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In my experience, I need to constantly challenge myself to understand what lies before me if I aspire to create a convincing portrayal of my subject.
I start with a two dimensional surface upon which I want to convey a three dimensional reality. I cannot recreate the volume of the form and depth of the air because these things happen in space.
I need to manipulate my painting and deceive the viewer to believe that I have recreated this space so they can experience the illusion of reality. In order to do this I need to fully understand what lies in front of me and meld it with my understanding of spatial phenomena.
Accuracy of drawing is very important but to just copy the proportions and positioning without pursuing the understanding of why things are where they are and why, leaves me in the realm of merely copying regardless of whether I work from life or a photo.
I can't stress enough to my students the importance of understanding the rationale for what they are doing.
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