A Stupid question

I'm new to icon making and I have some really stupid questions to ask. Hope you can help me =]

I'm using Photo Impact 10 and I don't really know what the tutorials about PSP are talking about. Are their functions similar?

I've got NO IDEA about brushes. Usually people work out things like this:


(By user:tottaly_lost)

But I found that there's a problem. The image of those brushes covered the main image. (That means the spare white space of the brushes couldn't be removed.)The brushes couldn't be put on top of the main image successfully just like the example above.

Am I using those brushes in a wrong way?Or..A more stupid idea:brushes can't be used in photo impact?! LOL Please teach me the right way to use brushes.

Ah..I know my questions are extremely stupid, and I feel a bit strange posting such stupid question here too, LOL. (Freaky English, sorry.)