development of digital stills- painting style photographs

i was interested in breaching the distinction between painting a photography

i want to use this on my cardboard cut out idea as i feel the painting style of the things on the board are important for the realism and meaning of the actual prop. but i still feel like it should have a connection to the pictures i take therefore having a more individual style



the images on cardboard cutouts are simple and cartoonish so i will have to use photoshop to reduce the detail on the photos i use. i will also have to make sure i use symbolism to give it the right message.



this is the type of thing i want to do in photoshop using effects. but then after i want to take away some of the detail to make it more cartoonish.
here are some more examples





here is a tutorial for the effect
http://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-realistic-painted-effect-in-photoshop