Oil paint background

Should I paint the background first or last? This is a question I hear quite often as an art tutor. It illustrates very well how many beginning portrait and still life painters think about painting. They focus on the subject matter of the painting first and foremost, and the background is a separate thing. Does Everything have a background? But the background problem only seems to appear when we paint a portrait, or a simple still life. Landscapepainters or painters who tackle more complex still life don't seem to worry so much about the background. One reason of course, is that a landscape is not considered to even have a background. And there is the clue to our problem. Even if a landscape painter is painting something quite close to a portrait or a still life, for example a single tree against a fairly simple sky, even then the landscape painter will not be left wondering what to do with the background. Usually the sky behind and the grassy field below is automatically considered as part of the painting. And yet, as soon as the tree turns into a vase of flowers, a bird on a branch, or a portrait, we seem to start wondering what to do with the background. And what would happen if we change it? Consider your Portrait as a Landscape So if you struggle with backgrounds then perhaps it would help to consider your subject matter as a landscape. Paint what you see and emphasize what you find important or beautiful. Don't forget that your art work goes from the left edge of the...