Discuss ide437's answer to: How to design a prize winning painting

A painting that can be considered a masterpiece or prize winning should

have an interesting and well crafted subject.  It should also have a 

strong composition or coordinating aspects throughout the painting. That

simply means that the placement of objects or subjects throughout the

painting are pleasing to the eye and are arranged well, and the colors 

compliment the overall subject or help rather than hinder the overall goal

of the painting and what it intends to portray,  composition is key.

After that, shading and highlighting techniques add to the depth and

separate beginners levels from advanced skill levels.  At this stage, it's

all a matter of how skillfull the artist is with their brushes and pallet.