Nitpicking or Actual Research

Lately there has been an explosion of 'archer' themed artwork here on DA, which is all well and good.  The only thing wrong with most of these works is that the artists seemed to have focused on the 'composition and trying to make an interesting pose over realism' instead of brushing up on their facts.  And it's not just amateur artist that make these mistakes.  Case in point; even Alan Davis, or whomever did the cover, gets it wrong, too: comicfacts.blogspot.com/2005_0… . Looking at this cover art and ionen's ionen.deviantart.com/art/Amour… it's amazing that they both made some of the same mistakes.  Just today I found another professional, who was given all the right materials ahead of time, and still got it wrong: sports.aol.com/ncaafb/story/_a…
   I can understand wanting to focus on certain aspects that as an artist you happen to like, whether it be composition, design, fabric, ect.  But to totally disregard basic facts like gravity, aerodynamics, or anatomy looks just plain lazy.  If you are trying to depict something that you are unfamiliar with that has some basis in the real world, unlike dragons or trolls, wouldn't it be a good idea to do some research on the topic, or contact an expert on the subject, and get it right the first time?  Using photo references is a good idea, using a photo reference of someone who doesn't know what they are doing is not.  Just the other day I came across spiked-stock.deviantart.com/ar… holding a bokken completely wrong.  After giving her a reference to an expert in the art, she told me that 'That's just the way I was taught in my Aikido class.'  I don't know if she was taking classes, or from whom, but that person doesn't know what they are doing, either. See the link here:spiked-stock.deviantart.com/ar… .
With the internet the way it is today, how can you not do a couple of simple searches to make sure of your facts before you start drawing?  If given the task of depicting a sport fisherman, wouldn't you want him to be holding the right end of the rod and reel?  If you'd like to see my idea of an artist getting it done right, look no farther than radojavor.deviantart.com/art/S… actually checked his facts ...