I often hear that Drupal is hard to theme. I don't believe it, it is only my lack of artistic talent that keeps me from creating wonderful themes, and also a certain amount of un-motivatedness. I do, however, like to move away from standard issue templates whenever possible, and I am usually able to put what I envision into action even though my knowlege of PHP boils down to the fact that if you open a bracket you must close it...

I have been following the blog of a fellow who not only understands the themeing of Drupal but is actually able to create a fine looking original design. I suggest you check out My Drupal Blog. Not every artist will explain in natural sentences how they do their thing.