Graphics Illustrators Books

I was very disapointed in this book. I was under the impression that it would not only be instructive but that all of the work in it would be Gerald Brommer's. It was neither.

This is a good book for beginner and intermediate collage artists. It contains basic historical and theoretical information, as well as basic application techniques. You may also consider Nita Leland and Virginia Lee Williams' book CREATIVE COLLAGE TECHNIQUES. The techniques are challenging and open ended, so they truly encourage you to be creative.

This is the best reference available as at this date on collage. It is also one of the most inspiring art books I have read. I cannot recommend it more highly. The artworks provided as examples are of the highest quaility. Thank you, Gerald Brommer.

What I particularly liked was that all the illustrations were of first rate work.So many different approaches. An excellent text and motivational advice on materials and the object of collage as a genuine artistc outlet.

Brommer approaches collage from an fine art point of view. Most other books I have looked at tend more toward the scrapbook and/or kitchy altered art genre. He has an excellent section on art paper preparations and basic design.

Bill Pete started out as a daydreaming, doodling boy, and made it all the way to Walt Disney! Bill was born in Grandview and was raised in Indianapolis. He lived happily with his Mother, two brothers, and grandmother. His father was a traveling salesman, and didn't really come into his life until later. Ever since Bill was young, he loved to draw. During class, he would doodle in between the margins, and his books were a big favorite amongst the other kids when he sold them as second-hand. His childhood was fun filled, and he had some big hopes and dreams. First of all, he wanted to go on a safari and sketch the animals, but most of all, he wanted to be an artist. One day, in the summer of 1928, Bill's father returned "home" broke, travel weary, and demanding money. After arguing for many days, Bills mother gave in and paid his father. With that, his father drove away. Not long after that, Bill's grandmother tragically died, which put the family in complete shambles. They had to move, and everything changed. The Great Depression started, and Bills father kept taking money, so he kept them poor. Bill went through school well as a student, graduated, and went to college. That was when the work became harder. Bill was facing flunking some of his classes. One night, he ran into an old friend from school, and was persuaded to start taking some arts classes. Bill began painting, and it is there that he met his beautiful wife Margaret Brunst with which he eventually had two sons. He graduated with flying colors, and took a job as a painter. Finally, he realized he didn't have a steady income, and applied for Walt Disney Productions. He became a good friend of Walt Disney himself! Bill helped create many classics starting with Snow White, and going all the way to Jungle book. As time went by, Bill decided that after 27 years, it was time to leave. Bill had become attached to the company and his job, but mostly Walt. It was hard to say "good bye." About one year later, Walt Disney died. Bill went on to writing stories and illustrating them for children of all ages. They all relate to him in one way or another, but the one that felt the most connected to him was "Chester the Worldly Pig". Chester was who he was, and he had always been so. And like Chester, Pete "had grown beyond his expectations."

I can see myself in Pete sometimes. He never gave up and kept dreaming and kept his spirit alive. He has an easy flow to his writing that makes you feel relaxed and know that you're in for one heck of a good story. I loved his book for the truth that it told, and for the wonder that makes up Bill Pete. Keep dreaming, if you strive, you can reach the stars and soar beyond.

The book that introduced me to Bill Peet as a child and helped in inspiring me to push my art and chase my dreams. A must have for any lover of original Disney art or aspiring artist.

Wonderful book. A must for any Bill Peet fan. He captures himself in Bill Peet style - with words and illustrations - just as I would expect. The book is simple and direct, with life lessons woven between the pages.

This Book is about my favorite author Bill Peet. This book tells about his life starting his career at Walt Disney, then going to wright his own books.
Bill Peet was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, he started drawing when he was around 6 or 7. He dreamed of being a author one day. When he got into college he was in different art classes, during going to college he entered painting compititions and one most of them for extra money.
When he was asked work at Disney Annex he gladly accepted, this was around the mid 30s. After working there for a few years he was asked to work on Pinnochio. During his time at Disney he had many arguments with walt himself. He drew Dumbo, and drew the rats and the cat in Cinderella.
After he quit working for disney, Bill realized that he was a good writer too.His first book was Huberts Hair Raising Adventure, which I own along with acouple more of his books, my favorite is The Wingdingdile.
Bill Peet a tall thin man that had a dream, and made it come true wrote about 30 to 50 books, retired win 1989 after he wrote this book.This book is excellent and it will make you want to keep on reading.

I nevertheless found it quite fascinating and engrossing.

Peet is a self-professed reluctant student, especially of English classes, but he is nonetheless quite the good writer. Peet's illustrations add a lot to the pace and feel of the book and are a joy in their own right. His stories of life in Indianapolis before World War II will be interesting to any native Hoosier (as am I).

However, the most interesting part details his jobs at Walt Disney studios. His descriptions of how they made movies in the old days as well as the insider's look at Walt Disney himself are fascinating. Peet worked on several Disney movies, including Pinnochio, Fantasia, Cinderella (he created the lovable mice) and the original 101 Dalmations.

Peet brushes over his life after he left Disney a little too quickly. I would have liked to have read his descriptions of life in the publishing world as well. Also lacking is much history of his family life.

That being said, it was still fascinating, entertaining and totally worth the reader's time.

I give this one a grade of A-

Over the years, I have bought a pile of "How to" books on After Effects,Première Pro, Photoshop and Illustrator and I did not feel any urge to write anything about these books before buying Ms Hartman's Illustrator guide.

I liked the writing : unpretentious, simple with a warm tone that clicks with the reader.

The first lesson in itself, is worth more than half the price of the book.

This book honestly is like a guide line. Especially if you need to look up something you can't remember, you can probably find what you need in the book.

This book really showed me, step by (illustrated) step, the way to make the most out of using Illustrator. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes the hands-on approach to learning. In the very first lesson, the author helped me create a logo that was really great looking, which gave me a boost of confidence to go on and do more. This book is just great for a beginner, to learn all the essentials of Illustrator.

This book is a guide to learning Adobe Illustrator CS and digital illustration. The approach is divided between reading sections and step-by-step exercises. Each chapter is divided into several short lessons with accompanying images describing the steps. The key combination and minor interface differences for Mac and windows are explained when necessary.

Overall, this was a good book that provided a smooth experience to learning Illustrator and design in general. The basics of Illustrator are easy to understand through the reading and exercises provided. Although the lessons are short, there is plenty of opportunity to practice on your own. You are initially walked through an exercise, but then usually given a chance to finish part of it on your own. The "Exploring On Your Own" sections provides extra practice and places to look for more information on the various topics discussed. The rest of the book in dedicated to providing useful information on design concepts such as color chords and art principles (line, fill, value etc). The color chords such as analogous, dyad or monochromatic will definitely help on my color choices on my next project. The CD provides all the needed lesson files and any additional samples for practice.

As for problems, most were really minor with this book. There were only a few minor errors spotted such as steps with missing detail or incorrect menu paths. Also, I did think the review questions at the end of each chapter would have been more helpful if the answers were provided. Actually, the biggest issue I had with this book was the novel sized format it was published in. The book is small and the pages are difficult to keep open. Even my document holder was barely able to keep the pages open. For most of the book I had to use one hand to keep it open while working the mouse with the other. I am probably just being a little finicky since most of these minor problems had little effect on actual content.

In the end, this is still a fine book to quickly get up to speed with Adobe Illustrator. The coverage on related design principles was just a bonus. Since this is a short book, do not expect deep coverage on Illustrator techniques. If you need more advanced concepts and/or less on design, then another book will probably work out better. However, the material that is covered is done so well and it should provide a good start for any beginner.

I am a computer programmer/web designer familiar with adobe photoshop, but I wanted to learn more about designing with illustrator. I knew how to get around the program, but was not confident in using it. This book was wonderful - it's great for beginners, and I love how it encourages you to use keystrokes to get things done, instead of the mouse (much faster).

This book is a great way to collect some of Tolkien's best works of art and to get a glimpse behind the scenes of one of the greatest literary figures of the 20th century. Highly recommended.

Lleno de ilustraciones color, y algunas en blanco y negro. Me gusta porque es lo que Tolkien imaginó para sus obras... eso es lo que lo hace más hermoso. Además demuestra que Tolkien era un alma muy sensible, amante de la naturaleza, y esto se refleja no solo en sus libros sino también en sus dibujos. Me gustaría que estos dibujos estén incluidos en sus obras, no solo los dibujos de otros artistas. Hermoso, hermoso, para todos los admiradores de Tolkien.

This book features many of Tolkien's ink, watercolor, pencil, and colored pencil works. The detailed descriptions of each drawing include history, explanations, and dates. Quite a few maps are included, as well as illustrations for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It is wonderful to see how Tolkien imagined Middle Earth and its inhabitants. The colors he used are very earthy and lovely.

My favorite drawing in this book is "End of the World" done in pencil and colored pencil on a sheet of notebook paper - you can actually see the lines of the paper. It is so simple; yet, the story it tells includes subtle intricacies and complexities similar to those in his writings. I also love the pencil and colored pencil drawing, "The Tree of Amalion," which obviously blooms with the flowers of Tolkien's imagination since they do not resemble traditional flowers. Finally, the hand drawn Christmas cards are beautiful mini-stories with dancing bears and penguins, and Father Christmas making deliveries.

This book is truly exquisite, full of details and surprises for those of us who didn't know Tolkien was an extremely talented artist. It is a worthwhile purchase in my opinion.

J.H. Sweet, author of The Fairy Chronicles

With the reissue of Tolkien's cover of "The Hobbit" and other original drawings that he did, it seems like an appropriate time to pick up this book. Why? Because for a really complete vision of Tolkien's work (Lord of the Rings, Hobbit, and all the rest) it's probably best to see it as he saw it.

This book contains all the artwork that Tolkien created (NOT all the artwork BASED on his works, just the stuff he did himself!). Some are miscellaneous sketches and doodles, some are watercolors, ink drawings, prints, pencil sketches, and combinations of all of the above. One doodle looks like multicolored snowflakes, some are landscapes or pictures of little houses, teddy bears, owls, and so on. Very cute and cool, especially the illustrations done for "Roverandum."

And many are Middle-Earth related -- different views of the Misty Mountains or the Elvenking's hall, the evolution of what the Shire looked like, different Laketowns, different "Doors of Durin," even drawings of the tattered pages of the Dwarf Book of Moria. Near the end, even Tolkien's design drawings for LOTR book covers are included. And, of course -- MAPS! Maps of Wilderland, as well as the famous map from "Hobbit."

The text accompanying these many pictures carefully dissects all of the drawings and their importance, as well as how they evolved. (It's a bit like looking at concept art) As well as going over only Tolkien's work, Wayne G. Hammond also examines influences on Tolkien's artwork. For example, there is a fairy-tale picture that influenced a "Hobbit" picture, and a scientific drawing of a golden eagle that influenced another "Hobbit" picture with Bilbo.

This is a must-read for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien, a great peek into a great mind. And it emphasizes that Tolkien was not just a brilliant writer, but a brilliant artist as well. Great stuff, definitely a must-see.

Any fan of Tolkien has seen how others imagine Middle earth, from the art of Alan Lee to the films by Peter Jackson there are countless examples. This book is a treasure in that it gives us a look into Tolkien's own view of what Middle Earth looked like. Before buying this book I had no idea that Tolkien was so accomplished an artist. There are more drawings and paintings of "The Hobbit" than "Lord of the Rings," but this is a must own book for any serious reader of Tolkien.

so you want to go freelance... you really, REALLY want to go freelance? Tired of working for a boss? Want your own hours? Sleep late? Get this book, read it and then decide. It'll give you a well-rounded education of what they don't tell you in art school because what your professors were really interested in at that time wasn't your education, but getting a piece of co-ed you-know-what while they collected their paycheck.

I really liked this book a lot. It was a very good first-hand book written by a small business owner about his experiences starting, managing, and prospering as a freelance illustrator and/or graphic designer. His writing style was not exactly stellar. But it certainly was clear. The 20 chapters included in the book fell into the following 4 topics:

1. STARTING THE FIRM
>>Where Do You Start?
>>Off on the Right Foot
>>Creating a Plan for Your Business
>>Developing Your Financial Plans
>>Forms, Charts & Templates
>>Pricing Your Work and Getting Paid

2. MANAGING THE FIRM
>>Why Should You Freelance?
>>Setting Up Shop
>>Managing Your New Studio

3. RAINMAKING FOR THE FIRM
>>Bring in Clients
>>How to Get Noticed
>>What Goes in the Portfolio
>>Marketing on the Web

4. POSSIBLE MARKETS
>>The Magazine Market
>>Selling to the Newspapers
>>Working with Advertising Agencies
>>Selling to Book Publishers
>>The Greeting Card Market
>>Working with Art and Design Studios
>>Selling to Small Business

Since I am not an illustrator or a graphic designer I did not have much use for the fourth topic. But it was interesting to read about. I regularly counsel wanta-be entrepreneurs about how to start a small business; I'm a volunteer SCORE counselor. And the material covered in the first three topics above are exactly what I talk about with my SCORE clients. I highly recommend this book to anybody wanting to start their own small consulting practice. It does a wonderful job discussing the topics.

My biggest complaint with the book is the tendency of the author to recommend outsourcing so many functions: accounting, taxes, and Web site design and construction. I think these things should be fully understood by the small business owner and probably done by the owner herself. When the business grows to have a few employees, then the employees can do those tasks if the owner wants to do that.

I would have written the section on choice of business structure differently. Keep in mind that LLCs can be either single member or multi member. An LLC can elect to be taxed as a sole proprietorship (single member), a partnership (multi member), or a C Corporation. Also, a multi member LLC will have to file a partnership tax return. A good book on the subject that I recommend you read to supplement this book is Structuring Your Business (ISBN: 1593371772). I highly recommend forming an LLC and electing to have it taxed as a C Corporation. Just give yourself a bonus at year-end so the corporation retains no earnings. If your business is a corporation it is less likely to be audited by the IRS. 5 stars!

I love this book! It's great for those just starting up and has covered each aspect of becoming a freelancer. Each time something has come up, I referenced this book and found the answers! Highly recommended!

At first, I had heard that this author talks "down" to the illustrator when he is explaining things, but this book I actually found very helpful, true to life and there weren't any sugar coatings. I enjoyed how he wrote and he put things into perspective, he didn't talk down.

This is simply one of the best books for starting a freelance art career that I've ever read. This book gives you very practical information about almost every detail of freelance illustration and graphic design. You'll find information on creating business and financial plans, setting up and managing a studio, billing procedures, creating a portfolio and marketing yourself to potential clients. I find a lot of books of this nature don't talk about the raw mechanics of business so much as they offer token inspiration and motivation. If you're interested in a book that will actually give you useful information about the business side of freelancing this is the one to buy.

The only areas where it seemed to be a little on the thin side were dealing with taxes and the legal issues concerned with working for youself. Other than that it was wonderful.

Must have for reference. Great shop manual. I hope author keeps writing good Illustrator manuals. Well done.

For some reason, books on Adobe Illustrator are always terrible: they either pander to new users, recycle out-of-date content, or rehash the same boring techniques as every other book. Steve Kurth's Illustrator 10 Shop Manual puts the competition to shame, digging deeper in a single page than the other hacks do in a whole chapter.

Kurth has actually documented EVERY LAST feature in the program, down to the tiniest checkmark in each dialog box. He understands how I need to use the software, and offers the most specific and helpful advice I've ever seen.

A perfect example: a designer in my company needed to convert all the shapes of an expanded gradient from CMYK values to a single spot ink. If you think you know the answer, guess again -- it's not as easy as it sounds, and I've used Illustrator professionally for 8 years. The Shop Manual gave me an answer in less than five minutes.

And that's the key -- notice how I said "it gave me the answer," and not "I found the answer." No book could ever predict the above scenario and give clear-cut steps to the reader -- and that's why the others fail. Because it covers so much so well, the Shop Manual actually LEADS you to the connections you need, using Kurth's experience and a surprisingly intelligent layout.

I bought two copies: one for work, and one for home.

There's not much to say: I picked it up off the shelf, everything I needed to know is in there and it's easy to use. Simple praise, but rare praise indeed for today's often obtuse computer manuals.

This book is very good. I read it and learned a lot about the program. No nonsense. Later, I ask him questoin from his web site and he knew the answer right away. I look forward to other books by the author

I find these shop manual books amongst the most useful in my bookshelf. For an experinced user most often all that you need is to quickly look up the features and settings of a particuliar tool or dialog box.
This is a complete reference manual to the whole package, forgotten how to do something it will be in here somewhere. There is also a useful how-to section at the back covering common techniques.
These books make a designers life soo much easier.

The Artist Within showcases comic artists and cartoonists, usually inside their own workspaces, for a unique and thrilling look at how these creative people surround themselves (and therefore what drives them to do the work they do). The photos are stunning, the reproduction brilliant, and any fan of comic art will find many favorites represented inside, with huge black and white photos by Greg Preston, brief bios, and samples of their work.

There is no other book quite like this on the market, and it's about time we got one--and more than that, such a splendid one.

This book, without question is AMAZING! This book should be in every photography class, on every library and a standard for what the artist behind the camera can do.

Mr. Preston has run us through all emotions with this stellar work - he obviously threw his heart and soul into it - enjoy it!! The background of his shots makes one feel they are getting the best vew from his eye.

Thanks for a superior work!!

This book is an amazing study of artists and people. Even if you're not a comic book fan, these images open up the unbelievably private world of an artists' workspace and it's a fascinating study. Every time I leaf through these pages, I notice something new, some detail that you can see reflected in the pen and ink beside it.

And if you are a comic book fan... how can you resist this glimpse backstage?!

You can't. This book is irresistible. Thanks, Greg Preston!

Greg Preston has done an amazing job of photographing some of the worlds most talented and creative artists and getting that extra insight into their personalities by having them pose where they work, in their studios. Since he's been at it for well over a decade, the book luckily remembers many that have since passed away. It's fantastic to see so many people that have inspired me while turning page after page of this huge hardcover, Hogarth, Toth, Wrightson, Kaluta, Smith, Romita among, well, around 95 others! This collection should also put Greg on the map as an exceptional artist himself. You wouldn't even have to care about who he's snapping a camera at to enjoy and appreciate his knockout skill. I'm looking forward to a volume two!

As an artist myself, I am always fascinated to see the working environments of other artists. This book shows a ton of them. It's a huge, over sized book filled with gorgeous photos. I highly recommend it!

In my opinion, there can never be too many books like this one by Michael J. Hammel. This project-based book has great examples of how the graphic designer can use the GIMP software to get the job done. Each tutorial in this book is an individual project, allowing the reader to pick which tutorials best meets his or her needs. But read them all. Each technique is not presented in a vacuum. Hammel discusses these techniques in a way that prepares the readers to reproduce the results in their own projects.

Besides being a project-based book, I also liked that Hammel did not waste the reader's time, and his own, discussing every detail about each panel, menu command and keyboard shortcut. Instead, he commits those pages to more information that you can really use. Don't get me wrong, he does give a short overview of the GIMP workspace in order to orient the novice to the software. But he does a good job of giving the readers only the information that they will need for the rest to the book.

So what does Hammel cover in this book? He writes each project-based tutorial from the point-of-view of the graphic designer. He begins with a short description of the design criteria for the project and ends each tutorial with suggestions for other projects where the reader might apply these techniques. He divides the book into six chapters and each chapter covers a different area of graphic design. Once he covers the basics, he moves on to techniques for the photographer, web designer, advertising designer and UI designer. Throughout each chapter, he discusses how type applies to the project and he also devotes a chapter to type effects.

For the photographer, he begins with some simple techniques for adding steam to a photo and creating a vignette. Then he covers more advanced techniques such as simulating depth of field. Have you ever wondered how graphic artists get type to look so good on top of any background? Hammel shows you how this is done, along with some other nice text effects. Also, he has one of the best techniques for converting a photo into a sketch that I have seen so far. His technique goes beyond the usual examples that you find in books and on the web.

Moving from photography to web design, Hammel states that "color is king" on the web today. Only just a few years ago, books were preaching just the opposite. But now with the better monitors, Hammel can share some of his techniques for creating mood, simulating 3D and reflections, and "popping" an image. He also has some great techniques for creating folds from texture and gradients and for creating the popular Toon style.

With the advent of widgets and other ways to create your own desktop applications, graphic designers are being asked to design user interfaces (GUI) for these applications. Hammel devotes the last section of his book to take you through the design process for creating a UI for a video player. He starts with the face plate and designs each part of the UI individually. However, these same techniques could be used to create environments for digital games and other design applications.

Hammel has been working with GIMP from its beginnings in 1996. He has authored and co-authored many GIMP related books and articles.

The GIMP is an image editor whose power and easy use rivals the industry standard Photoshop - and is a popular free software item. While The Artist's Guide to GIMP Effects could've been explored in our Computer Shelf area, it's reviewed here to alert every artist working with computer images. It shows how to use the GIMP's powerful features to apply to ads, photos, and business pursuits, and comes from an author who has used GIMP since its first public release. From specialty photographic techniques available within the GIMP model to advanced web design features for special effects, no photo artist using the computer should be without THE ARTIST'S GUIDE TO GIMP EFFECTS - and any collection strong in Photoshop-type books needs it.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

If you don't know what GIMP is, it's an alternative to Photoshop that allows you to do the same things (essentially) but is free.

I was impressed and surprised (in a good way) on the depth of tutorials in this book. I was really looking for something that would give me a good overview of using GIMP from the top, and was surprised at how many things you can do creatively that I hadn't even thought of. My only criticism is the paper used is flat and it would be nice to have something a little glossier for the images. The images are in color, which is nice though. I've used photoshop and now GIMP from probably a pretty basic level (I'm not a graphic artist) for album coverwork for compilation CD's for myself and friends, posters, and just playing around with abstract art to frame and hang on my own wall. I've been impressed with GIMP as an alternative to Photoshop and I think this book is a great companion to help me get the most out of it. If you've tried GIMP, which is free to download, and want to get more out of it, I would recommend this book.

Should have purchased this book months ago. Not for the absolute beginner, but a must have for the advanced beg or int user who wants to learn more about using gimp.

GIMP, or the GNU Image Manipulation Program to give it its proper name, is a graphics-editing program broadly similar to Adobe Photoshop in terms of functionality. The GIMP is an open source program that can be freely downloaded and installed on most computers, including maps. But on the downside it doesn't come with a manual, so figuring out how to use GIMP can be tricky.

But 'The Artist's Guide to GIMP Effects' isn't simply a book explaining what all the different tools and features do. Michael Hammel pitches this book quite a bit higher than that, focusing instead on how to use GIMP to perform a variety of useful and common tasks. From trick photography to building graphics for web sites, Hammel leads the reader expertly through nicely illustrated tutorials. The end result is more than simply a better understanding of the program, but a richer appreciation of what the program can be used to do.

There are six chapters, the first of which introduces many of the basic concepts. Although there is some attention given to where the relevant tools are found and how to use them, the focus here is on what they do and why you need them. Fundamental to success with any graphics program is understanding how different tools work when applied together, and Hammel finishes off this chapter with a set of multi-function tutorials that underline this point.

The second chapter concentrates on manipulating photographs. These include softening images, adding motion effects, and creating reflections. In each case the process is taken step-by-step, with clear text and relevant screenshots. At this point it's also worth mentioning something about the layout of the book. No Starch has really done a good job here. The book is wider than it is tall, and each page holds two columns of text. The flexible binding lets the book stay open at any page. As a result, it's an easy book to use alongside the computer.

The next chapter is about creating artwork for web sites. These include things like tiles for web page backgrounds, buttons, tabs, and menu bars. The first tutorial in this batch is all about creating glossy, gel-like buttons of the type Macintosh users will be familiar with. One of the later tutorials looks at the ubiquitous rollover buttons, though from the perspective of creating the actual artwork required rather than the necessary JavaScript or CSS coding. That said, if you use a WYSIWYG web page layout program like Freeway, you probably won't need to manually any of that sort of code to your page anyway; all you need are the graphics.

Like all the other chapters, the web design chapter finishes with a collection of useful tips. Some of these should be required reading for any web designer, and it's great to see the author lay them out fair and square.

The fourth chapter is very unusual but actually makes a lot of sense. It's a chapter devoted to creating advertising. While no substitute for a degree in marketing, there's some great stuff here for anyone who needs to produce things like packaging and posters. Small businesses attracted to GIMP by its low cost will likely find this chapter worth the price of the book alone. On the other hand, some of the tutorials in this section are only incidentally useful for advertising purposes though, and could be just as relevant to anyone creating computer artwork. Again, there's a wrap-up section with a slew of useful tips and tricks.

Chapter five brings text into the mix. This chapter kicks off with some tutorials covering things like neon, metallic, and gel-like text, among other typographic effects.

The last chapter is specifically for software developers, and illustrates the ways in which GIMP can be used to design and prototype application interfaces. While a clever and potentially useful chapter, what was obviously missing from this section of the book was something on designing icons for programs. The book then rounds off with a detailed index.

For $45 this isn't a cheap book, especially when you consider that GIMP itself is free and comes with its own online guides and tutorials. The question is whether having things laid out clearly and logically in a nicely illustrated book justifies the cost. In the opinion of this reviewer at least, the answer is yes. For the GIMP user looking to go beyond simply cropping and resizing digital images, this book is highly recommended.

This book meets the needs of many people who are happy with the best-selling Adobe Classroom-in-a- book series, but found their content to be more appropriate to novices. Using the same tutorial approach with concise, well-illustrated and clear explanations, this book is a must for web designers and any digital-era artist.

Ok, this is a good book. A very good book. It is well written, clear and easy to follow. And the projects are, for the most part, more useful in real-world than the basic classroom in a book series.

I just think the title is misleading. This is NOT a book of ADVANCED techniques. It is NOT "Bert Monroy" advanced techniques or "Photoshop channel chops" advanced techniques.

What this book actually is, is the NEXT STEP UP from PS & Illustrator basic classrooms in a book. And if that is where you are in your level of knowledge of PS & Illustrator, then put your money on the table and get this book because you will learn A LOT.

Maybe my problem is that I expect more from the people at Adobe. Every week they post these "showcases" at Adobe.com showing these amazing images that were created using their software. I for one wish they would start showing us HOW to create them instead of WHO is creating them. Anyway, I digress.

Here's some usefull information on this book.

Chapter 1; PREPARING IMAGES FOR PRINT OR THE WEB. (yawn) You got this in the basic CIAB.

Chapter 2; SHADING & BLENDING. Been there, done that. Nothing new.

Chapter 3; ACQUIRING DIGITAL IMAGES. Scanning, Photo CD, etc. (I kid you not).

Chapter 4; ADVANCED MASKING. O.K., now you're starting to learn something. A nice chapter on some neat masking tricks in both PS & Illustrator.

Chapter 5; ADVANCED COMPOSITING. Nice chapter on blending with layer masks, layer modes, etc.

Chapter 6; COLOR MANAGEMENT & DISTRIBUTION. Hey, you at Adobe... quite with the chapters on "optimizing web-art". WE GET THE POINT, already...Low resolution & Primary colors. Jeez.

Chapter 7; ADVANCED TYPOGRAPHY AND LAYOUT. Always useful, always overlooked. Great stuff.

Chapter 8; MASTERING THE PEN TOOL. If you didn't get the hang of it in the basic CIAB, this info isn't going to help.

Chapter 9; TWO COLOR PRINT PROJECTS. Art on a budget. Actually, this chapter does have some nice info on getting good results with spot color.

Chapters 10 & 11; Throw away stuff used to fill pages (animated Web Ad Banner, etc).

Well, thats it. It's your call. If you need to bone up on some of the techniques listed above, they are well presented and you WILL learn from this book. It IS very well done.

If you are looking for REAL ACTUAL EARTH SHATTERING GURU advanced stuff on PS & Illustrator, save your money. You should buy "Photoshop Channel Chops" & Bert Monroy's "Photorealistic Techniques with PhotoShop & Illustrator". Now THAT book will put hair on your chest.

The Adobe staff's training workbook Photoshop 5.5 And Illustrator 8.0 provides advanced users with a series of training lessons developed by experts and tested in classes and computer labs. Projects use both applications and include plenty of tips for preparing and editing Web graphics, animation, and skills already learned by the user. Ownership of these programs is a 'must' for users, with some prior background lending to these books' easy instructions.

Adobe Press finally gets it right with this in-depth look at Photoshop and Illustrator. If you use both of these products (and who doesn't?), you'll find this book the perfect blend of the two, contrasting and comparing the products and providing numerous workflow examples.

If you like this book, be sure to pick up Wendy Crumpler's Photoshop, Painter, and Illustrator book.

As with the rest of the "Classroom in a Book" series, this is probably the best way to learn Adobe Products. This is a great tutorial for intermediate-advanced users of Illustrator and Photoshop to fill in the gaps of their knowledge especially for anyone who doesn't understand the synergy that exists when these two products are combined.

I really hope more tutorial books using multiple software packages to complete projects are released.

Tad Crawford has written a whole series of books out of his expertise in the law and creative arts, with a special focus on photography and visual arts. I'd suggest looking at Tad's other books, too, since this one is more action-focused without extensive explanations of the whys and wherefores of it.

"Business and Legal Forms" has the documents you'll need, such as model and property releases, copyright transer forms, publishing contracts and other stock art forms. His descriptions are very helpful. Of greatest practical use, though, is the included media containing MS Word documents of all of the forms.

If you're just getting started in the arts, you need this book!

As A Freelance Artist This book has been so helpful In getting me started for the carreer I have ahead of myself. This book is a must have for all designers in my opinion.

Not only does this book present a wealth of practical information on the business end of illustration, but the included CD-ROM works for Macintosh users as well as Windows. The electronic versions really *work* and are easily customizable. A very well done and helpful publication.

A superb book! When you consider that I downloaded a single "shareware" contract for artists that the author wanted $50 for, you realize the value of this book. And this book comes with a CD-rom with all the forms in electronic format, so you don't even have to go to the trouble to type or scan them in! This is the essential book for all graphic artists.

I found this book to be very helpful and well- thought-out. The author has provided an extremely powerful tool. He has thoroughly covered practically every situation a commercial artist is likely to face. This book contains 21 complete tear-out forms appropriately prepared for specific business matters such as estimates, collaboration, illustrator-agent agreement, consignment and sale of artwork just to name a few. This new revised edition conveniently includes forms on a CD-ROM. It also includes a detailed explanation on how to use each form. The legal advice found in this book will surely save you a great deal of time and money which is invaluable to any working artist. Unless you are a ''starving artist'' who works for food only, this informative legal guide will no doubt prove itself very useful and effifcient. This is truly an essential book for commercial artists!