Every painting has two essential parts to it: the subject matter and the composition. The subject matter can be any object like an apple, a tree or a person. The composition covers both design elements (such as shapes, colors, textures, etc.) as well as design principles (contrast, movement, emphasis, etc.) For many artists, one of the biggest obstacles is whether to paint the composition first or the subject matter. In this article, we share some tips on how to overcome this commo