Just a quick news item: the Adobe Illustrator CS6 version of the superb Illustrator WOW! tutorial book series for Adobe Illustrator will feature a lesson by yours truly.

I was approached by the author, Sharon Steuer, to contribute an advanced technique to the book. We decided to present a unique method of quickly applying color to your line art using Adobe Illustrator’s Shape Builder tool.  The cartoon logos and cartoon characters you see on my website and blog are created using this technique.

The great thing about this approach to creating interior color fills for you line art is that it uses your existing line art and saves tons of time. You might also learn a few things about the Shape Builder tool that you weren’t aware of before. I even learned a few things while working with Sharon on editing the lesson!

The book is due out in August 29, 2012, and can of course be purchased from Amazon and other major book retailers. You can also pre-order directly from the publisher, Peachpit Press. In the meantime you can check out the current version of the Illustrator WOW! book for Adobe Illustrator CS5.

The WOW! books also feature tons of other great lessons from other talented vector artists and is highly recommended. I used an older version of the book to help me improve my vector art and Adobe Illustrator skills back when I first got started in vector art, so it’s a huge honor to be able to contribute to the current edition.