What is definitely not the most creative solution, is a mere physical representation ( scan in a graduation or wedding picture, clean it up, and call it finished ). If you choose a representational approach, the above example would only be the starting, and not the end point. Here are some ideas for approaching the final project:

• something of great importance to you:
  • personal interest or hobby
  • a strong personal belief - a religious or political belief, your personal philosophy of life, or simply a topic that you feel strongly about ( injustice, poverty, corruption, war, pollution, violence...)
  • anything you feel strongly about, pro or con

• your ethnic / cultural heritage

• a place that has great meaning to you ( childhood home, favorite vacation spot...) OR a place fashioned from the imagination - surreal, abstract, or non-representational

• a person(s) of great significance to you - parents, spouse, children, grandparents, friends, teachers / mentors...

• anything that you find especially fascinating or particularly enjoyable - a book you've read, a favorite piece of music, your favorite recipe...

• visual interpretation ( not cataloguing ) of an important event in your life, focusing on conveying the emotion or mood, and not so much a strict visual reproduction.

  For example - a wedding: instead of using the traditional wedding pictures, try instead to convey what it is about marriage that makes it so significant to you - trust, fidelity, a sense of completion... what else ? ... The point is to avoid stereotypical cliche images and instead to find visual symbols to communicate something at a deeper level.

• a past accomplishment ( again, try to avoid just cataloguing )

• an historical event that moved you deeply. ( I received some visually powerful projects related to 9/11 )

• Regarding approach - if you are already proficient with traditional media, then exploit your skills, and use the expressiveness of the pressure-sensitive stylus to your advantage.

  If you haven't created much art before, reading the tutorials on Color Theory and Composition / Design, and applying the principles outlined therein, will make your work much more professional-looking.

  So, if you are a novice artist, do not worry - the tools here can help you create magnificent effects with minimal art training - but planning, taste, and judgement are paramount.

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