Introduction

A Unique Approach to Learning Illustrator

This book provides a clear, concise , and coherent introduction to Adobe Illustrator CS. Illustrator has an overwhelming set of tools, features, and effects. Some of these features are relatively esoteric, and part of my job as author of this book was to identify the Illustrator features you really need as an aspiring graphic designer or digital artist.

To do that, Ive emphasized and gone into detail about how to use the Pen tool, how to create and manage illustrations, and how to prepare your illustrations for various forms of output. This knowledge is the key to understanding Illustrator (and other vector art programs), and youll use it nearly every time you use the program, regardless of your level of experience.

Illustrators vector-based logic can be disorienting. Ive been teaching and writing about vector-based graphic tools since before you were born. OK, maybe notbut for 16 years . In that time, Ive learned (through trial and error) how to demystify Illustrator and make the learning process both effective and fun.