You first must be able to faithfully render what you see in the real world before you can exaggerate or modify.
Realism is achieved by:
- modelling – forms, shapes, proportion, perspective
- lighting – value control
- edges – hard, soft, lost
- colour
Realism does not depend upon the colours. More detail does not add to realism. Photorealism is the illusion of a 3/2D surface. One has to understand how the human mind perceives form. When that it is comprehended, then one can manipulate it.
Juxtapose realism and abstraction creates contrast, transparent vs opaque, dark vs light
The illusion of painting is to view the painting at a distance and perceive it a s real, yet when viewed up close, one sees that it is indeed a painting, an abstraction of reality.