hi, ive been doing photoshop/css/html for a while and have a collection of newbie portfolio sites here

http://derekvanderven.com/websites3.html

and i compare them to the site examples here

http://www.csszengarden.com/

and my sites look bad. i was wondering , should i work more on developing
my photoshop skills? a lot of images i can get from http://www.sxc.hu/index.html
and manipulate them in photoshop for my designs. but i dont know where exactly or what to do from here. my designs are very newbieish. any help or specific directions greatly appreciated. thank you . derek
edit: are there any sites dedicated to improving photoshop skills specific to web design backgrounds? and art specific to web design? take this for example http://friml.com/ i have no idea how the web designer came up with the text and art for it.

That guy is clearly an artist, so his site design is no surprise. It takes creativity and that you're either born with.. or you're not. You should definitely work on your Photoshop skills. You can also go thru CSS galleries, there are tons of them, to get an idea of current design trends - then see what you can do on your own.

I don't know that we can tell you which way to go. Use your eye to find designs you like and work toward incorporating some of what those designs are doing into your own design. As you do, you'll develop your own style.

Also keep in mind no matter how great your designs are, you're always going to come across another design that makes you think you're no good. Just the nature of the profession.

One thing you might want to do if you aren't already is subscribe to a variety of web design blogs. Many will present tutorials on all facets of web design, from Photoshop to server security. You'll also see current trends and be presented with a lot of inspiration.

You really have to use your own eye though to develop your own style. If you think your designs look bad (I don't think they look bad, by the way) try to identify what it is that makes you think them bad. You'll probably identify some similar things and that's where you can start improving.

thank you very much ladynred and vangogh. i basically realize that i need to work a lot on my photoshop skills and css layouts to become more fluid and rounded. (not so boxy like my sites are currently). thank you for the compliment vangogh.that made me feel better . at least a little more secure LOL.so thanks . i guess its just a matter of absorbing good designs so the currrent trends or good designs you like become more of your subconscious. and as far as the photoshop part goes ill have to look at lots of tutorials. thank you for the sugggestions. the main one that was my own style was the "angels of light" site i made. i was looking to make an "ethereal" look to the site, very high key. i did go to school for fine art, but i realized web design is totally different than painting. but i will try to work on my design skills. thanks. derek

edit: i just found "smashing magazine" thanks for the suggestion about web design blogs. derek

http://acidlullaby.deviantart.com/ar...orial-22707443

was this tutorial on portrait painting done with an electronic pen tablet tool?

I got this great site examples website

http://www.cwd.dk

and learning from it is making my brain explode. just kidding. but it's pretty amazing compared to what I'm doing. I definitely need to work on my photoshop and design skills. derek

And the learning and exploding brains never ends either. Every time you learn something new, you'll discover two more things you now want to learn.

Well, I can't draw or design or any of that stuff, but I can code. So I found a designer or two and hired myself out to them for the coding they couldn't do. Symbiotic relationships and all that scientific nonsense. Everybody makes money and everybody gets to do what they're good at. Good times!