Thanks for the advice! It's been a long time since I used Illustrator (10 was the last version I purchased, which is now so archaic I haven't even bothered to reinstall it on my current system). I'll look into upgrading, as it does indeed seem that the world of web design / web art is based around programs like Illustrator. It's not strictly necessary for stuff like 2d painting, but if I want to transition to the web and interactive apps, I can see I'm going to need the latest technology to make it happen.

Thanks again!