Illustrator book to learn xara

[starter83]

I would like to better learn the xara software and producing illustrations in general.

I know there are some very good xara tutorials and videos which I am happy to use.

But I also like to learn from a good structured book. So most good books seem to be written for Adobe Illustrator.

Therefore my question: Is it possible and recommendable to use e.g. an Adobe Illustrator book from the bookstore and easily transform this knowledge to using Xara instead of Adobe Illustrator? (Is the usage of the tools in both of the programs similar enough?)

Bonus question 1: If yes, can anybody recommend a good book to better learn producing illustrations?

Bonus question 2: What do you think is a good strategy for a beginner to learn producing high quality illustrations?

[I don't know which is the best category to post such a question. Sorry if I post in the wrong category.]

[ss-kalm]

No, you can't learn Xara from an Adobe Illustrator book.

[starter83]

Hello ss-Kalm!

Thanks for answering. Is the reason that booth programs are too different to use?

Is it possible to learn some basic strategys to produce good illustrations from some of these books? Or is Xara so unique to use that it is really better just to stick with specific Xara teaching material?

[masque]

Hi, welcome to TG
There is no book specifically for learning to use Xara as a tool for illustration or anything else, currently available that I know of.
I feel you need to pinpoint the area of illustration or type of subject matter you are principally interested in to start with at least.
Producing images of cars or other machinery is approached in a very different way to producing botanical illustrations or those featuring the human face or figure for instance, which is different again to producing layouts or maps.
When I produce an image it’s more likely to be organic than mechanical and I start with a freehand sketch directly on screen or more often on paper and then worked over to produce a semblance of a finished image in Xara.
Whatever interest you have regarding the final subject matter choosing and working through some of Gary’s tutorials is a very good way to get used to the tools available and the way to combine them to produce the effects you might be looking for. Once you start to become familiar with them you could work on your own images but it’s never going to be an instant process and you won’t find anything in a book that’s more comprehensive or easier to follow than some of these tutorials which go back over a number of years.
Tutorials sometimes in a magazine such as Computer Arts available here in the UK for predominantly Illustrator can be modified and produced in Xara once you are familiar with Xara's tools so that is an alternative source though I still think the Xaraxone is the best starting point.
Derek

[ss-kalm]

Starter 83 - If you are looking to get familiar with Xara's tools, I agree with Derek. Go to Xaraxone and work through some of the tutorials. OR just browse and look at what has been produced and how.
If you want to learn how to draw, that is a different animal altogether, and I cannot tell you how to learn that. There are lots of talented artists on this site, who will be only too glad to give advise. Shame that I'm not one of them - (Artist that is not advisor - I'm always willing to give advise - some of it better than others).

[Odat]

I'll third checking out the xone and all of the tutorials that Gary has published as a great way to get a sense of the tools and just the things you can do and how to accomplish certain looks.

Maybe we should all beg Gary to use his accumulated wisdom to write a book about Xara?

[amoore]

If you want to learn how to draw, that is a different animal altogether, and I cannot tell you how to learn that.

Actually, doing the tutorials will help. That and just taking the time to do it.

Some years back, Gary pushed me on this issue since drawing is not high on my list of skills. I think it took me about two weeks to produce a fairly creditable image of a VCR cassette. (Closest object to the computer when I started.:shrug

Unfortunately for my drawing skills, I have no time to devote to them.( My needs are predominantly about modifying and assembling.) Even so, doing the tutorials helped a lot. One of these days I'll be able to get back to all that. (I did actually cadge a few minutes to start doing a tut last week...)

Allison

[amoore]

Maybe we should all beg Gary to use his accumulated wisdom to write a book about Xara?

That's been requested many times. Sadly, it's not financially feasible.

Happily, the chapters of a fabulous and very worthwhile Xara book are already available as tutorials and workbooks on the XaraXone. Probably a much better format in the long run.

(And much easier on Gary...)

[Soquili]

Finding a publisher interested in a book about Xara Xtreme is probably the hardest part of getting a book published.

[Odat]

Yeah, I had a feeling that had been done before.

With the built in movies and the staggering number of tutorials and other information that Gary has made available, Xara wins hands down as THE easiest to learn software I've come across (not counting software that I wrote myself, naturally .