This is how I create a realistic painting. How is it ?

Yes, it's a technique that many artists use. Personally, I don't, as I find it too difficult. I like to paint one object at a time instead of doing the entire painting in several layers. My health problems don't allow me to paint for long periods of time, so I would probably find it difficult to finish an entire layer in one painting session.

Well, it is better if you can work over the painting as a whole, if you work on single objects there’s a danger of the painting looking disjointed… but whatever works best for each of us, we all approach our work in different ways. It’s the end result that matters, how we get there is secondary! But there are tried and tested methods that in my opinion make painting just that bit more manageable. I work in multiple layers, and usually by starting off on a coloured ground, followed by drawing out my composition using thinned down oil paint and a small round brush - then I progress to the next stage and so on. You don’t necessarily have to complete each layer in one sitting Lucian, take as many sessions as you need on each stage. Time is irrelevant here, and oil paint isn’t like watercolour where speed is generally more of a factor because washes dry so rapidly.

I agree Alan it’s the outcome that’s important and why  reinvent the wheel when their are certain methods that work well. Painting for me is a relaxing hobby that has its stresses , but should be enjoyable as well as productive. I don’t and can’t paint for long session , I use watercolour and thst has its restrictions on when and how you apply the paint and in what order sometimes. I start with a very basic sketch and to be honest I don’t have a set pattern of working I go with the glow as they say sometimes I put in the shadows first to define the shapes of what I’m painting. I do tend to work over the sheet of paper and not restricted myself to a single part it helps to keep thing in proportion and blends the paint together better in my opinion. The bottom line is there is no right or wrong way , it down to the individual and that’s what makes it so interesting in how people work . Ten artists ten slightly different ways even if they paint the same subjects etc.