Just stumbled across this site a few days ago...
http://www.cgsociety.org .For those that already know of it ,apologies!
We think we are getting better with a wacom and photoshop.. We play with poser/vue and start to explore modeling and textures... We know we have a long way to go, but them we see the artworks on this site and realize we are not fit to empty the piss pots of some of these people.. makes ya humble...