I remember when I first learned about Tikz. I sat down and read most of the manual in one sitting (this is NOT a great way to learn anything, in my opinion), and I used Tikz everywhere. I would make a powerpoint using LaTeX/beamer simply so I could make some cool animations. I am not quite so excited to use it everywhere nowadays :)
The Tikz manual is very well written, and the author, Till Tantau, includes a section on general tips for creating graphics. He rightly states that graphics should be first-class citizens of papers and presentations. He also says that you should outline and plan your graphics before you jump straight to writing Tikz code. I wish I followed that advice more a few years ago. Tikz is beautiful, but I find nothing holds a candle to planning a graphic than pencil and paper.
At first, I would use TikZ anywhere and everywhere I could just because it was so novel to me.
I've found that TeX's and TikZ's novelty can fade pretty quickly, but their usefulness when used appropriately only grows with time. They are, however, very situational tools.
> I sat down and read most of the manual in one sitting...
Dear God, man, are you sane!? I'm joking. :)
But sometimes I would just look at the manual in my spare time because it really is that beautiful.
The Tikz manual is very well written, and the author, Till Tantau, includes a section on general tips for creating graphics. He rightly states that graphics should be first-class citizens of papers and presentations. He also says that you should outline and plan your graphics before you jump straight to writing Tikz code. I wish I followed that advice more a few years ago. Tikz is beautiful, but I find nothing holds a candle to planning a graphic than pencil and paper.