http://www.domesticat.net/skins/howto.php

how do i make a layout like that?

http://www.sweetvisionz.net/nick/photos/photos/v1.jpg

or a layout like this one

the first site seems to use tables to hold its content. you might try checking here:lissa's tables tutorial (http://www.lissaexplains.com/tables.shtml).

the second looks like a div layers design, with an image map for navigation. see here (http://www.lissaexplains.com/html7.shtml) and here (http://www.lissaexplains.com/fun6.shtml) for help with that.