Hyperrealism

"Hyperrealism is a genre of painting and sculpture resembling a high-resolution photograph."

The early 21st Century Hyperrealism was founded on the aesthetic principles of Photorealism. American painter Denis Peterson, whose pioneering works are universally viewed as an offshot of Photorealism, first used "Hyperrealism" to apply to the new movement and its splinter group of artists.
However, Hyperrealism is contrasted with the literal approach found in traditional photorealist paintings of the late 20th Century. Hyperrealist painters and sculptors use photographic images as a reference source from which to create a more definitive and detailed rendering, one that often, unlike Photorealism, is narrative and emotive in its depictions.

Hyperrealism, although photographic in essence, often entails a softer, much more complex focus on the subject depicted, presenting it as a living, tangible object. These objects and scenes in Hyperrealism paintings and sculptures are meticulously detailed to create the illusion of a reality not seen in the original photo. This is not to say they're surreal, as the illusion is a convincing depiction of (simulated) reality. Textures, surfaces, lighting effects, and shadows appear clearer and more distinct than the reference photo or even the actual subject itself.

Subject matter ranges from portraits, figurative art, still life, landscpaes, cityscapes and narrative scenes. The more recent hyperrealist style is much more literal than Photorealism as to exact pictorial detail with an emphasis on social, cultural or political themes. 

Hyperreal paintings and sculptures further create a tangible solidity and physical presence through subtle lighting and shading effects. Shapes, forms and areas closest to the forefront of the image visually appear beyond the frontal plane of the canvas, and in the case of sculptures, details have more clarity than in nature. Hyperrealistic images are typically 10 to 20 times the size of the original photographic reference source, yet retain an extremely high resolution in colour, precision and detail. Many of the painting are achieved with an airbrush, using acrylics, oils or a combination of both.

Photo vs Life

There are artists who sit in studios and use reference photos and then there are artists who sit outside and paint the world in front of them

Real vs Gaming

I personally use reference photos to draw from as I have had many times where I have simply been too slow and careful with my work that my subject or scene has simply gone. For example sunsets disappear so quickly that you cannot capture the true beauty of it if you are a slow artist, just like me.

Ricardo Garduno draws from reference photos

With reference photos you can also easily draw grids to check things such as positioning and proportion. I draw lots of people such as actors and singers (my most recent piece is on One Direction) and to get the proportion of the faces, the position of the eyes, lips and nose just right, I use a grid. Not everyone likes using a grid though as some people draw it on too hard and then cannot get rid of the evidence when they complete the drawing itself. Some people also struggle with grids and photos compared to painting or drawing from life because they cannot see the 3D of the world in a photo. Artists sometimes prefer to sit outside the same time repeatedly till they compete a painting or a drawing of a landscape or even a person.

Rob Pointon paints from real life

Life can be difficult though, unless you are a quick artist. The world moves so quickly and yet so slowly that the moment can be gone within seconds. Doing art from life however can also have its benefits as you can compare the piece of art to the real thing or even get the correct colour by simply comparing it there and then. Doing art from life also gives artists the opportunities to show of their work and their process of their art as almost free advertising.

There are four types of artists in the world. Ones that like to draw from pictures. Ones that like to draw from real life. Ones that like to draw free hand or from memory. And ones who really don't care.