Introduction

Have you ever wanted to create a painting of your own but didn't think that you could even draw a stick figure? It's all good; I've got you covered. This technique came about due to a time and talent constraint with a painting that truly needed to be brought to life.

The back-story is I was living in Brooklyn and had a really twisted year. I thought it would be a great chance to sum up that year in a new painting. The problem was I hadn't painted or even drawn anything in months. Plus, I would be moving out soon so since my paintings in the past took a considerable amount of time I knew I had to trim the production time. What painting you ask? A curious little bunny you are, here you go.

With that came this cheater's... No, scratch that... An effective technique for creating a painting with minimal skills and time. In this tutorial we're going to take a photo of the gorgeous Monica Bellucci I snaked off of Google's image search and turn it into a finished painting.

Please don't go stepping on other artists toes thinking you're just as good as them, they can be a conceited bunch. Even though Picasso painted cubism which some people would say is not very realistic (by the way, it's better that way), like most artists he had an extensive background sketching proportional still-lifes and figures. To justify myself, I really can paint. At least I hope I can, be your own judge.

Before we get started here's a few things you'll need...

• A paintbrush, paints and canvas (or any other medium to paint on)
• Computer with Adobe Photoshop or similar photo-editor installed
• Digital projector (if you can sketch from sight, even better)
• And a decent eye

Please don't panic if you don't have any of these items. Obviously you have a computer since you're reading this so we can scratch that one. Paints, brushes and canvas can be found at any art store or craft supply. If you need Photoshop, you can download a 30 day trial version from the Adobe website. When it comes to a digital projector, these can get pretty expensive. If you're office has one just borrow it and tell them it's for a presentation or something. Otherwise ask a friend, rent one or just eyeball it. Trust me, unless you are going to create several paintings using this technique it's really not worth it to buy one. If you can't dig a projector up but can eyeball a drawing just continue. You won't need the projector.

A taste of things to come...

• Introduction (what you're reading)
• Setting Up the Photo
• Using Filters for Clarity
• Changing the Colors
• Sketching the Outlines
• Time to Paint
• Finishing Details
• Further Resources

Also, after you're finished and you feel you've created a masterpiece, please feel free shoot me an email with the final painting and I'll post it on this site. You still here? Why don't you get going already!