Making wallpapers...

I'm just starting this, and it seems kinda daunting... any tips/pointers for a novice at this? There isnt exactly a tutorial on making them.

Also, what size should I make my wallpaper? Should there be a range I keep it in to reduce distortion?

I find wallpapers hard to make because there's so much space to fill. Tips? I don't know, maybe try to use a big pic so you can use the bg of the pic (i.e. the rest of the court) as a starter for a bg. Look around for ideas, lpasso is especially good at walls, look at some of his stuff.

For size; I'd say 1024x768 or bigger.

I always use a big pic and try to make a good-lookign background because uless you clutter it that's gonna draw a lot of attention.

I have a big picture, I'm finding it hard to blend it in properly though because of its size...