Artist Explains How She Made a Gallery-Worthy Painting With Her Young Kids
TikToker and artist Kelly Madsen of @madsenco just saved summer, and maybe that bare wall in your house you've been wondering how to decorate with her DIY hack.
With only a $30 canvas from Hobby Lobby, some paint, and a lot of creativity, she created an art masterpiece worthy of hanging in a gallery, making it the perfect kids' summer project. Using kids' artwork as decor is one of my favorite things to do as a mother, because frankly, kids are naturally more creative in my opinion, and every single thing they do looks like a masterpiece to me. I have two paintings I use as primary decor in my own home that my kids have painted, and I love them both.
Madsen posts a lot of fun, easy kids' crafts that double as home decor, and while she admits that being an actual artist helps a lot in the craft department, she swears this particular art project is way "easier than you think" and "definitely worth trying."
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Madsen describes that the canvas masterpiece took about 4 hours to paint over 2 days, and she and her 2 young kids painted it in layers, adding details as they went to really make it look professional.
First, they started with a background, covering the entire canvas in paint to build the base.
@madsenco Here's the deal, I realize that I am an artist and my kids paint a lot so you make think that there is no way your family could do this… but I think youd be surprised. It's easier than you think. This canvas was only $30 from Hobby Lobby so it's definitely worth trying. It took us about 4 hours to paint it over two days. We started out with the background and made sure to cover the entire canvas. We let it dry and then started on some leaves, making sure to add in some contrast with dark and light colors. Once that was dry we started on the flowers. You can see I printed out some reference images from Pinterest. Just look up pictures of flowers and do your best. The trick is lots of layers! Just keep adding flowers until you are satisfied. We finished it all off with some details using oil pastel! It was a lot of fun and my kids were so excited about it and proud of what they accomplished!
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Next, she explained in her caption that they let the canvas dry, then started on some leaves, making sure to add contrast with dark and light colors. Once that layer was dry, it was time for the flowers. Madsen printed some images from Pinterest for the kids to look at for reference and inspiration. "Just look up pictures of flowers and do your best!" she recommends.
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If you attempt to create their flowery masterpiece, Madsen says the "trick" to making it look like a gallery painting worthy of hanging on a wall is to use plenty of layers. "Just keep adding flowers until you are satisfied," she notes.
To complete the painting, she also recommends using oil pastel to add the final details. The comment section was full of praise not only for what a great craft project it was, but also for how meaningful it is to have kids be a part of a painting like that.
"Girl. I would literally never stop staring at that," said one TikTok commenter. "It's perfect!!"
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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 1:40 PM.