Whoa...Over 180,000 views on This TikTok Video of My Daydreamer Painting

More than 180,000 views, more than 40,000 likes, thousands of shares and hundreds of comments. 

I am so grateful to all of the wonderful people on TikTok who have enjoyed the close-up video of my latest Cookie Landscape painting, The Daydreamer, acrylic on panel, 24" x 24". There have been so many kind and encouraging comments that I haven't even had time to respond to them all. 

If you haven't seen the video yet, please check it out here. And if you're interested, take some time to read a few of the comments, because I think it's pretty encouraging when you see how many nice people are out there.

Also, by request, I'll hopefully be releasing an open-edition print of this piece soon. After that, the original will be part of my March 2026 solo show at Hidell Brooks Gallery.

Thank you again for all of your kindness and support! I have so many more paintings I want to do, and it is so encouraging to know they are starting to connect with people. Thank you.

- Kim 

Want to see how I make my Cookie Landscape Paintings?

Hey folks, if you are interested in following the daily progress of my Cookie Landscape painting series, which I'll be debuting at my March 2026 solo show at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina, make sure you check in on my TikTok or my Instagram stories to see the latest (remember that the Instagram stories are only up for 24 hours, so to see all of the clips, check my TikTok). 

Check out the latest video, where I show you some insights about the complicated planning stages for the cookie/frosting paintings. In case you are curious, there's no AI of any kind here! Just my brain and a bit of imagination creating a good old-fashioned sketch and color sketch, followed by me baking and decorating a real cookie/frosting scene, then spending many many hours painting it. 

Like this one, still in progress: Butterflies in the Sky, 24" x 24", acrylic on panel.

Check out my latest behind-the-scenes video if you want to see the crazy process I have for making the models for my Cookie Landscape paintings. This one, Butterflies in the Sky, is still a work in progress!

I hope these paintings bring a little bit of joy into your life! Thanks as always for your interest!

Six New Mini Original Ice Cream Paintings

 

Mini Strawberry Sauce, 7" x 5", acrylic on panel.

Happy Thursday! I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season! I've just finished six mini ice cream paintings that were just delivered to Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I thought I'd share them here. It was really nice to go back to painting some small pieces after spending months painting big ones. 

Check the Hidell Brooks website for availability. I hope they make you smile!

Mini Birthday Cake Cone, 7" x 5", acrylic on panel.

Mini Cookies and Cream, 7" x 5", acrylic on panel.

Mini Twist, 7" x 5", acrylic on panel.

Mini French Vanilla, 7" x 5", acrylic on panel.

Mini Cherry and Chocolate, 7"x 5", acrylic on panel.

New Print Available - Chocolate Vanilla Fudge Ripple Triple Scoop Ice Cream Cone

 

Chocolate Vanilla Fudge Ripple Fine Art Open Edition Ice Cream Cone Print.
Size: 19" x 9.5". Printed on heavy-weight museum quality paper with archival inks. 

I'm happy to announce the release of my latest print: the Chocolate Vanilla Fudge Ripple Triple Scoop Ice Cream Cone, based on one of my original 2024 paintings. You can see me paint the original piece on my youtube channel here. Please note that the print itself is slightly smaller than the original painting. But it's still the tallest print I've ever made!

If you've followed my work and seen me talk about my prints before, you may remember that I'm very very particular about my prints. They aren't exact replicas of the original paintings, in part because I remove the original painted signature to better showcase the pencil signature, and I make sure the background is a super-clean white. So none of these are scan-and-go prints. I spend many hours editing them to perfection, trying to make each look as close to the feeling of the original painting as I can. I want them to look great on your walls, and so I treat each as their own work of art. I cut the paper by hand (which is super-tricky!), and ensure the colors are as close as possible to my original vision. It isn't easy. But that's the way I want things to be!

As for the original painting, I really loved working on this piece, in particular the fudge ripple, which was complicated but worth the time. Again, check out the video to see if you can figure out how I did it! Keep in mind that, as usual, I sculpted the original cone for the reference photo by hand in my kitchen. No stock imagery! It's always a bit of a mess, with a lot of trial-and-error and a lot of drips on my floor, but a few hundred photos later, and I find something I can work with. 

So for all of the chocolate lovers out there, this print is for you! Thanks for visiting!

Available on my website. 

First Look - Another New Giant New Ice Cream Cone Painting - Sunshine Sherbet

 

Sunshine Sherbet, acrylic on panel, 50" x 40". Soon to be available via Hidell Brooks Gallery.  

It's been a little bit since I've posted to my blog! I've been working furiously on some new large paintings (and some extra surprises), as well as taking care of two elderly kitties whom I just love so very much. It's a lot, and I just haven't had time to post, but I'm really happy to share this very cheerful giant ice cream cone painting that is on its way to Hidell Brooks Gallery. At 50" inches tall, it was quite daunting to work on, but I really enjoyed the colors, movement and sort of sculptural effect of the piece. It's important to me to get those really deep shadows of the folds of ice cream as well as the detailed icy highlights, but that extra little section of the three colors striped together in the middle, with a sort of wave, just gave this piece so much personality. I just felt like it was an explosion of sunshine, and I sincerely hope it makes you smile!

I have one more giant piece I'm working on that may take a bit more time. But I'm also working on six tiny ice creams, all 7" x 5", just for a change of pace to return to my roots of painting smaller art. I'll be sharing those soon. Thanks so much for visiting!

First Look at One of My New Giant Ice Cream Paintings - Sprinkles & Cherry Cone

 

Sprinkles & Cherry Cone, acrylic on panel, 48" x 36". Completed October 2024 and shipping soon to Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

Happy Saturday! I'm in the middle of finishing up three giant ice cream paintings that I'll hopefully be shipping soon to Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, so I haven't gotten a chance to keep up with new posts as much I'd like to. But I'm happy to share this first new cone here today! 

Sprinkles are always a challenge and time-consuming, but they really make such a difference in the feel of a piece. As with all my pieces, I sculpted the ice cream for the reference photo myself by hand. The cherry added just that final celebratory twist, and I decided to crop closer on the image for the painting, which cuts the picture plane in half but really make you feel like it's just you and this giant ice cream cone hanging out in a state of joy. 

I'll share a few behind-the-scenes images soon, and some images of the other two cones when they are finished, but for now, I hope this Sprinkles & Cherry Cone makes you smile! Thanks for looking!

See what else is currently available at Hidell Brooks Gallery. 

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.

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 an open-edition print.

Hot off the press! I'm excited to announce that my Cotton Candy Swirl painting is now available as an open-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!

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.

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!

Short Step by Step Acrylic Painting Video Demo of the Strawberry Crunch Ice Cream Bar

 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend! I just thought I'd share the video I've just posted to my new YouTube channel of the steps I used in painting this year's Strawberry Crunch Bar, acrylic on panel, 24" x 18", available at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina.

This was a super-complicated piece, and there isn't really any way to make it easier to paint. Just piece by piece by piece. I actually started on this piece in May 2023, then abandoned it for a full year, thinking I'd taken too much on. But I decided to persevere, and here it is! I hope you enjoy watching! Thanks for stopping by!

Strawberry Crunch Bar, acrylic on panel, 24" x 18". Available at Hidell Brooks Gallery.

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cone - New Print Available

 

Cookies and Cream 2, 16" x 12", 2022, SOLD. New print available at kimtestone.com.

Happy Thursday! Just a brief announcement that I've posted a new open-edition print of Cookies and Cream 2 to my website. The painting that this print is based on was originally done as a 16"x12" acrylic commission on panel. The print is a borderless 16" x 12", so sized exactly as the original. 

As you might know, I use my own reference photos 99% of the time, which gives me complete control over making a subject that fits my vision. I've found that when using cookies and cream ice cream, store-bought ice cream has almost no sizeable cookie pieces. To fix this, I buy a separate package of Oreos, break them up and add some in while I'm sculpting and photographing the reference. It might not be reality, but it is how we imagine things to be, and it certainly makes for a much happier and more nostalgic painting! 

One extra note: I actually put quite a bit of effort into my prints, so I like to call them artist-remastered. The background is clean and white, and I have removed the original painted signature, to better showcase the penciled signature and title of the prints. I want to make prints that both capture the original painting as closely as possible and that act as their own individual piece of art on your wall.

Thanks for stopping by!

Short Step by Step Acrylic Painting Video Demo of the Orange & Yellow Sherbet Ice Cream Cone

 

Here are some short clips of me painting the Orange & Yellow Sherbet Cone, acrylic on panel, 16" x 12", showing the progression from beginning to end. My paintings always consist of layers over layers, clarifying the shapes and colors as I go. I hope you enjoy! Thanks for watching! 

16 Recent Happy Hyperrealistic Ice Cream Paintings

 

Hey there, I've put together a little video slideshow of 16 of my most recent happy ice cream paintings, from late 2023 to today. It's nice to see them all together because it helps me to see how far I've come. 

Some of the paintings are very recent and still available. Most of them have been sold. Please feel free to visit Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina, either online or in person to see what's left. 

Thanks so much for visiting! Hope they make you smile!

Painting a Caramel Swirl Ice Cream Cone - Step by Step

Caramel Swirl Ice Cream Cone, 28"x20", acrylic on panel, 2023.

When I paint, I often try to tackle some really complicated pieces. This caramel swirl ice cream cone painting, which I just finished this week, was one of those! Painting something with so many elements requires lots of layers and lots of patience. If you've followed my paintings before on social media or years ago on this blog, you may be aware that I build the paintings up from back to front, refining the layers, details and colors as I go, rather than painting from left to right. 

So below are some images of the major steps in building the layers of this piece. It will be shipping to Hidell Brooks Gallery in January, to be a part of one of their pop-up shows. Thanks so much for looking!

Rough-in the shapes. It's complicated, so this is just like laying the foundation for the puzzle, so I know where everything fits. 

I like to clarify my shapes by finding the darkest areas first. This is particularly relevant because I build the painting from back to front, so I prefer to establish the darks and layer on the lights later. 

More defining of shapes, adding in the bottom part of the ice cream and the cone. It's tough to not get lost, but if I rush this part it will be so much harder later.

Beginning to glaze in the colors. My paintings are rarely made of just solid flat colors. Instead, they are layer upon layer of color that ever-so-slightly allows the light to move through the layers and bounce back at the viewer, providing more dimension to the pieces in person. This is also a time to continue both refining the shapes and giving them dimension, even the small parts.

Most of the major parts are here, but to make it look more real and dimensional, there are still a lot of shapes and colors that need refining with added layers. 

Final 28" x 20" acrylic painting. This painting will be available via Hidell Brooks Gallery soon. It was definitely complicated, but as with every painting, I learned a lot in the process that I'll carry on to future works. Thanks for looking!

Step by Step Slideshow of Vices Painting - Diet Coke, Mini Donuts, Hershey's Bar, Tobacco

"Vices," acrylic on panel, 20" x 16.

Click here to view the step-by-step slideshow of this painting on my Instagram page.

Thanks for visiting!