Free textures and backgrounds at this link

http://www.plaintextures.com/index.php

This is a really nice collection of 3D textures and backgrounds for web design or other projects. The most important word here? Free!

More advertising goodness

Check out and study the ads at these blogs: http://advertisingadvice.blogspot.com/2008/05/72-most-creative-advertisements.html

http://webdesignledger.com/inspiration/30-funny-print-ads-thatll-make-you-laugh

and the always cutting-edge: http://adsoftheworld.com/

All the classic ads you've ever wanted to see!

http://www.adclassix.com/

At this link you will find dozens of historic advertisements in every category. Take some time and browse through them — the design concepts are classic and are as relevant today as they were then.

A brief history of graphic design

Here's a link to a brief history of graphic design.

http://www.designhistory.org/

Superbowl Volkswagen ad

FOX showed only an abbreviated version of this ad. Here's the complete version. This is a good example of what you want your ads to achieve - catching the viewer's attention with a combination of humor and emotion within an ordinary situation of a child pretending.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0

Google Art Project!

Check out this link from Google. It uses the "Street View" technology to peer inside 17 of the world's most renowned museums and view more than 1,000 works of art online in extraordinary detail.

Absolutely amazing!

http://www.googleartproject.com/museums/moma/the-starry-night

What you can do with Illustrator's pen tool

Here's an amazing tutorial about drawing vector illustrations with Adobe Illustrator:
http://www.gomediazine.com/tutorials/from-sketch-to-vector-illustration/

And here's an illustrator from Brazil who has some incredible vector illustrations to study:
http://www.crisvector.com/

This is one great result of mastering Illustrator's pen tool. :)