Episode 146: The #1 Painting Mistake: Choosing Color Over Value

Honest Art Podcast with Jodie King · Apr 7, 2026 · 1m

If your paintings feel flat, it's not your color. It's your values. And this mistake is keeping your art stuck. Let's have a little heart-to-heart, artist to artist. If you've ever stood in front of a painting thinking, "Something's off … maybe it's the color," you are not alone. In fact, it's one of the most common traps artists fall into. But here's the truth most people aren't talking about. Your brain doesn't even prioritize color first. It prioritizes value, the lightness and darkness of what you're seeing. So when your entire painting lives in that safe, middle-value zone, it doesn't…