I am not a newbie in web design. I was a freelancer by 2 years but I haven’t done this for 9 years. A lot has changed and I feel that I am lost some skills since I stopped designing (Fortunately, I didn't stop coding at that time). Currently, I want to back to a web design and a frontend development because this is what I really like to do. I've created a profile on Behance to get a feedback from my last projects. I feel that it’s room for improvement so I reckon for your feedback and your experience how you regain lost skills. https://www.behance.net/grzegorzkud551
One of the tools I would recommend especially if you have been out of the game for a while, is Sketch. You can get a free trial. https://www.sketchapp.com The world of Graphics software had changed, mainly driven by app design requirements but none the less changed for the better. If Like me you used Photoshop to design web layouts and App layouts for many years, and cried every time you had wide scale changes this is a massive shift in workflow but will save you so much time. I use it primarily for App design and having used Photoshop for years I know how much time it saves me. Lots of alternatives out there, but thats the one that stuck for me.
I followed you on behance. I'm still in the process of regaining my skills actually but my gap was of only 2.5 years due to my studies. don't worry. You will catch up. Just keep designing new stuff (that's the only advice I have, as I'm doing it myself). Good things take time. Good Luck!