First, let me state that I believe the definition of “viral” in terms of social media is relative, both to the person sharing a post and with regard to the niche of the post. Early on when I was posting to TikTok, I had a video of me painting a giant ice cream sundae near 10,000 views. For me, at that time, that was viral. Today, I’m going to share three posts I had in the last several months that got between 150,000 and 420,000 views, which is generally considered to be truly viral for a smaller creator with a niche audience — like an artist!
I’ve gone through multiple on- and off-times of posting on TikTok. Today, I’m in the “off” mode, taking an indefinite break. There are a lot of upsides to sharing my paintings on TikTok, and the positive feedback I get is overwhelming, so it certainly picks me up and encourages me to keep pursuing my art, especially my new work. However, it is also a huge time-sink, not just with the creation of the videos, but both the necessary upkeep of responding to comments and just the natural curiosity that makes me constantly check, “How many likes am I at now? How many comments did I get? Why did this post not go out to many people?”
For last several months, I tried to be in an “on” mode for TikTok, posting relatively regularly, mostly short clips showing my process or final paintings. While I’m in the “off” mode today, I am very happy to have shared as much as I did there these last several months. Having started a new body of work with my Cookie Landscape trompe l’oeil paintings, it was genuinely encouraging to see how many people enjoyed them. I also feel like I became a better painter, because as people asked questions or made comments, it forced me to think about how or why I did something the way I did. In that respect, it was very much a form of education for me.
Until I get back to sharing more on TikTok, I’ll be just posting process videos and photos here on the MakingHappyArt blog.
For now, though, here are three videos that went viral there in the last several months.
- The Close-Up View of my flat acrylic trompe l’oeil painting “The Daydreamer.” This remains my most popular post, and it really came at a time when, honestly, I needed the self-esteem boost to acknowledge that this was not just a good painting, it was magical, which is what I wanted it to be. Like all of my new Cookie Landscape paintings (which are all based on real-life cookie/frosting models I make in my kitchen), this is flat, painted with many thin layers of acrylic using tiny brushes, in an attempt to make it look three-dimensional. I think that illusion-theme was what connected with — and continues to connect with — those who enjoy this new series. Within an hour of posting (which I actually did right before bed, I remember, around midnight on a Sunday), the comments were coming in so fast that I couldn’t respond to all of them!
@kimtestoneartist Ready for the painting close-up? I’m kind of proud of this one. I think it’s a bit magical. The Daydreamer, acrylic on panel, 24”x24”. Thanks for watching! Hope it made you smile! #painting #paintingprocess #acrylicpainting #realisticart #realisticpainting ♬ Magical Mystery – Mark Fabian & Alexander Smith
2. The Side View of “The Daydreamer” painting. I posted this not terribly long after the above close-up view of “The Daydreamer,” because a lot of people wanted me to prove that the painting was flat. It’s nice to know the illusion was so convincing! Plus, I think in the age of AI, when there are a lot of doubters on social media (rightfully so, mind you) about what it is real, it’s nice to see something real, especially in art.
@kimtestoneartist Thanks so much to everyone who watched, shared, saved or commented on my last video showing the up-close view of this painting, The Daydreamer, acrylic on panel, 24”x24”. You can watch that one here @Kim Testone Contemporary Art By request, I wanted to share some side views. I am so very grateful for all of the encouragement and support! I have so many more paintings I want to do, and I hope you’ll tune in to watch as I go. Solo show at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina, March 2026. I’ve also put some prints of The Daydreamer up on my website. It goes a long way to supporting my work and keeping me in the business of painting happy art! Thanks again for watching! #painting #paintingprocess #acrylicpainting #realisticart #realisticpainting ♬ Epic Music(863502) – Draganov89
3. “These are all flat acrylic paintings. Ready fo the Side Views?” This was my recent video that took off, and I think it’s just so much fun to watch, even for me, even having spent many hundreds of hours on this group of seven paintings for my upcoming March show at Hidell Brooks Gallery. So really, if you need to see something cheerful now and then, something a little bit magical as a pick-me-up when you are feeling down, consider this video your “old reliable” to go to. (But ugh, I will never live it down to see that typo in my text on this video (“fo” instead of “for”).
@kimtestoneartist Just for fun today! Sharing my most recent paintings, which will all be part of my upcoming show at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, NC, in March. All acrylic on panel, painting with tiny brushes, lots of thin translucent layers and a lot of patience! Thanks for watching! Hope you enjoyed! #art #artprocess #artist #acrylicpainting #realisticart ♬ Quirky Curiosities – Alexander Smith & Mark Fabian & Richard Kimmings
I hope you enjoyed these! If you like my paintings, and my quirky-yet-realistic style, I have so many more videos that I think are pretty darn good up on my TikTok. But very soon, I’m going to start posting straight to MakingHappyArt. At least, that’s where I am feeling I’m at today.
Be sure to stay tuned as I share more behind-the-scenes of my new Cookie Landscape paintings and my March solo show at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina. I also offer some excellent prints on my website of some of these new paintings, or you can join my Sweet Escapes Art Print Club to get a small print of one of them in your mailbox each month!
Back to my painting!
KIM
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