Reading through http://www.jazz2online.com/tilesets is still the best way to go if you want to have a go at tilesets. Even if you're not good at drawing (like me) you can resort to tools to get okay results. Disguise used Paint Shop Pro 8 in his guide, which is still a good choice, but GraphicsGale seems to be the modern trend when it comes to tilesets and pixel art.

And don't change the way you make things based on what the community thinks. A creative choice shouldn't be limited by an outsiders opinion because they "decide against it". If you feel like using the F word as a filler, then I'd say go ahead.