First of all, let me state that your images - both before and after
I'd like to see larger images but based on the small images you
have presented I'll make a comment. One of the issues surrounding
the filter/action approach to creating paintings is that the filter
or action cannot know what in the image needs detail and what
doesn't. Therefore, the filters typically do not vary the
brush-size in ways that a real painter would. There is just no way
for the filter to know that a part of an image is someone's eye for
example...
Though I'm far from being a master, this is why I like the approach
of a tool like Painter or Photoshop 7's pattern brush. It allows
YOU to choose which parts of the image to enhance or blur.
Now, perhaps you have done that in your examples and it's just too
hard to see because of the size of the images but in general, those
are my thoughts on the subject...
Jaz
