They are literally painted rather than based on photographic sources. As such they can actualy be sharper than the same thing in a phototext. I find the problem is they can really stand out if you have a super high-res phototext and then a brilliantly painted one next to it-- good example is Sinner Mike, who nearly looks real, or Travis, next to Miko by samildanach--looks like they come from two different universes. Or it can, depending on the lighting and presentation. Sometimes you even want them to look that way. Emily