Dreamweaver is only a tool, you'll still need to knows what the code does in order to use the tool sucessfully.

In the first sticky of the WebDesign section I posted a list of tried and true links.
http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/fo...1&postcount=21

I would suggest downloading some examples from CSS garden and really get a feel of how things work. Once you make that connection between the graphic and the css mobility you'll definitely leap forward in conceptualizing a website.

My approach is to make the initial design layout (at proper web scale) then crop or slice my art into pieces.

Then I take the graphic pieces and manually code a template.

Then I build the content into the template.

(simplified version)

Your friend has the right idea. Build the basic website. Then start to experiment with code. Look at other sites - if you see something you like try to figure out how they did it.

Jade