How to level drywall after removing tiles in kitchen

[mdude]

I just bought my house a couple months ago and they had this really ugly tiles and the grout was yellow and falling out. So i took them out.

It was was my first time removing them, so i made a bit of a mess. Theres a couple small holes in the wall. And the whole wall is all uneven to paint.

But my question is i do not want to put tiles again i just want to paint it, except the wall is all patches and uneven.

How would i go about fixing the wall so its all even? Do i have to replace the wall or do i just use that puddy stuff and even it all out?

Help!!

Pics-

[Pulpo]

There are some really nice sheets of "back splash" available at some supply houses. I don't remember the correct name. You could skim coat it with setting compound but that can be tricky.

[marksr]

If you skim coat and aren't confident you can level it out well, regular ready mixed joint compound is easier to sand. Using a sanding block or anything to hold the sandpaper flat will help in leveling out any uneven joint compound.

[Pulpo]

I always found detting compound easier.