it's nice. but drawing a portrait in pastel from a photo is about 100 times easier than drawing from life. Playing a Jimi Hendrix solo on the guitar is not the same as being Jimi Hendrix. Yes I am moaning. No I cannot use pastels as good as this guy and I can't play the guitar. But if i just practiced for enough hours... voila.

The problem that arises from working from a photograph is that images often look flat. When you yourself view a subject you are using TWO LENSES - TWO EYES. This artist has had enough experience that he is able to go beyond his photograph original. Compare the two. The lighting is much more dramatic and nuanced than in the original photo.

Whether or not he used a photo, he still drew the image freehand.

Chuck Close works exclusively from photographs, and no one would describe his work as flat. Some artists' work require so many hours of labor that working with models becomes impractical.

I've covered this by stating that a person with the experience of working from life will know how to make an image look three-dimensional.

*music

Video added to music channel (music called by gold star member ant)