I get your point, but I also feel from the artist standpoint he or she didn’t really want to do an exact replica of the reference image. This happens when you do like a freehand drawing without scaling the reference, and transitioning it to your paper. From the first sketch I could see some sketchy lines he used in trying to get a proportional measurement, especially from the eyes. But along the line he or she freestyled the rest.

But it’s a good thing to still have a near replica, most times I do that each time I get a reference I can’t give a guarantee that I will try and get the real looks that’s because I love to create my own out of something, except if it’s a commission piece where I need to go in details.