CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE EPISODE

Painting Composition Mistakes: Why Your Art Feels Off (And How to Fix It)

You can know every rule of composition and STILL end up with paintings that feel as stale as old toast.

Oof.

In this episode, I’m diving into something artists don’t talk about enough. Sometimes the thing ruining your paintings isn’t a lack of skill. It’s the opposition. 

It’s over-resolving.

Over-blancing.

Over-explaining.

Over-pleasing. 

We learn all the “right” compositional techniques like rules of thirds, focal points, negative space, and balance. But somewhere along the way, many artists accidentally paint the life right out of their work, trying to make it prettier, safer, or more acceptable. 

And listen, I’m saying this with love because I absolutely do this too. 

I’ve painted past the most alive part of a painting because I thought it needed more tweaking. More fixing. More balance. Then later I’d look back at an earlier photo and realize THAT was where all the emotion lived. 

This episode is about recognizing when composition stops supporting your work and starts suffocating it. 

Painting Composition Isn’t Just About Placement. It’s About Experience.

Composition is more than rules about where objects sit on the canvas. 

It’s tension.

Breathing room.

Interruption.

Movement. 

Emotion. 

It’s asking, “What actually matters here?”

And just as importantly, “What am I brave enough to remove?”

I share practical questions you can ask yourself while painting so you can stop overworking your pieces and start creating work that feels more alive, honest, and memorable. 

We also talk about

• Why pretty art doesn’t always have emotional power
• How people-pleasing shows up in painting
• The danger of making everything equally important
• 5 important questions you should be asking to audit your art 

This one is for every artist who has ever painted themselves straight into vanilla territory trying to get it “right”. 

Until next time, y’all!

Follow me on Instagram here or subscribe to my YouTube channel here.

Have a question for Jodie? Ask it here: https://forms.gle/hxrVu4oL4PVCKwZm6 

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: 

• I just released seats to my next few in-person workshops. Check them out and grab your spot: https://jodieking.com/workshop 
• Stop doing art alone! Join The Honest Art® Society and start making your best art yet: https://www.jodiekingart.com/has 
• Reach new heights in your art with Studio Elite, my 6-month group mentorship program: https://www.jodiekingart.com/studioelite 
• Want more on composition? Listen to Episode 40 – https://jodieking.com/episode-40-how-great-composition-takes-our-art-from-meh-to-amazing/ 
• Want more on composition? Listen to Episode 101 – The Need for Speed: How Speed Painting Can Enhance Your Art: https://jodieking.com/episode-101-the-need-for-speed-how-speed-painting-can-enhance-your-art/ 
• Joan Mitchell, City Landscape, 1955 – I love how it’s so unresolved! https://www.artchive.com/artwork/city-landscape-joan-mitchell-1955/ 
• Degas, Place de la Concorde, 1875 – I love the cropping. It feels so weird and off-balance. https://www.artchive.com/artwork/place-de-la-concorde-edgar-degas-1875/ 
• 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

DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission at no additional charge on your end. Thank you for supporting my channel!