Also, if you have Photoshop or the younger version of Photoshop.. give it a try if you haven't yet. GIMP and inkscape are also two great free alternatives.
It's actually VERY easy to use once you get a hold on what basic functionality there is. There are a ton of photoshop tutorials.
The hardest thing about graphic design is being able to think creatively about your art. As long as you know what you want, and can vision it in your head.. there's a way to make it in Photoshop.
Here's an example tutorial on a fantasy-themed. It's a long tutorial, and will probably take an hour or more to complete if you're new or beginning with photoshop but it will get you started on learning.
http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/interface-tutorials/how-to-make-a-menu-interface-for-a-fantasy-themed-iphone-game/
Keep in mind, tutorials are only meant to be used for learning the ideas. They are never meant to teach you how to create this thing, so don't use that menu in your game (be it a fantasy game or not). Make something original with these newly learned techniques.
While these tutorials focused at a particular application (for example, iphone game fantasy menu) are great try to also look at a bunch of other tutorials that can be more general purpose like creating a particular style of button, background, using blend modes, text styles, etc. It's often hard to find a tutorial that covers everything you want so it's best to learn the little pieces separately and put it all together yourself.
