I doubt there are any tutorials for a masking app (could be wrong). The key to masking apps is to get a real clear understanding of the tolerances that you apply to your masking brush. None of them really have "magic brushes". You still need to do a lot of brush tweaking if you have a complex job. I got so tired of it I finally abandoned them altogether and just stick with Quick Mask channel selections and vary my brush size alot. It may bit a little slower going but it's a lot more direct. I know at all times what I'm painting out and what I'm not whereas with the masking apps it just seems to be endless tolerance tweaking. Incidentally I've used both Knockout and Maskpro and agree with above, MaskPro is better but again, is no silver bullet.

Well there wouldn't actually be any motion blur on the mountains. That's the main reason he still looks like he's in front of a picture and not in an environment. There would be more blur near the front of the image (bottom) and none near the back (top). You could create this effect by creating a gradient, turning it into a selection/mask and then running the motion blur through it. If you want to try that and need a little more info on how to do it let me (or someone else) know.
There should be some shadow between his butt and the speeder. That's largely why he still appears to be pasted on top of it and not actually riding it.
What 4abnormal has done with the shadow and jetblast/water are definitely more like what it should look like. Using a 'drop shadow' makes it look like he's in front of a picture because the drop shadow is behind him. It won't matter how far down you drop it. The farther you drop it, the further 'in front' of the image he will appear. You want the shadow to appear 'beneath' him.
Your wake stops dead after a couple feet behind the speeder. Whether it's water or smoke, it would still have to carry on beyond the frame of the picture for us to believe he is traveling very fast.

Well, I may be misunderstanding you but your description made me think of a technique I heard of a while back on how to make something look more metallic (that was part of it anyway). It was all done with curves and I believe it was starting from grayscale images but it would seem to me that a desaturated image isn't all that far away from a grayscale anyway. Above is a before and after. All that was done was the adjustments shown. Curves (to flatten out the midtones (desaturate) and add a little metalic feel to it and then Levels to boost the whites and blacks. If that was not what you meant or if this approach doesn't get you any closer, my apologies. If nothing else, it's something else to play with.

I can remember writing little bits of crap from about third grade on. I define "little bits of crap" as small naratives to go along with my fantasy car illustrations. There must have been something to the pictures though because I actually am an illustrator now. In fifth grade I started a small newspaper called "Hot News". It was very small. I ran two (2) editions. Hand written in pencil on tablet paper. All the stories written by me, mostly a written account of the gossip that was going around the school anyway.
The first real story I wrote was in seventh grade. My brother had to write a story for halloween. I wrote it for him because I came up with better stories than he did.

The first adult book I can actually remember reading was "The Red Badge of Courage" but I would have been about eleven then. I didn't read much as a little kid. I recall thinking that I had to read so much in school as it was. Why the hell would I want to read on my own time?

Is this a private conversation? I can't really speak in it. I just want to be reminded when someone else is. It's been three days. Maybe no one else is?

Wingdude, one thing you may want to consider is creating an online portfolio. The mailer idea is certainly not a bad one but the returns on a printed promo investment these days isn't what it used to be. In the past, a 'leave behind' piece was crucial. Still is in theory but the 'leave behind' piece these days is largely a 'link' since a web presence can display a lot more than a single printed piece. Plus the 'leave behind' pieces in the past, if the Art Director liked the work, would get filed for future reference. Well the filing cabinets are gone and the likelihood of your mailer ending up in the circular file, unless it's the most awesome thing they've ever seen, are astronomically high. On the other hand, if they have a link to your site, it's relatively painless for them to bookmark it.
As for your work, I pretty much agree with everything that's been said. The clouds or mountains(?) in the distant look like dirty clouds. I'd either get rid of them or turn them into puffy, white cumulus clouds. Either see them or don't. The"I can kind of see them" doesn't help this particular image much IMO.
I agree with TheFrogMan regarding the type in your card. I like your logo but I'd give the gradient below some real thought. I'd also reconsider the font used. You can make it out but it's not the most quickly legible font out there. At a glance the letters and numbers look amazingly similar.
I have an issue with the content itself but that's obviously subjective. The headliner says "INTOUCH". After reading that, the only thing I can see from then on is a pencil being driven into the nude's back. I don't understand the relevance of the swirl in the background but more because there is a radiating element (the cone coming out of the artist pallet) but it doesn't radiate from the center of the swirl. Or perhaps the airbrush could be shooting out from it's center or maybe the camera eye would be at it's center or even place that sphere thing above the nude at it's center (what is that anyway?).
I like the overall color scheme and there are definitely things that work about this image so please don't take my comments as a 'general trashing'. I'm only pointing out the parts I'd do different.
Anyway, design is fickle and ultimately it comes down to what works for you,.... and the guy payin' for it.

Below is a link to my site. Feel free to trash away. I'm an equal opportunity critiquer. (critiquer?)

http://www.curtthurston.com

peace, love & all that rot.....

This is what I meant about what you could do with the type. The rest is < dogfart smell > crap < /dogfart smell > but does show an alternative to the syme(yawn)trical composition with the gapping black hole. If I were doing this for real, I'd paint/airbrush more color into the hardware. I started to in the tank a bit to show you what I mean but then the drugs wore off. The type at the bottom was for my own amuzment,..pay no mind,.....

What everyone else said,.... Also, what's with the big gapping black hole right in the middle. I also realize that it is possible that you have cropped this to get it large enough for us to see the details but the way it is now you have your type going right up to the bitter edge of the image. I don't think the selection of font in the title treatment are doing much to add to the image. Instead of using some basic gradiant and relying on the 'coolness' of it (or lack thereof) to pull off the title, why not use a gradiant and gradate from top to bottom going from lighter at the top to black at the bottom and in the black of the botoom show a profile of your city scape (like you have at the bottom. In fact why not put the title at the bottom. Also, if you insist on leaving your hardware washed in red, since your using photoshop, why not airbrush some reflected light on to the 'backsides to help give the pieces a bit more dimension )(like blues or greens). Or not,......

That should have said,... "make a displacement map from the crack image to make the cracks,...etc,etc,... I shouldn't try and have sex while typing, I swear multi-tasking is highly over-rated

For the one on the far right, why not make a displacement map from it to make the cracks look more like their embedded into the face instead of just sitting in front of it? Or you could select just the cracks (Color Range selection), use that selection to copy a section of your face (exactly the shape of the cracks) and run a debossed layer effect on it, or a bevel for that matter, and then make your crack layer a little bit transparent (or a little more transparent if it already is). Then you'd really look like you were crackin' up......Or not.

Boneman, I've never tried the blured layer method. (I've never thought of doing it). I'll have to try that. Thanks.

Well I knew you used them both and I have no experiance in PSP thus my post.

Oh Yeah, always use a soft edge brush when cloning. How soft depends on the area you're addressing.

Well the Boneman probably know PS as well as I do but as far as general rules go, 1) The key to good re-touching is to 'touch' the image as little as possible. The more you touch it, the more modified it looks. 2) Don't paint or airbrush (ever!), clone instead and use as small a brush as possible (slightly larger than the area your trying to 'dot' out (and I've just told you something else important) when cloning out irregularies (especially textures and fabrics). If you must paint do as little of it as possible (refer to rule 1). When you're all through modifying the image duplicate it and completely desaturate the dup (make it black and white). Blur the dup (not a lot! - play with it if you're unsure how much) and boost the contrast and then apply it as 'Soft Light' layer (I'm assuming you're using Photoshop,- if not I defer to Bone who also uses PSP (I don't)). Make sure the dup sits on top of the original and adjust the transparency to suit (this adjusts the amount of the soft light effect). This has the effect of subtlely softening the edges (the blur) and enhancing the contrast (makes features stronger). If none of this helps drink a good bit of alcohol and look at it again. Both methods achieve the same result although the later is temporary and may leave you with a hangover.