But it's possible to identify definitive methodologies. Start with the most difficult area. Your freshness and early patience will help you to get it to your satisfaction and build the confidence to continue. As you move away from the difficult area, which as well is often the center of interest, defocus enhances the focal reality and the freshness of the whole. Start with the foreground or dominant motifs.
Compositions fail when the foreground is treated as an afterthought.
The foreground is the master of eye control. Elements as they proceed toward the back of the painting can be more arbitrary. Furthermore, it's often the foreground through which the subject is seen. Start with the end in mind. This means getting the whole pattern up early.