May 22nd, 2016: Pretty as a Picture

If you want a picture of someone you could hire a professional photographer.
Or, you could hire Leng Jun to paint it.

Leng Jun (冷军) is an influential Chinese contemporary artist best known for his hyperrealistic paintings and drawings.
Born in 1963 in Sichuan, Jun graduated from the fine arts department at the Hankou Branch of Wuhan Normal College
in 1984 and currently lives and works in Beijing.

The artist is renowned for the incredible detail in his works which can only truly be appreciated up close or with a
magnifying glass. In the paintings and close-ups below you can observe the incredible precision of his paintbrush,
even capturing the shadow cast by a sweater’s thread on his subject’s skin.

link

Most hyper realistic painters start with a photograph, though. Are they saying he visualizes this on his own?

Doesn't say, although I would imagine he'd have to.

Some people have a 'gift' which is probably weird brain wiring.

Really amazing detail. It looks better than a LOT of photos.

I would imagine texture is a hard thing to capture.

Her hair is the only thing that isn't just impressively realistic.

The fabric, button hole and dirt stains on the inside seams of the denim, just amaze me.