Digital Painting In Adobe® Photoshop

Here is a Just For Fun painting tutorial anyone will enjoy.

Step One: Open Your Image File

Select Image>Duplicate and name it something clever, like image-painted. Save in PSD format. Flowers and pets are terrific choices to start. I will be using an image of my cousin's cat for this tutorial.

Step Two: Choose A Brush

Select a thick heavy brush from your brush palette. If you are using a Wacom® tablet, change the Shape Dynamics to Pen Pressure. Important: If you're using a mouse, be sure this feature is unchecked or it will not create the desired effect.
Click on the Smudge Brush in your tool palette (looks like a pointed finger.) Start out with 50% strength and adjust according to your liking. Check the box for Sample All Layers. These options should appear at the top when your Smudge Tool is selected.

Step Three: Prepare The Image

Duplicate your background image layer and name it, Filtered. Filter>Noise and choose a small amount of Gaussian and Monochromatic to give it a bit of texture. Low resolution images may not need this step.
If your choice of image is a flower you might like to add a Hue Saturation adjustment layer to give it a bit of punch.

Step Four: Your Ready to Paint

Create a new layer above your Filtered layer and with your Smudge Tool still selected, brush over your image. You want smooth painted strokes. If your painting is only giving a smearing effect, then you will need to lower the strength of your brush. Feel free to add layers for different areas.
Tip: Try blocking in the dark areas first, then progressing toward the light tones. Paint the detailed areas last with a soft smooth brush on a different layer.

Step Five: Texturize