Mix enough paint :The most common error is to run out of paint halfway through.

Large brush: Use a large brush to achieve expressive strokes and prevent your background from being flat. You can swap to a finer brush for the fiddly details within the negative space amongst the objects.

Don’t overthink the shadows: Simplify the shadows by keeping them as basic shapes, allowing the focus to remain on the subject without distraction, remember hard lines draw focus so soften the shadow edges.

The background is our opportunity to manipulate the light and values behind the subject to enhance it in the best way possible.