Curious question

First off, I'm not one of those guys you mentioned. I've done some things for myself but nothing close to the skins listed. I think I can answer a couple of your questions though.

PSP is fine for this kind of thing but Photoshop is more what those pros use. Everyone had to start somewhere so start. I used a tutorial by Alyksandr for my first Wblind but I got it off the web Linkanother good one is the spoono site Link They're both a little dated but I imagine the basics are still there. As to time, I can't speak for those who consistently put out the great blinds but my first took several weeks to finish and could always use a little more work. I have two others I've worked on off and on for over a year so I guess it depends on you. The advice I've seen as to the "creative process" is to draw it first either on paper or on the computer and then put it together. You can get a lot of help here and SkinArtistry has a great "Works in progress" section for members to get help with the skins.

Have fun.

I'm certainly not there, but it takes alot of practice, time & patience, learning and for the top tier, talent. To be good, you have to be in it for the long haul.

what is the level of competence/experience that some of you better known uploaders have

After two years of making WBs I still consider myself quite "green" but have over 5 years of experience in skinning - nothing professional though.
I do it just for the fun of it, because skinning should be fun.

Were you able to create these great WBs just from the tutorials provided by Stardock.

I suck at using tuts so I learned how to make WBs by trial and error and a lot of help from other skinners.

How much time do you all spend on the creative process.

Depends on the complexecy of the skin but 1-2 weeks isn't uncommon. Some times less, some times more.

Which graphics programs do you use (I use Paint Shop Pro 7)

Same here but others are using PhotoShop

what is the level of competence/experience that some of you better known uploaders have.
I've been skinning for a little over 2 years now (graphic design about 6 yrs)

Were you able to create these great WBs just from the tutorials provided by Stardock.
The tutorials helped me a lot to understand the mechanics of the programs (margins, tiling, etc) but I learned most by studying other artists work.

How much time do you all spend on the creative process.
A complete WB takes me about a week. (It's coming up with the idea that takes me longer )

Which graphics programs do you use (I use Paint Shop Pro 7)
I have always used PhotoShop, but any decent program will do.

But don't get discouraged if your 1st skin doesn't measure up to your expectations. My 1st skin was a mess. 2 years later they're still a mess but they look better

Depends on the complexecy of the skin but 1-2 weeks isn't uncommon. Some times less, some times more.

A complete WB takes me about a week.

How many hours are in these 'week(s)' that you work on the skins? To say it takes a week means little, unless you never stop skinning during that week. DO you skin 2 hours a day? 4, 8?

I've never timed it, but I figure I'll spend a minimum of 60 hours on a skin with no animations, and no toolbar icons.....

How many hours are in these 'week(s)' that you work on the skins?

The Azar skin https://www.wincustomize.com/ViewSkin.aspx?SID=1&SkinID=4692&LibID=1 took me about a week, working an average of 5 hrs a day

I agree with the rest.. I've been doing graphic design for something like 6 year prof. and was a freelance fine artist before that. Even with all that I know my first skins were not the greatest mostly because it takes some time not only learning the stuff but also what works, doesn't work, looks good and so on. I personnally asked some questions scanned some tuts but mostly checked out other skins and from there alot of trial and error. I still think you can read all the tutorials you want but the best thing is to get in there and get the feet wet.

The questions are; what is the level of competence/experience that some of you better known uploaders have. Were you able to create these great WBs just from the tutorials provided by Stardock. How much time do you all spend on the creative process. Which graphics programs do you use (I use Paint Shop Pro 7)

Most of the better known skinners have been at it at least 4-7 years. If you are lucky enough to be able to find some of thier original works though (a lot of it's probably been deleted already) you'll see their worked evolved from somewhat modest beginnings as well. But they each took the constructive criticism offered by so many other artists here and applied it to future skins.

As far as the tutorials, I had always found it easier to look at other WB skins, find the features that I liked, and open it up in skin-studio to see exactly how they made it work. But some people do find tutorials more helpful. It depends on how you learn best.

For the paint programs, pick one you're most comfortable with and make it work for you. You can get almost the same results in each one as long as you take the time to figure out the program that you are actually using and pay attention to detail. The steps will differ from one program to the next, but you can do it. (hmmm... I wonder if anyone out there is still using gimp.....)

The amount of time really depends on a lot of things. The type of design for one. Obviously the more complex it is the more time it will take to complete. How well you know the program you are using also factors in. Some of my better works seemed to me to have been thrown together in a few days (5-8 hours each day), but others have taken months, depending on the mood I'm in, how much time I have, how many one pixel screw-ups I make, etc. That really is something that depends more on the person as well. Some people are just able to accomplish more in a shorter period of time than other people.

What I would suggest, is after completeing a skin, upload it and ask for advice on what people would change to make it better, more functional, stylish, etc. then use that advice for the next one. Even the better known skinners started at the same place you are now.