alright... perhaps not all, but a good part
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Summary: This is a general reflective-guide for newbies and intermediate artists. I just wanted to write something I'd have found useful myself when I first started making graphics. I'm using my own progress and experience as an example, including links, tips, guides and... yeh, that's about it. I added some of my own tutorials too 
Programs
Getting started
Guides and Tutorials
How To Improve?
Graphic lingo
The graphic communities
Want some of my Photoshop files?
Programs
According to a friend of mine, of the common graphic programs Paint Shop Pro is the best. There are several others, the most known is probably Adobe Photoshop. I've also tried Corel Painter IX, which is claimed to be the best illustration program - however, it's difficult to use and I think that's more for the pros and not mere mortals like me.
Myself, I'd recommend Photoshop because it covers most of what you need, and though it might take time to learn it it's worth the trouble. The newest version is Photoshop CS, but I know people who makes stunning artwork with PS 5. I use PS 7.
You can download the 30-days trial version by seaching for "adobe photoshop free tryout" on google and look up the hits. There are trials for both PC and Mac.
There is a program that's called Imageready that follows PS. This is used for animation, but I won't go too much into that here.
Also, there is the program called Paint that everyone messed around with when they were kids. Right? (*looks around hopfully* No?
) It's pre-installed on most comps. Those who use this program (successfully, I might add) are called pixel artists.
This is the goddam best pixel I've ever seen:
http://www.swmoore.com/ultimatepaint.html
Anyway, moving on.
Getting started
Ok, so you got the program - what to do next?
Just to get your moods up, here's my first two sigs:
I took a background, slapped on some images, blurred the edges and put on text. Not too pro, eh? Actually, these were pretty good compared to the abnormities I produced later.
I mean, what
IS this? A postcard-sized sig with a bad quality picture stuck in corner?
The point is, at this stage you're supposed to have fun. Mess around. Find out what the tools are for and use them wrong. Later, you'll know what not to do, but when you're newbie you have no limits. Enjoy it while you can.
Guides and Tutorials
I've seen my fair share of people who post "artwork" I can't make head or tail of, and declare proudly "N0 TUTS US3D!!1!". Truth is there's no shame in using tuts, as long as they're good tuts.
In the beginning, I was dependant on them for making - well, anything really. Without them, I was stuck with a blank canvas and no idea what to do. But here's the good stuff: when you use guides and tutorials, you learn things that you later use to improve your results. And after a while, you take some things from here, some things from there, without thinking about it. And a while after that, you start improvising on your own.
Here, you can find tutorials for all kinds of needs - just scroll down to the Tutorials and Premium Tutorials section. over 40 000 registered users.
http://gamerenders.com/forum
I'd also recommend this site:
http://good-tutorials.com
http://www.vrya.net/ts/index.php
and this site, which is run by one of my favorite artists. It's more for intermediate artists, though, as it's a lot of text and you know what she's talking about in order to grasp the concept.
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Here are some of my own tutorials (not all provide a satisfying result for all, but they're well explained... I think... and I'm always there if you got any questions )
CLICK THE NAME TO VIEW THE TUTORIAL
Complete Signature Tutorial
This was my first tutorial, so the result might vary... However, the tools are explained very well
Complete Signature Tutorial 2
Fantasy Manipulation Tut
Well, the results vary here too. Some get too much black. Meh. I liked my big manip, though 
Easy Sketch Mini-Tut
Turn a photo into a sketch
Complete Basic Text Guide
Definetly my best tut. It won the first Tut of the Week at this forum
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How to Improve?
Generally, with a lot of patience and steady work. Some people progress faster than others, most find that they're good at this, but not at that. Set your own pace and don't rush yourself.
When you're starting to think "this doesn't look so bad", try find some site with intermediate artists, make a topic, show your work and ask how you can improve.
Remember, what they say is only guidelines, not facts. Most people are kind to newbies, so don't be embarassed.
I used a gaming site,
http://runescape.salmoneus.com/forums, when I first started on graphics - mostly because I admired the graphic mods there. The graphic section is small, only a small part of the forum use it, but that's why it was perfect for me. After I got better, I started posting on graphic sites where they were harsher (in a good way) on the critics.
You can also take requests. This is a very fast way to learn new things and a good way to challenge yourself to be flexible. People want different things. If you don't know how to make it, you have to look it up and learn it. When I first started taking requests, I always used tutorials, often combining several to get what the customer wanted. Now it goes much faster because I know how to do stuff. It's also a great way to get inspiration.
It really helps to try out new things and tutorials. Look at other people's work. Ask yourself, what do I like about this? And try to achieve the same effect. After some months (at least that's the time I took) you'll find your own style that you like.
Me, I'm a multi-style artist.
I've tried grunge
abstract
tech
photomanip
templates, wallpapers and more.
What I haven't tried/don't think I'll be very good at is vectoring and use of C4D (which is the in-style in the graphic communities at the moment).
Graphics lingo
Commonly used terms and what they mean
Gfx
graphic(s)
Wall of Shame
a lot of gfx forums have a topic where they list rippers, so that people are wary of them. Usually the punishment for ripping is harsh; often they're permanently banned for the offense.
Collab
Short for collaboration. 2-3 artists work on a graphic piece together, sending it back and forth via msn or download links.
Ripper
One who takes credit for/steals/abuses another person's work
Render
An image that is cut from it's background so that it's easier to use in artwork. You can get free renders from gamerenders.com/forum, in the Render and Premium Render section.
Stock image
Any kind of image, really. Unlike from the render, it's not rendered. Duh. People most often use them to add texture, or to get background effects.
CnC or CC
Comments and critics; "This is my newest creation, I'd appreciate some CnC."
Rating:
When asked for a rating, most people use the x/10 scale; "It looks good, I'd give it a 8/10). Remember that people rate differently - some rate from their own level, some takes into consideration how hard it was to make, or how long you've been making graphics.
Graphic communities
There are a lot of incredible artists out there. Gamerenders is probably the biggest site, where both amateur and professional hang out. Most of them are self-taught - many are under the age of 18. Web design is not that old, when you think about it.
About 70-80% are guys - or so I gather, from the sites where I visit. People assume you're male until you correct them; kind of like on fan sites, where the situation is opposite - oh, you're a boy? Really! I'd never guessed.
The levels on the different sites vary a lot.
Want some of my Photoshop files?
I've uploaded 1 sig and a couple of manips that you can download. They're perfectly safe )at least I think so).
Click here for preview and links
Um.. yeh, I think that was all.
