Photo Realism pays the bills,
practice and repetition help you master painting.

But your portfolio,
quietly tells your story.

Photo realism is a good start,
but you are infinitely more.

You tower over Leonardo,
look at Mona Lisa after you finish one of your paintings.

Her neck is too long, and to the side,
her body too big and asymmetrical, head too small.

(I am sure Leonardo saw more value in the beautiful cheerful company,
then anything else.)

Just a couple of paintings in,
you develop new superpowers.

Not just improved perception,
but the ability to help a model, pose well.

You know what to look for,
because you can see more.

You shouldn't ignore your new powers,
but continue innovating beyond photo realism.

Here showing your progression as an artist,
will become very important.

Galleries will be curious about it,
and your big buyers will become even more excited about your powers.

People will care about,
what is unique about you.

The path you took across different styles of art,
is one such thing.

Once you have your nine realistic portraits,
once you know them...

Brushstroke by brushstroke, shadow by shadow,
value by value... you than get to build upon them.

You can take to Modern Impressionism,
by rebuilding copies of your portraits to some degree.

Big brushstrokes where details do not matter,
little ones, where you want details to keep speaking for you.

If you start with nine Photo Realistic paintings,
and add three that you converted to impressionism.

Impressionism that directs the viewers attention
to both detail and the new backgrounds you get to add.

Where you impressionism speak even more,
with mountains, ocean, a boat, a hut, a snowy winter...

Not only do you become versed in Impressionism,
to a degree no mere critic could possibly grasp...

But your new row of three,
becomes a step above Photo Realism.

Perhaps, impressionism will capture your attention for years,
and you'll completely outgrow photo realism never looking back.

Perhaps you'll continue towards Surrealism,
be it caricatures, or strange new worlds.

Here you take your Realistic painting,
rebuild the head to make it wider, make the eyes bigger, and mouth and nose closer together and smaller.

Though, the most beautiful thing about surrealism,
is that, if you do it right, it will make you laugh.

And if it is a friend you are painting,
and you two, share an inside joke that you express with surrealism...

Then you'll you have your first unforgettable work,
and the world giggle along with you for centuries.

It is not always clear at first,
and it is difficult to explain.

But as amazing as modern Photo Realist techniques are,
they mark the _the beginning of your great journey, into the infinite world of art.