Being like most of you, I’ve been very excited about the release of CS5. I wasn’t able to attend the “Launch Party” though and went looking to see if my favorite training site had anything for me. They did!

Right off the bat they had training videos that introduced, in detail, live in the new apps, all of the new features.  For example, there was a set of training videos on Illustrator CS5’s new features that contained almost two hours of content.

These videos were done by the professional trainers that they use for the standard training and so these are guys or gals that already know there stuff and now know the new stuff too!

Today, with the release of CS5, the training library was immediately updated with a great list of training videos on the new CS5 applications.

Even if you aren’t a member of Lynda.com you can watch a small portion of each training video to see if you’d be interested in signing up. I’ve gone through several training programs and have learn a huge amount in a very short time, including the types of “insider” tricks and options that you think will take you years to figure out or can’t even imagine might be available.

Bottom line, I highly recommend Lynda.com, at least check it out to see if it’s something you’d like.

Here’s the list of available courses for CS5 as of today:

Free High Resolution Textures – Lost and Taken – 25 Subtle and Light Grunge Textures.

About me (so you know why I made some of the choices I did).  I’m an artists, I am a potter, sculptor, and mixed media artist, and I’m also trying to learn design and illustration.  I selected a spiral as the basis for my  design for several reasons: Potters Wheel goes round and round , I use a lot of spirals in my work, the Fibonacci sequence is one of my favorite things.  I decided to use multiples to represent the concept that my art has a basis in many circles, and I prefer not to be boxed in or confined to one media – but they are all interconnected.  I selected the three color choices because, well, they’re my favorite colors – with chartreuse being in the lead:)  I tried to keep the design fairly loose to represent both the type of work that I do (I work mostly spontaneously and loose) and what my friends tell me is a somewhat crazy and quirky personality.

Ok, if you think there are other things I need to consider besides the above, I’m totally in need of all the help I can get!   So please, comment away and let me know what you think. Also, please be sure and click on the image to see it full size, it’s getting a little smooshed in the preview.

PatternCooler | Cool Seamless Background Pattern Designs .

50+ Beautiful Patterns & Useful Tools for Web Designers.

» The ultimate list of really amazing design related lists – Kumail.H.T`s Blog.

This post contains a huge list of resources for learning everything from general web design to the places you should go to learn specific topics from HTML, CSS, Typography to Accessibility, using Colors, white space, prototyping and so much more.

This post is exactly what I was looking for, but have spent hours doing it the hard way.  5 stars!!!

Learn Web Design: Educational Resources for Beginners | Vandelay Design Blog.

I can definitely recommend Lynda.com if you like watching video tutorials.  I have a premium membership and am working my way through a huge host of subjects.  I can be a bit pricey if you aren’t ready to drop a few hundred bucks, but then again, if you buy a years membership and use it consistently it can actually save you considerable cash on books, continuing education, and searching for tuts that cover just the topic you are looking for.

Free Vector Snowflakes | Patternhead.

Wisps Pack – 10 Free Images « Media Militia.

50 Free Photoshop Brush Sets for Modern Design Trends.