Also... a GREAT way to develop better mainstream technique is to take a look at some of the bigger mainstream sites and get a feel for the design, and even attempt to recreate the design in photoshop. Take a visit to some of the bigger design firms who have high profile clients and take a look at their portfolio.
Doing this for awhile will help you get a feel for what the best in the biz do, and also help you develop your own unique style of mainstream design.
Same thing goes for flash... Flash is 90% creativity and 10% skill. Most people find it difficult and they think it's because they dont know how to use the tools, but that's not the reason. All the great flash pieces you see are composed primarily of simple tweens. It's difficult for most newcomers in flash because they don't have a developed sense of mainstream design. That's why I tell people to learn solid mainstream design techniques, BEFORE attempting to learn flash.
To check out well designed mainstream sites go to:
www.coolhomepages.com > although it isn't loading for me, it's a great place to learn from.
For those of you interested in flash, check out:
http://www.bestflashanimationsite.com/ They have a pretty nice archive of flash sites.
And there are obviously a lot more sites to gain ideas from, but these should help ya out if you're interested.