Yep. But realize that the mouse is using the 'brush' tool so in my mind I'm using a brush -- just like when I paint regular portraits on canvas. It's the same principles of colors, blending, shading, and such. There are 'erase' tools and of course I can vary the brush tool to any size and softness I need. It took FOREVER to learn how to do this, but I just love it now. No cleaning up brushes, no buying paints...
But the layers thing in PhotoShop is really important. I can 'paint' on a 10% wash of a color (like when I am doing skin tones) and double that layer, which makes it go faster. Or I can go into the Color Hues menus and play with the actual color (make it more yellow, red, blue, green, magenta or increase the saturation and such).
That little mouse is a mighty thing!! :)
I guess I'm just a no-talent fumble-fingers.
I remember trying to do a signature for faxes back before scanners were affordable. Took me hours to get an acceptable one.
The only thing I ever did that was successful was a fraud.
I am a foe of "non-representational art."
http://www.artrenewal.org/index.html
I did an "abstract painting" in photoshop, and then played around a little bit to see how many people I could get to accept it as a digital copy of a legitimate piece of art.
Interestingly, nobody ever called me on it.