I need even more help, guys!

[Human Kaleidoscope]

Hey guys! I'm unfortunately in need of more help from the PJ community.

I got my new tablet, right, along with Adobe Photoshop CS4, and Adobe Illustrator CS4. I've begun to seriously get better with using it, and I think I succesfully inked one piece, though it was a simple character I drew, and not something that's supposed to have realistic proportions or anything.

So I ask, any tips on what to do with all this? I kind of want to start sketching like mad and just posting it up so all can see, but I don't know if that's a good idea. Plus, I have no idea what to do with Brushes in Photoshop CS4, as in if there's a brush that emulates a pencil or something. If anyone can tell me what settings they might use and such, that would be nice.

Point blank: I've got all the stuff I need, and I'm wondering what would be the best thing to do to start. College starts this August for me, and I'm majoring in Illustration for good reason. Still, I know I need more practice and such, and if I can get better between now and then...

Any advice? I'll take anything from the amazing artists around here.

[DeFrank]

Have you checked out Illcraft ?