Whether your work is representational or nonrepresentational, composition matters.

“Is this painting ho-hum?” asks the painter of a lush rural landscape. Find out what’s right about the work and what’s needed?

The expressive energy of the falcon in the painting American Kestrel makes the work a success. Learn how a greater sense of depth could make the painting even better.

Colored pencil is an ideal choice of medium for the artwork, Brass, Copper and Silver.

Three factors contribute to the dramatic effect of a charcoal portrait by Diane Chilson.

Teasels and Berries (watercolor) is a lovely botanical painting that should inspire artists to explore this unusual and interesting genre.

You can learn a lot about handling color from a paper mosaic.

Enjoying the Sunlight (pastel) by Ida M. Glazier grabs the viewer’s eye for several reasons: good use of light and dark color contrast, a solid composition and excellent use of texture.

No matter how representational or realistic, a painting must be based on an underlying composition of interesting shapes, effective use of contrast, and a path for the eye.

Sometimes an abstract painting—that is, a non representational painting such as Moon Walk by P.A. Pearson—can seem harder to critique than a painting with identifiable subject matter.