How can I improve my flyer design skills?

[PrintDriver]

When speaking of logos, it's not copyright that's the problem. It's Trademarking. It's a whole different animal. Well, at least the spots are different.
Sure 15 designers given the same brief will come up with possibly quite similar ideas. If the idea is original, and doesn't infringe on the trademark of another company in the same industry you usually fair pretty well on passing the concept. It can, unfortunately, be a regional issue, what state you happen to be in business, what trade your business is, and how big the holder of the largest company with a similar mark is. If one cave man sells insurance, and another builds computers, two different industries, no trade dilution (as long as the cave men are different, independently arrived at means to and end.)

[John G]

I'ma let you finish but Ligers are the greatest 3d big-cats of all time.

[KitchWitch]

Originally Posted by bosstez31

Yea the light orb was just something I was playing with but the flyer is for a showcasing of a few pieces from the designer at an open house kind of thing.

A flyer for an open house would include dates, times, location, a contact number, details about the event and the name of the event. It's good that you're looking at other flyers to learn what works and what doesn't. Keep at it!

If you find an image through google that you want to use, trace it back to the owner/photographer and ask. Sometimes it's that easy. You would need to explain how you want to use the photo, whether you would be making money from it or not, etc.

[PiotrGalactus]

The freelance items on that flyer you posted (the one you like, and consider the designer to have more skills than you) could be easily made with just Illustrator and a couple of 3D objects.
It has a few photoshop brushes, some filter (lightning effects) also made on photoshop.
If I were you, and I would be doing flyers; I would get my tools together at first. Get photoshop brushes, maybe some easy-to-use 3D software, some textures, and a few colour palettes that feel right for the kind of work you need to do.
And from there I would start sketching.