things. The Butterfly project, which consists of a plastic surface, threaded with yarn, and accompanying plastic frame, is one of the earliest pieces I have. I keep it in a beautiful display cabinet built by my great-great-grandfather because it is precious to me, and I can still quite clearly see my thought process in its completion.

Artist Kim Testone, a.k.a. Kimmy, nearing age 3

An imaginary conversation with my 3-year-old self:

Me, today: Tell me your motivation in creating The Butterfly.

Kimmy: Mumble mumble mumble

Me, today: Sorry, can you repeat that?

Kimmy: It needed to get made so I made it.

Me, today: I see. And did you follow directions?

Kimmy: No, I just made it. 

Me, today: How did you know what to do?

Kimmy: I just made it the way I wanted to. 

Me, today: What about this area right here to the right? It looks a bit different than the left, with some longer loops.

Kimmy: Um, I wanted to make it look like it was flying.

Me, today: Ah, so the loops represent movement.

Kimmy: Yes.

Me, today: And what about your color choices. Tell me about those.

Kimmy: I wanted the butterfly to be pretty, so I made it pretty. 

Me, today: Excellent. Well, I can see you have a lot of projects you are working on now. I'll let you get to it. Thank you for your time!

Kimmy: Okay, bye!

Video Clips of Working on Large Ice Cream Paintings

 

Happy Saturday! Since I'm working on some large pieces right now (minimum four feet tall), I thought I'd share a little compilation of some clips of me working on previous large projects, plus I have one current one thrown in there. Working on the large ice cream paintings is always a different type of challenge than the small ones. I have to essentially make up a lot of the details, so they can take on a more convincing presence, thus I think of these as more hyperrealistic. But I think the big paintings better serve the goal of trying to make the viewer feel as happy as a little kid, looking up at a giant ice cream cone or sundae. 

Anyway, hope you enjoy! Thanks for stopping by!