Do you feel stuck trying to make your paintings look “right” — and wish you could loosen up and just paint more freely?

This class is the first painting class in my Still Life Unleashed series, where we explore expressive, loose still life painting. This class is all about breaking habits, letting go of perfectionism, and giving yourself permission to paint in a freer, more intuitive way. I recommend taking my Designing Still Life class before the painting classes, that will help you get the most of the painting classes in this series.

In Break All the Rules: A Wonky Still Life, you’ll learn how to approach still life painting without focusing on realism, accuracy, or correctness.

This is a permission-based, design-first painting class designed to help you loosen rigid thinking and step away from trying to make things make sense. Instead of fixing, correcting, or aiming for a polished result, you’ll explore how to work with exaggerated shapes, unexpected proportions, and playful, wonky compositions.

We’ll use photographic references as inspiration — not something to copy — and focus on responding to what feels interesting rather than what feels safe.

Through this process, you’ll begin to build confidence, trust your creative instincts, and experience what it feels like to paint with more freedom, expression, and creativity.

What You’ll Learn:

How to break away from realism and stop trying to make things look “correct”
How to use shape, color, and placement in a loose, intentionally wonky way
How to exaggerate scale, tilt, and perspective to create interest
How to let go of perfectionism and work more intuitively
How to use reference photos as inspiration instead of something to copy
How to embrace awkward, unfinished, and unexpected results
How to build confidence by experimenting and exploring

Who This Class Is For:

Perfect for beginners and intermediate artists who want to:

Loosen up their painting style and feel less restricted
Break habits around perfectionism and “getting it right”
Explore a more playful, expressive still life painting approach
Build confidence before moving into more structured painting techniques

If you’re ready to let go of rigid rules and start painting with more freedom, confidence, and creativity, this class is for you!

Additional Resources:

Download the Class Resources

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You can download the class resources here.

Brenda VanderLeek

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