Customer Reviews

Illustrator 9 f/x and Design

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Understanding that this book is for intermediate to advanced users and the focus is on design, you did a wonderful job of blending the user levels. The designs are of an intermediate level but the teaching method is easy enough to follow for most users who have a relatively basic grasp of Illustrator or at least other Adobe products.

The Cityscape project was thorough and delightful, as well as the projects utilizing inticate blends nd using gradient mask objects and blend modes.

Realizing that Illustrator is used heavily for Print design, but also because Illustrator is now more compatible with developing Web design, I'd like to see more examples of interface design.

The files used in the tutorials and supplied on the CD were quite helpful. Opening them was a snap using one of the "free" utilities listed to uncompress. I'd rather have them compressed then not included. It's a big benefit to have all the source files to practice on.

All in all, I think it is a well rounded book with something for everyone except totally new users who need a "how to use Illustrator book". New users needing to learn the program should check out series such as: Classroom in a book, Quickstart guides, Visual Insight books, 24 hour books etc.

I know I'm not supposed to comment on other reviews but I can't help myself. I have to ask, if you don't understand what "Zip" is, or how to use the pen tool, what the heck are you buying an intermediate to advanced book for?

On to the book. It is a huge book for a design book, it has tons of examples and inspiration. Ms. London knows her subject and teaches it well. If you at least know the basics of Illustrator you will do fine with this book. In fact her teaching style is so easy to understand that if you have a good grasp using design software you'll do fine.

Some of the topics are: appling transparencies, using Live Effects, using layers and of course the drawing tools. There is a good bit of focus on the newer features of Illustrator 9

I have to respectfully disagree with the one-star reviewers listed here. This book is labelled as 'intermediate'--it assumes you already have completed the Adobe Illustrator tutorial which I did. This was the second book I bought.

I adore this book. Sherry London presents exercises in well-written, easy-to-follow steps ("8. Create a new layer and name it '02'"). I completed many of the chapters nearly two years ago and still re-read the one on texture with type. It is a detailed and clever use of type (the letters in 'david') as fill for an image: converting an image to gray-scale, posterizing it, converting those areas to closed paths (using Adobe Streamline) and then filling them with weighted fonts. Although she tells you exactly how to adjust the weight, width, & font tints, she provides them on the CD. Further, the lesson creates variations--slanted type, a patterned seamless tile, and a random pattern using the letters as non-compound shapes. These are great techniques, in my opinion. I also really enjoyed her chapter on gradients and blends where she shared with us another bit of pattern magic in the illusion of water. The resulting image is beautiful.

Adobe has moved onto Illustrator 10, and I hope that Sherry London will author another great step-by-step intermediate book. I'll keep checking back to see...waiting.

This book teaches a lot of techniques in it's over 500 pages. It won't make you an artist if you are not one already but it sure will teach you how to use the tools of Illustrator it their full advantage. The Author is adept at teaching and conveys the message well. The book is not a step-by-step learn Illustrator book, but rather a "here is how to use this feature--now do it by..." book. You get hands on experience by performing the projects that reinforce the teaching.

The images needed to perform the projects are included on the CD-ROM. Some of the things you'll learn is how to apply transparency, use patterns, some really cool things using dashed lines and lots more.

I noticed right off, first line of the Book description where it says this book is for the intermediate user. The back of the book states it's intermediate (if you go to a physical bookstore) I don't see why "beginners" would assume and then be disappointed it is not a beginners book.

If anything, I think it should be even more intermediate and a bit less beginner.

I found this book to be a mix of a bit higher than rank beginner all the way to the more difficult. The writing syle was easy to understand and follow and there are tons of examples and illustrations. Keep up the good work for us Intermediate users.

I notice that most people rated this book very highly. A few people rated it very lowly. Nothing in the middle....

This book has inspired me to take Illustrator to places I would have never imagined. I have only started to explore it, I will continue for many, many months and probably still be learning new ways to use Illustrator. I've used the techniques on my own designs. I've thought of new designs of my own, starting with some of Sherry's ideas. Her artwork is only a starting point that teaches the techniques.

If you know your way around the program, and you want to try things that you won't find in a basic "How To" book, if you want your creative imagination stimulated, this is the book to use with Illustrator 9.

I knew what I was getting when I ordered this book -- a book for an intermediate level user. To learn to use Illustrator, I bought a different book, plus took an online course to learn the basics.

As for the files on the CD, they had to be zipped because one CD wouldn't hold them all, along with the other files on the CD. (Doesn't that tell us that there is a wealth of information in this package?) I doubt copyright regulations would have permitted her to include Win-Zip on the CD, but it can be gotten as a free download. So I have no complaint there.

It appears to me that the people who find this book useful find it very useful. I, too, am disappointed by the way the reviews are weighted -- first glance shows that the book is mediocre, which it certainly is not.

If you do not know the pen tool, avoid this book.

I am sorry that the weighting of scores makes this book look like a mediocre book. I think that it has great examples and lots of techniques. I recommend it to my students as the next step after my beginning Illustrator class. It is fun and makes you look like you know how to apply the tool, not just use it.

I look forward to the version for Illustrator 10.

I've seached high and low for a way to create a halftone image using text or a pattern. This book shows you how step by step. Although it involves using Photoshop and Streamline in conjunction with Illustrator, this has been the only place I've seen that walks you through it (Full 40 page dedicated chapter). Believe me I've looked.

I was reading other comments and noted a few people weren't satisfied with the book...guess its each to their own. For me...the person complaining about unzip files -- you can download the winzip file for free trail...so you don't really need to fork over the money. I say it would been nice if the cd did include sample of the unzip thing to make it easier.

Great book....may not be the best choice for beginners....loaded with info.