Illustrator CS Accelerated: A Full-Color Guide

Accelerate Your Illustrator Skills with This Practical, Sophisticated Guide

Illustrator CS Accelerated: A Full-Color Guide gets you up and running through hands-on experience creating meaningful, fun projects. Its learn-by-doing approach makes the road to proficiency quick and painless. Start off with a clear-cut introduction to the essential concepts, functions, and terminology that are difficult to grasp on your own. Then, immediately put your new skills to the test by following step-by-step practical exercises.

Full-color screenshots and illustrations on every page give you a clear image of what’s possible. Dozens of real-world examples, from straightforward to advanced, demonstrate how to integrate techniques and take advantage of the innovative features new to Illustrator CS. By the end, you’ll know how to create all sorts of elaborate and stylish illustrations—a level of competency that classifies you as a skillful Illustrator user.

• Projects you'll complete include:
• Use precise drawing techniques to create 3D perspective
• Blend and mask shapes to create a dynamic event poster
• Use the mesh and liquify tools to design elaborate images
• Devise an emblem using advanced text effects
• Produce a nature poster with maximum efficiency using the symbols palette
• Harness layers and filters to create a printable greeting card
• Apply patterns, textures, and colors to artwork
• Add interesting details to a fashion illustration
• Use 3D effects and shape blends to create Flash animations
• Contruct professional-level effects, such as neon text and simulated motion
• Apply page layout techniques to create a magazine article
• Use formatting to combine text with graphics in innovative ways

 

Chapter 1: The Basics of Illustrator CS
Chapter 2: Drawing Techniques
Chapter 3: Drawing Paths
Chapter 4: Coloring, Blending, and Masking Objects
Chapter 5: Using Layers and Filters
Chapter 6: Creating and Editing Text
Chapter 7: Using Symbols
Chapter 8: Using the Mesh and Liquify Tools
Chapter 9: Using Brushes
Chapter 10: Effects, Appearance, and Transparency