Creative Photoshop: Digital Illustration and Art Techniques, covering Photoshop CS3 (Digital Workflow)

List Price: $39.95 Discount Price: $24.64

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Book [Posted on 2008-09-16]
One of the best Photoshop books I've seen recently. Engaging artwork, nice writing, technically sound [and pretty advanced]. 5 stars without hesitation.

Cool... depending on who you are an artist or a photoshop user to begin with... [Posted on 2008-10-08]
I picked up Martin Evening's book on Photoshop for Photographers from this series and I was just blown away with how good it was, so I picked up this one thinking it would help me expand my artistic side. I wasn't as excited. It's not that there is anything wrong with this book, it's just a little misleading I think from some of the descriptions I read prior to purchase. This book is GREAT if you are an artist by nature already and want to transition into a digital work flow. It will have you doing cool stuff in no time at all. It will teach you all photoshops tools and how to use them to make art. However, if you are already pretty good on the digital illustration side already and were hoping to expand your artistic techniques and skills, aka just get more "creative", and this is where I am, I know photoshops tools and shortcuts inside out, then you might be a little let down. There's just more of a focus on using the photoshop tools to make art, such as refining the brush tool options to get a realistic brush stroke, than on artistic concepts like doing better, more realistic shading or how to inspire yourself to make more creative art. Don't get me wrong - there's some great artwork and ideas in here, but you don't need to buy a book to see great inspiring artwork (the internet has plenty)... So, it's either great or just good - ask yourself where you are and go from there.

A wonderful book [Posted on 2008-10-16]
This is a wonderful book. Lea knows Photoshop well enough to produce anything he can imagine, and the man has a great imagination! He wields the Gradient tool like a painter uses a brush, and exercises blend modes to the max. And that's just a tiny part of what he shows how to do in this book. Reading the book is like taking a master class in the studio.

He has a wonderful way of teaching. For instance, in some places he starts right out and leads the reader step-by-step through a process, but then stops and encourages a look back, a mental synthesis of what has been accomplished and how it worked. So you get the pleasure of the accomplishment right away, but you also end up knowing what it was you just did - helpful, of course, if you ever want to go back and use the techniques in your own work.

If you're an expert, you can get a lot out of the book, just by reading and looking at the pictures. If you're intermediate in your Photoshop experience, working through the examples with the files Lea has included should be a great education. If you're a motivated beginner, the book may require a bit of a stretch as you read and work the examples, but I think you'll find it well worth the time invested.

Just what I needed [Posted on 2008-10-27]
I'm finally learning to design with Adobe after completing 'Adobe's Classroom in a Book for Photoshop CS3'. I had a general understanding of how all the parts work, but not a clue where to start in creating something. Derek Lea's book, 'Creative Photoshop' was the perfect next step. I am completing each chapter using my own images instead of the one's he provided and I am actually learning how to do it. What I especially appreciate, is that this author includes all the steps you need to complete each project. I have started other books and gotten stuck because they have either left out steps or assumed I knew more than I do.

Filled with Creative Techniques [Posted on 2008-11-23]
This is a great book for those who are familiar with the basic tools of Photoshop, but who would like more practical advice on how to use them. A lot of the Photoshop books on the market just rehash things that can already be found in the users manual. This book, instead of wasting time telling you what a brush is, jumps straight into showing you how to use the tools at your disposal to achieve the effects that you want.

What I found particularly useful about this book is that nearly half of it covers illustration and art techniques rather than just photo manipulation. Among the skills that you can learn in this book are:

*how to create Painter-like effects in Photoshop
*how to illustrate characters using shape layers
*how to create realistic looking graffiti art and stencils
*how to transform a photo into an illustration
*how to transform a sketch into an illustration
*how to create retro-style art as in 50's advertising posters
*coloring comic art using Photoshop

In addition to these skills, this book teaches a lot of mixed media type of techniques. For example, you can learn how to use the photocopier or fax machine to achieve a certain effect in your art. Also, how to use scanned textures to add a sense of realism to your digital art.

I really recommend this to those who are looking to use Photoshop for graphic design, illustration, or comic work. You'll learn a lot of techniques that will make your art shine.

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