The first time Photoshop really made an impression on me was when I viewed the coloring in the early issues of Image comics.
Love 'em or hate 'em Image advanced the era of digitally colored comics. Eventually Marvel and DC followed suit and now it's the industry standard. I was inspired and got a copy of Photoshop 4 or 5 from a friend, but was too busy or too cheap to take a class to learn how to use it. I would try, but ultimately got frustrated and went back to markers, paint and airbrush.
Then a project came along that promised great riches, but had to be colored in Photoshop. I taught myself enough in a weekend to create decent samples(shown above) to get the job. Sad but true-it took the lure of a big paycheck and a deadline to send me hurtling into the digital art realm.