Most painting problems aren't paint problems
They're composition decisions you never made.
Design & Composition is a seven-lesson course that gives you a complete pre-painting decision system — so you know exactly what the painting is about before the brush goes down.
THE PROBLEM
You get halfway through a painting and something feels off. The values are working. The color is fine. But the whole thing just isn't landing.
Most of the time, that's a composition problem. And composition problems are almost impossible to fix once the painting is underway. The decisions that matter most — where things go, how close you get, what stays and what gets cut — needed to happen before you started.
This course is about making those decisions consciously. Every time. Before the brush touches the paper.
What You’ll Learn
The five composition mistakes that show up constantly — and exactly how to fix them
The alternative rule of thirds — a more flexible interval system than the traditional grid
Scale decisions — close-up, medium, long shot — and how your why determines which one you need
How to find the why in any subject and build a composition that sells exactly that one thing
Shadows and lead-ins as design tools — how to move the viewer's eye with intention
How to simplify a complicated scene down to three big shapes — and how to add life to a dull one
The pre-painting blueprint — a simple decision checklist you'll use before every painting from here on
Who Is This For?
This course is for artists who already know how to paint but keep running into the same problem: paintings that feel technically okay but compositionally flat. Students who copy references too literally, who start without a plan, or who discover halfway through that something fundamental isn't working.
If you've been through Drawing Is Everything, Drawing Fundamentals, or any of the Deconstruction Lab courses — this is the next layer. The system you've been building gets a lot more intentional with a solid composition framework underneath it.
FROM THE LAB
Your video calmly prods you along from the construct to "capture the essence, knucklehead." That is the key for me. I now draw asking "what does it feel like" and make lines with expression not perfection. Eventually, the creative brain lights up and takes over because it likes repetition. The essence of the object is never lost in the process.
LARS WENTZEL · DECONSTRUCTION LAB STUDENT
This course is part of the Deconstruction Lab ecosystem.
Design & Composition builds directly on the system taught in the foundation courses. Before diving in, here's what's recommended:
Highly Recommended
Drawing Is Everything — the core philosophy and progression system. Referenced throughout this course.
Values & Color — value structure and the tonal vs. chromatic system are used extensively in every section.
Design & Composition - Pre-painting decisions. The blueprint. What goes where and why. (You Are Here)
New to art or drawing?
Drawing Fundamentals — start here before anything else. Covers observation, line, mark making, and structural drawing from the ground up.
The Deconstruction Lab
A complete foundation pathway
Drawing Is Everything - The philosophy. Everything builds on top of this. You don't have a drawing problem. You have a thinking problem.
Drawing Fundamentals - Structure is the permission slip. This is where you build it.
Values & Color - Most painting problems aren't color problems. They're value problems. This fixes that.
Design & Composition - Most painting problems aren't paint problems. They're composition decisions you never made. (You Are Here)
Watercolor One: Loose On Purpose - Watercolor isn't fragile. This course proves it.
Acrylic One - Most acrylic courses teach you how to finish a painting. This one teaches you how to think with paint.
Mixed Media One (Coming Soon)
ENROLLMENT OPEN
Design and Composition
One-time purchase. Lifetime access.
Use the blueprint on every painting you make from here on.