Adobe Illustrator Paths and Curves

Creating paths and curves is one of the most difficult tasks in Adobe Illustrator. Yet there are only a scant ten pages on it in the documentation!

Help is here. Adobe Illustrator Paths and Curves shows you just how easy it can be to construct beautiful, technically sound paths and curves, every time! That means no more choppy, irregular lines and no more fatal technical errors.

Written by an illustrator for illustrators, this book approaches the subject from an artist's?not a programmer's?point of view. Working from the "inside out," Ken Batelman first introduces you to the basic science of curves as they occur in art and nature. Next, in down-to-earth, jargon-free language, he tells you what makes Illustrator tick?how the program interprets the data and transforms it into the images you see. Then, step-by-step, he shows you how to apply that knowledge to solve design and illustration problems as they occur and to get the most out of Illustrator's rendering features. Even if you've never used Illustrator before, by following Ken's carefully paced approach, in no time you'll:

• Create beautiful, smooth curves using the least number of points
• Connect curves to straight lines
• Connect one curve to another
• Combine paths to create images
• Avoid print errors and crashing your output devices
• Master all of Illustrator's amazing drawing capabilities!

And since a picture's worth at least a thousand words, Adobe Illustrator Paths and Curves includes hundreds of professional-quality figures and illustrations that help bring the concepts and techniques discussed into sharp focus.

I read this book about 3 years ago & I have yet to find a book that gets to the heart of the Illustrator program as this book does. I took a illustration class in 95 & remember how I struggled using the pen tool & trying to figure out the way the pen tool creates points. If I had this book to read before or during that class I would have understood it a lot sooner. I didn't really understand the thinking of the program until I read this book. As far as I'm concerned this book is the Illustrator Bible, because no matter how Adobe updates the program the heart of Illustrator is the pen tool. Once you master the pen tool the rest of Illustrator is easy. If you started out drawing freehand as I did, once you learn the concept behind the pen tool you will enjoy creating images using the pen tool.The tutorials are easy,quick & very straight forward.


I learned a lot from it.   March 4, 2001
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I don't know why the other people hated it so much. It very clearly explains the nuts and bolts of how paths and curves work. After reading cover to cover, I feel like I have a good handle on curve and path manipulation, masks, and many other basic skills. It doesn't try to teach you how to be a graphic designer, and doesn't claim to. But if you want to thoroughly understand this aspect of Illustrator, this is the book. I also found it very easy to follow and understand, and he definitely has the beginner in mind. I checked it out at the library, and now I want to buy my own copy.


Utterly impossible to understand!   February 16, 2001
 0 out of 2 found this review helpful

First of all, this book was written with Illustrator 3 in mind. It purports to analyze the meaning and proper use of paths and the pen tool, but instead it just serves up example after example of mundane and irrelevant clip art.

Add to that the condescending tone that is prevelant throughout the bulk of this book, and you're left with quite a frustrating read.


Very strange, and hard to follow for beginers   January 2, 2001
 1 out of 3 found this review helpful

I would like to know if there are any books that beside this book so that I can learn Illustrator. In particular, Using the Pen tool or other features. That's right, so I can learn and understand more about the topic and get well prepared for a career in design and graphics.

I am wondering if this is possible, I'd like to learn about Illustrator ASAP.

Thank you very much for your time and help.

If you are reviewing other Illustrator books, please inform if they will be able to help. So far, this one and two others have been of no good to me.


Horrible   January 1, 2001
 1 out of 3 found this review helpful

This book, besides being terribly out of date, is filled with contrary advice and poor examples. The manual from Adobe is much more useful than this book. two thumbs down from this reviewer.