The Biggest Mistake New Painters Make (And How to Fix It)

I see it all the time in my classes. A student sits down, excited and ready to paint. They look at their reference image, pick up a small brush, and start painting… details.

The highlights on the water. The individual flowers. The texture on a tree trunk.

And I gently have to stop them and say: “Not yet.”

Because rushing to the details before building your foundation is one of the biggest mistakes new painters make. And it’s the reason so many paintings feel like they’re falling apart, even when you’ve worked really hard on them.

Why the White Surface Has to Go

The first thing I like to do when starting a painting is get rid of that glaring white surface (in most cases when I paint)

White lies to you. It makes it incredibly difficult to judge your colours accurately because everything looks different on white than it will in the finished painting.

In the demonstration I’m sharing today (from my Brush Flow community), I started with a warm yellow-orange ground colour. Why? Because I wanted that glow to come through and pop through in different places throughout the painting.

That underpainting creates unity. Little pops of it showing through tie the whole piece together in a way that feels cohesive and intentional.

Your ground colour doesn’t have to follow strict rules. It could be the complementary colour of your subject. It could be a warm tone if you’re painting something predominantly cool, or vice versa. It’s really about what’s going to support the painting you’re creating.

Big Shapes Before Details – Always

Here’s where the real mistake happens. New painters are in a hurry to get to the detail. And I completely get it – the highlights are the fun bit! The details are what make a painting come alive.

But details need to come last. Not first.

Start with the big shapes:

• The sky as one big shape
• The trees as another
• The water and foreground as separate masses

This gives you an overview of the whole composition. You can see if it’s working before you’ve invested hours in details that might not even serve the painting.

If I went straight in and started painting individual stones or details inside the trees, I wouldn’t have the structure or foundation underneath to build upon.

Think of it like building a house (not that I’ve ever built one!). You wouldn’t start laying bricks onto mud. You’d lay a foundation first that supports everything above it.

It’s the same with painting. Without that structure and foundation, your painting will ultimately fall apart.

Breaking Down the Shapes

Once I have those bigger shapes mapped out, I can start to break down some of those elements.

You’ll see in the video that I start to break up the trees so they’re not completely flat – because if I left them as solid shapes, I wouldn’t get any depth or sense of dimension.

But notice I’m still leaving pops of that warm undertone showing through. That’s key to creating unity.

Tips for this stage:

• Use big brushes – the bigger the better. It stops you from getting into detail too soon
• Step back often to view your painting from further away
• If you’re working from a reference, try blurring the image, taking your glasses off, or squinting at it so you’re only seeing the big structures, not the details
• Work around the whole painting, not finishing one area at a time. If you’ve mixed a colour, use it in multiple places

When Details Finally Come In

Now here’s the exciting part. Once I have that structure underneath – once I can see the trees, the composition is working, the values are in place – THEN I can start bringing in the light and the details.

And it is the fun part, I’m not going to lie. When you start building in the detail and the light, it really brings the painting alive.

But we have to have those bigger shapes and that solid foundation first.

You’ll see in the demonstration that I’ve held back from moving to smaller brushes until the painting is ready for it. I’m not laying detail on top of nothing. I’m adding finishing touches to a structure that already works.

The Process That Actually Works

Let me recap the process:

1. Ground colour first Get rid of that white surface. Put down a colour that will support your painting and create unity.

2. Map out the big shapes Use big brushes. Get your value structure in place. Make sure your composition works as a whole.

3. Break down elements gradually Start refining those big shapes into smaller forms, but still keeping things relatively simple.

4. Work around the whole painting Move colours around. Create unity. Don’t finish one section and move on.

5. Details last Only when your foundation is solid do you add those exciting highlights, textures, and finishing details.

Stop Thinking About the End Result

This is the mindset shift that changes everything: stop thinking about the finished painting and start thinking about the process.

Think about the stages you need to go through before you get to that end result. Be patient with yourself. Don’t be in a hurry to get to the detail.

Your painting will be stronger, clearer, and it will work so much more if you build up those different elements properly.

Your Challenge

Next time you sit down to paint:

• Hide your small brushes if you need to
• Squint at your reference to eliminate detail
• Map out those big shapes first
• Step back constantly to check the overall structure
• Resist the urge to add exciting details until your painting is absolutely ready

Even if you have to step away for a few minutes and come back with fresh eyes, avoid getting to those exciting parts too soon.

Trust the process. Build your foundation. And watch how much stronger your paintings become.

Happy painting!

Michelle ✨