Well, changed my mind. I've brought my portrait into photoshop and have blurred and painted with the airbrish tool. Still a ways to go, but I'm excited about it.
I just bought a Wacom and this is the first time I really used it. I thought at first I wasted my money because it was hard to get used to the absolute positioning and setting it as a mouse was worse. A little practice has shown me that it is a cool tool. Still can't figure out how to scroll through my brushes with the control strip.
Got to say, I am humbled by Phillip's (eyewoo) painting ability. I recently followed a path to his website. Work worthy of study and admiration.
To those of you interested in great digital painting also check out:
www.merekatcreations.com
The artist who created this site often works on some of the cutting edge first person shooter games. She has great tuts and suggestions on a wide range of topics.
PS-Regarding my painting, any further suggestions are more than welcome