I hope you have some painting experience going into this project. I really don't think painting is any easier than monocote. It can be messy and mistakes much harder to correct. Plane will be heavier as well.

Not trying to talk you out of painting, as I myself enjoy spray painting, both automotive and modeling. Just making sure you understand what you're getting yourself into. Even then, I use monocote/ultracote for most of my RC plane covering jobs simply because it's much easier, cleaner and lighter.

Good luck.