The Adobe Illustrator CS Wow! Book

by Sharon Steuer

Teaches you how to use Illustrator in creative ways for your own projects. This work uses four-color pictures of real Illustrator projects to show what's possible and then employs instructions to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0321168925
• ISBN13: 9780321168924
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Peachpit Press
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 2.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.6" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

an excellent tutorial for intermediate Illustrator users

I had some Illustrator experience before picking up this book, which is important: this gives you the basics and tells you what to do when you're beyond the basic level. The author doesn't just tell you what to do, but WHY to do it. The book is full of lesson plans covering a broad scope of Illustrator functionality, for example how to use the "divide" command to create nice abstract graphics effects. Similarly, I never really had a good grasp of the usefulness of blends and gradient meshes before completing the lessons. I also got a taste of functions that I don't often use, such as custom brushes and 3D effects. I might not use them more often in the future, but if I ever need them, it's nice to know they exist.

VERY NEW to Illustrator .......but not anymore!

I LOVE this book. I got this one as a gift in pdf format & ended up buying CS2 hardcopy one. I really love the work by Yukio Miyamoto that is included in book. Just including his illustration of his niece in book, helped me learn to create amazing things with the mesh tool! I was able to see his mesh lines & practice recreating the illustration. I went from a complete novice to actually being able to create complicated illustrations that look real.....I really can't understand how the poster above (the quick learning, Photoshop certified one) could not find this book useful...I'm NOT that quick of a learner & got tremendous use out of this book! It's exactly what I wanted because they have enough "For Dummies" type books if you just want to learn the program....BUT if you want to create ART,,Then look at this! CS2 Wow is basically the same but I love it still. It has lots of good info but I'd still love more on gradient meshes because there aren't enough people writing things on Illustrator :(

Not for novices, but very fa

This book has a lot of artworks inside it, every artwork are used to explore advanced tecnics, some of then are avaible on the cd so you can explore it. To use this book you have to know the basics of this software. For novices I recomend the Anessa Hartman "Exploring Illustrator CS".

Solid

I have been using vector programs as my main graphics tool almost daily since 1991. I have instructed and trained quite a few people in the use of vector graphic programs. I try to get people to think vector rather than just learning techniques of various vector applications; I believe this will help a designer's thinking and execution in both vector and raster work.Until last week I never looked at any of the Illustrator WOW Books because the title seems to point to the kind of instruction I don't care for. I recently looked through and then purchased Sharon Steuer's latest Illustrator CS Wow Book. I was very impressed with how she teaches the ideas behind vector art while still covering the application techniques. I recommend this book to anyone wanting a better understanding of vector art. This is about as good as it gets.Sharon Steuer's approach to vector art builds the users knowledge about how to think in vector. This makes the user more aware and understanding of raster also. Sharon Steuer knows these principles and makes them the foundation of the art she picks and the method of her demonstration. Sharon Steuer is the only writer I have encountered that locks down these concepts from the simplest of her instruction through the most esoteric of her lessons. She will be the first writer I recomend to people at any level of ability that wants to learn or expand their graphic art understanding.Roger HarrisEikon Studio

Sharon does it again... another BLOCKBUSTER

The latest addition to Sharon's long list of fabulous 'WOW' books has arrived at the Design-Bookshelf.com, and everyone agrees it's not only the BEST of the WOW series, it raises the bar for illustrator how-to books from this day forward. Agreed: Sharon has retained some of the lessons from past WOW books. These lessons still hold true to the spirit of essential training, and should never be discarded. The pull-out "Finger Dance" card is indispensable, and no one -- read my lips -- no one does a better job of teaching the Pathfinder tools and the Gradient Mesh. Sharon's visual explanation of Clipping Masks and Opacity Masks in just a few pages goes further than 20 pages in the pulp books. The new content easily offsets the price with glorious color visions of the most striking Illustrator work being created today. And then you get the insider details on how they were done. It's not just about teaching the software. You can lecture on Envelopes and Warps until dark, but nothing comes close to the "how-did-they-do-that" spark of enlightenment to fully learn the technique. Along with the "how" there's got to be a "WHY" or you're spinning your wheels.We seriously disagree with another reviewer here who seems to find a lack of "WOW" in the new edition. Hold a mirror under his nose! If the Gallery samples are not wowing you, and the new series on typography doesn't wow you -- and the warping, crunching and filters section doesn't wow you... or the fabulous art and tutorials on the CD don't wow you . . . you may not be breathing!I fully recommend this book to my "Intro To Digital Graphics" students at James Madison University. And, with each new roll-out of Illustrator, I find the WOW books the most inspiring and most useful teaching aid available today. I encourage the students to have the spine shaved off and the book drilled for 3-ring binder use -- so it lays flat for use during the exercises. They do it and they thank me. I also believe the Illustrator Visual Quickstart books are excellent. I require them as well for use as a "shop manual" -- but the Illustrator WOW book is the one that inspires the students to greatness. If you've never purchased an Illustrator WOW book, then you MUST. We at the Design-Bookshelf.com believe that no matter how many WOW books are on your shelf, if you paid your blood-money to Adobe for the CS version, your investment in software will go much further by adding this new WOW book!