How to create decorative borders for ebook / website use with fantasy theme?

Question

How would I create a border with a pattern, be it some celtic knots or gem-like pieces, that could be used as a border in websites or ebooks?

I'd like to simulate materials like gems, gold/silver, dark metal, stone, marble, parchment... Needs to fit into a fantasy theme.

To clarify what I mean, two pictures.

1) The contents of the first are take from the Blizzard World of Warcraft Wrath of the Lich King Fansite kit.

WoW-Fankit Borders:

2) while the second one is take from a german roleplaying site (called Nandurion, with CC BY NC 3.0).

RPG Fankit Borders:

My goal is to design a fantasy themed website and accompanying ebook, with faked antiquity / old-world quality.

I mainly use Adobe CS2, GIMP and Inkscape. Any hints?

Answer 1

It takes a significant amount of design skill to create things like that; however, a good start might be to find some related tutorials and learn that way. Then use what you learned to create your own unique piece.

Here's one tutorial from which you may be able to extract some techniques: http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/interface-tutorials/how-to-make-a-menu-interface-for-a-fantasy-themed-iphone-game/