> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://craftedbyrobert.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Why I Paint the Same Subject Over and Over (and Why You Should Too) - URL: https://craftedbyrobert.com/paint-the-same-subject-over-and-over/ - Published: 2026-11-13T13:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-13T13:00:00.000Z - Description: Why I’ve painted the same simple bottle for 12+ years: the subject is just a way to explore. Construct it, push it, and find new ways to paint it. - Author: Robert Joyner - Tags: Process, Free Lessons I’ve been painting the same simple bottle for over 12 years. Not because I’m bored or out of ideas, but because the subject isn’t the point. **How** I paint it is. ### The subject is a way to explore Most of us think about *what* we’re painting. But when I looked back through my archives, I’d painted certain subjects dozens of times, and the journey of how each one was painted is what changed. A simple subject is easy to push around. It’s not a cityscape or a complex landscape, so you can focus on the process instead of the subject. Each of my bottle paintings took about 20 minutes, painted one after another in a single session. ### Step 1: Construct it First, learn how the subject is built. What’s the basic shape? What makes it recognizable? For my bottle, it’s the neck, the shoulders, and the diamond label. Everybody wants to jump to the end result, but you need to be able to draw it in a structured way first. See [how to draw loose: construct and deconstruct](https://craftedbyrobert.com/how-to-draw-loose-construct-deconstruct/). [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ee/ee/eeee3f8a-028a-4efa-99e3-5af9bc505602/content/images/2026/10/learn-mixed-media-painting-4.webp)](https://craftedbyrobert.com/learn-mixed-media/) ****Want to Create Loose Mixed Media Art, Slacker?** Learn the fundamentals, experiment with collage and layers, and develop your own expressive style. [👉 Learn Mixed Media With Me ](https://craftedbyrobert.com/learn-mixed-media/) ### Step 2: Push it Once you know the subject, loosen up. Add expression and a little emotion: - Arbitrary colors (there’s no light blue in the real thing, and that’s the point) - Curly hair, straight lines, scribbles, dots - Light pressure, heavy pressure, big movements Get it to a point where it barely makes sense. That’s creative freedom, getting outside your comfortable little space. See [loosen up your drawing: range of motion](https://craftedbyrobert.com/loosen-up-your-drawing-range-of-motion/). ### Do it on scrap paper first Drawing costs almost nothing, and painting and drawing are really the same thing. One pushes color, the other pushes graphite. Practice on scrap paper first, where nothing is precious, then switch to inks and paint and do the same thing. Hang your experiments up and look again a week later. What looked like child’s play may suddenly look pretty cool. That’s your vision adjusting to something new. ### Break your subject into small pieces Not into bottles? Try this with a landscape: - Take just **a tree** and push it - Come back later and go nuts with **clouds** - Then try **a building** on its own You’re not just learning to paint one thing. You’re building an arsenal of freedom: more range of motion, more visual range, more materials. When you go back to the full painting, you have far more to work with. For more ideas, see [paint everyday objects](https://craftedbyrobert.com/paint-everyday-objects-mixed-media-still-life/) and [10 tips for painting loose](https://craftedbyrobert.com/tips-for-painting-loose/). Learn Structure. Paint Loose. **Construct. Deconstruct. Explore. Repeat.** ### Painting the same subject FAQ **Isn’t painting the same thing boring?** Not if you change how you paint it. The subject stays the same while your approach evolves. **What’s a good simple subject?** A bottle, a can, a mug, or a single element like a tree. **Should I draw before I paint?** Yes. Construct it with a quick drawing, then push it. **Does it matter if the experiments fail?** No. Most won’t turn out great, and that’s where the learning is.