How I Go From a Sketched Idea to a Fully Realized Painting

 

A quick pencil sketch from my sketchbook, that became my in-progress "Butterflies in the Sky" painting below.

Still a work in progress..."Butterflies in the Sky," acrylic on panel, 24" x 24". 

The sketch at the top of the page here took me all of about 30 seconds, with a few notes added in the seconds afterward. I generally keep my sketchbook near me, whether I'm doing household chores, preparing meals or painting. My ideas appear as out-of-the-blue epiphanies, as a flash, and I get them down as quickly as possible, then move on with my day. 

When it comes time to decide what I'll be working on next, I flip through my sketchbook, and consider which of my sketches are worthy of being developed. Then it becomes a more refined color sketch, and after that, for my Cookie Landscape paintings, I bake and decorate the scene, photograph it, and proceed to the many hours -- often hundreds of hours -- of the painting process. 

I'm really loving working on these Cookie Landscapes. They enable me to be endlessly creative, and hone my technical skills as well. From across the room, they really look quite magical, quite dimensional (despite being totally flat), and that challenge of being able to create a painting that isn't just fun and beautiful, but one that can also trick people into thinking that there is some sort of dimension or texture, it really excites me as an artist. 

If you like these works and want to see more, I post my daily progress frequently to TikTok and to my Instagram stories. If you want to see full process videos, I post those, too, when the pieces are done. You can check out my latest one, showing the process of designing, baking, decorating, then painting "Here Comes the Sun" on my Instagram. 

Thanks so much for visiting! 

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!

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.

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.

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.

 

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.

Short Step by Step Acrylic Painting Video Demo of a Chocolate Vanilla Fudge Ripple Ice Cream Cone

Here's are some video clips of me recently painting this 24" x 12" Chocolate Vanilla Fudge Ripple Triple Scoop Ice Cream Cone, acrylic on panel. I loved working on this one, though it did require a lot of extra time, particularly the details in the ripples of fudge. In all, it took about 50 to 60 hours to complete. Thanks for looking!

Chocolate Vanilla Fudge Ripple Triple Scoop, acrylic on panel, 24" x 12", by Kim Testone.

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! 

Painting the Neopolitan Ice Cream Cone

 

I recently completed this 24" x 12" acrylic on panel Neopolitan Ice Cream cone. It's the first painting where I've ever stacked up the ice cream into three vertical scoops. There weren't any tricks involved when obtaining the reference photo for this baby. Just a lot of melted ice cream on my kitchen floor. I had a few other photos from that day that I thought could have worked, and maybe I'll paint them in the future. But this one seemed to strike a good balance of the solid forms of the scoops of ice cream and the just-beginning-to-melt look. 

So here are a few of the steps from that process. As always, I paint with a lot of overlapping layers, building the painting from back to front. Thanks for looking!

Painting the Neopolitan - Step One:

Getting the rough shapes and colors defined.

Step 2:

Continue refining those rough colors and shapes.

Step 3:

Starting the push-pull of deepening the darks and lightening the lights while further defining the shapes.

Step 4:

Getting there! Much more clearly defining the shapes, colors and transitions to begin making convincing three-dimensional shapes.

And done! Thanks for looking!

SOLD

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 Wonder Woman Monopoly Painting

"Poised for Victory," acrylic on panel, 16" x 20"

See a video slideshow of some step-by-step photos of this painting here on my Instagram page. 

Thanks for visiting!

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!

Mixing Acrylic Colors Part 1 - Overcoming Color Shift

Example of Color Shift - The wet paint appears lighter than the dry paint of the same color.

If you've ever tried to paint an area of a painting using a flat single acrylic color, like the color of this notebook I'm painting in this image, you have very likely witnessed "color shift." Sometimes it's more obvious in certain colors than in others, but it's always there. In the example above, the wet paint is significantly lighter than the dry paint. This is just one of the reasons why mixing colors in acrylic is tricky compared to other mediums.

While I mix many of my colors in small quantities on my palette, just as I used to do in oil, it doesn't stay wet long enough for me to use these small piles on larger areas that need to be a single flat color. Using a single flat color is also a great way to establish a local color that is later refined and glazed with details to provide dimension. And because it's next to impossible to mix the exact color twice due to the color shift phenomenon, acrylic painters need a better solution than struggling back and forth to wait for colors to dry to see if they match.

In art stores, they sell fairly large containers intended to store acrylic paint mixes. But I wanted a simpler solution for mixing my colors. I wanted something small, disposable, suitable for my small paintings and inexpensive.

On a whim, I decided to explore the disposable container section of my local Target, and after picking up several items, I was drawn to this one: Diamond Daily Mini Cups.

These wonderful little cups come in a bag of 50, with lids, and are only a few dollars, making them cheap enough for me to mix colors in quantities just large enough for the particular painting I'm working on. I use anywhere from a couple of flat color mixes to up to 20 for each painting.

A few of my color mixes for a painting I'm currently working on.

 These containers will keep the paint fresh for at least a day. However, I have learned that if I store them securely in a ziploc storage bag, I can keep them fresh for up to a week or more, depending on the brand of paint (M. Graham stays wet longer than Golden) and the particular colors (some seem to dry out faster than others).

Paint containers stored in a ziplock bag.

I've found this to be such a simple solution that makes it much easier to avoid the color shift problem. Give this method a try, and I'll discuss additional details about how I mix these colors correctly and use them more economically in future posts.

In the mean time, happy painting!

Finished painting - "On the Scene," 8" x 8", acrylic on panel (commission).

Behind the Scenes Photos of Ice Cream Cone with Chocolate and a Cherry Acrylic Daily Painting

"Standing Tall," acrylic on panel, 7" x 5".

I just thought I'd share a few progress photos I took of this daily acrylic painting. The secret to working realistically in acrylic is, as I've shared before, thin layers and a medium mix made of 70% medium (my preference is matte) and 30% water.

You can also see here that I originally included the surface the cone was sitting on, but boldly decided to cut it out in the end! Enjoy!

Behind the Scenes - Acrylic Painting of Life Board Game Wheel and Board

"Life's About the Journey," acrylic on panel, 11" x 14".

I again used our early 90s Life Board Game as the model for this piece. At 11" x 14", it's one of my larger pieces, which is always a challenge, but definitely pushes my painting skills.

Here are some behind-the-scenes photos of the painting process. Thanks for looking! 

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Step by Step Photos of New Superboy and Snacks Acrylic Painting

"Solo Adventure," acrylic on panel, 12" x 12".

I've been gradually easing into a few larger works (at least larger to me), and while most have been in the realm of commissions, this one is the beginning of a new series of pieces that are more personal.

I've always had a love for comic books and nostalgia. So when I stumbled upon an array of 50-cent vintage comic books at a local comic book convention my husband and I attended, I walked away with a stack. I didn't need them to be in pristine condition; if they were perfect, many would have been worth far more than 50 cents. But I wanted to paint them, alongside my other vintage or vintage-style items, and to me, the more beat-up, the better.

I arranged this first still life by chance, after pulling some random objects from my collection of props and trying a few things out. But this piece just seemed right, with hints of primary colors binding the three things together. And all in a vintage style. The book is from 1977 - almost 40 years old - so I can imagine a little boy (or girl! We girls like comics, too!) in the 70s picking up this issue of Superboy for the first time and settling in with his or her snacks for a fun solo adventure.

Here are some behind-the-scenes photos of this piece as I painted it. I still need to work on the finish, but I'll be posting it to my Etsy store soon. Thanks for visiting!
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1. Starting to block in the drawing with a mix of payne's gray and raw umber.

2. I want this to be pretty accurate, but I know I'm going to be painting over a lot of these shapes, accidentally or on purpose, as part of my layering technique, so the darks are there but not very refined.

3. When I can, I try to work with the broadest areas of color first before I refine any details. So for this one, it was the two yellow areas - on the comic and on the mallo cup package. Two distinct shades of yellow - for the cover I used Azo yellow as the base, for the mallo cup I used Bismuth yellow (one I never used before, but I fortunately had some I'd gotten years ago).

4. For me, I find that sometimes you just have to start getting color on the piece, so it starts to come alive. If I try to refine just a small area at a time, I get bogged down by a lack of enthusiasm. So I keep looking for the places of the painting that are asking to be built up, so I'm constantly enjoying the process.

5. I've added quite a bit of the colors here, so there's at least some paint in most areas of the painting at this point. That also makes it easier for me to see the piece as a whole and figure out what needs to be changed before I start going into the details.

6. I spent many hours refining the details with layer after layer of paint. That means painting and repainting areas until they look right. I'm not a one-shot wonder like some artists are blessed to be! I labor over each brushstroke.

7. In all this piece took somewhere between 25 and 30 hours. But I think it's a leap forward for me and well worth the time. Thanks for visiting!