What is easy, and happens naturally, is halfway in-between. It generally looks terrible.
Yes! This is so true. There are a lot less differences in realistic and abstract art than one would think, when it comes to characters and objects (not talking modern art here). Think of it this way: abstraction is just taking realism and simplifying it. So to do it reliably well, start with realism first. You need to have a good understanding of the original structure before deciding which parts to emphasize and how. Otherwise it turns out looking weird, or is at best a carbon copy of someone else's simplification. So my advice to stay out of the middle: shoot for realism until you can get it reliably, then go towards abstraction as step 2. Don't shoot for just abstraction first. It'll be difficult and take patience like you mentioned (I'm not to that level yet either), but you'll be well ahead of your peers and be in full control of your own style. Meet the challenge of the uncanny valley head on and you'll make it out the other side with any style you choose from there.
