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The #1 Painting Mistake: Choosing Color Over Value

Let me guess … your painting feels off, and your first instinct is to fix the color.

Use a different blue … a better red … maybe a pop of neon will save it …

And now you have a painting fully in the fuglies. 

I’m calling out one of the biggest mistakes I see artists make, especially in the first five to seven years. And listen, I made it too, so no shame here. 

But if your work feels flat, confusing, or just not quite “fine art” yet, there’s a damn good chance you’re focusing on the wrong thing. 

Most artists are obsessed with color, but your brain doesn’t even prioritize color first. It prioritizes VALUE. 

That means if your painting is sitting in a sea of medium tones, it doesn’t matter how sexy your color palette is. It’s going to fall flat.

And the reason this happens? It’s not because you’re bad at art. It’s because most of the paint we buy comes pre-loaded in middle values. 

Unless you’re intentionally pushing your lights lighter and your darks darker … everything stays stuck in that safe, boring middle.

Why Your Painting Feels Flat (And How to Fix It)

This episode is your wake-up call to stop blaming color and start paying attention to what actually creates impact. 

I talk about how 90 percent of stuck paintings come down to two things, and value is a BIG one. Then, I walk you through simple, no-BS ways to check your values, like using your phone or even just squinting at your work.

And then we get into the fun part. Actually changing it. 

Because once you understand how to push contrast, everything shifts. Your focal point becomes clear. Your painting has movement. Your viewer knows where to look.

And suddenly… your work feels like YOU meant it.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why your brain reads value before color and why that changes everything
• The fastest way to check if your painting is stuck in “meh” mode
• How to instantly create impact with lighter lights and darker darks 

Until next time, y’all!

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Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review so I can keep bringing peeps all the need-to-know about Honest Art®. We artists have to stick together, right? 

Interested in being a guest on a future episode of Honest Art®? Email me at amy@jodieking.com!

Resources Mentioned: 

• Ready to push your work to Fine Art status? Join me at one of my Honest Art® Workshops
• Ready to make your best art ever, alongside an incredible community of artists? Join us inside the Honest Art Society today!
• Want to dive even deeper into colors and values? Enroll in The Color Course for Rebels

• Have a question for Jodie? Ask it here: https://forms.gle/hxrVu4oL4PVCKwZm6 
• How are you liking the Honest Art® Podcast? Leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform and let us know!    
• Watch this full episode on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMquJfuMsSg0fr46BRdia1cWd-81GThzF

Want more from Jodie?

Learn from Jodie:

🎨The Color Course for Rebels: https://www.jodiekingart.com/ccfr  

🎨Honest Art® Society: https://www.jodiekingart.com/has 

🎨Studio Elite: https://www.jodiekingart.com/studioelite  

See some of Jodie’s favorite resources:

✍🏻Check out my free guide on how to hang and wire a painting: https://www.jodiekingart.com/how-to-hang-a-painting 

✍🏻Get my top 10 studio tools here: https://www.jodiekingart.com/10-studio-tools-opt-in 

✍🏻Learn 5 things they don’t teach you in art school: https://jodieking.com/work-with-me#free-rescources.0  

✍🏻See Jodie’s favorite things: https://www.amazon.com/shop/jodie_king_ 

🧘🏼‍♀️Guided Meditation for Creative Clarity: https://www.jodiekingart.com/guided-meditation

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