Generative Art: A Practical Guide Using Processing

This is an excellent companion to the Processing language, with plenty of code examples. Thankfully, it is not a dry programming reference manual for Processing/Java. It is thoughtfully written and introduces topics such as 3D, noise objects and recursion without getting bogged down in too much detail. It’s even humorous in places, I particularly like the idea that The Smiths and Echo and the Bunnymen are instances of class 80s English Indie Band! A very useful feature of the book is owning the physical book gives access to the online edition, which allows you to read the book side by side with a Processing sketch, cutting and pasting code directly into a sketch window. The book is over 10 years old and could do with a new edition. Not all the URLs work and I’m sure there are more recent art works that could now be listed. But still a very good book.

The author is well respected both by myself and many across the world. This book delves into the theory behind generative art and is full of examples and code and lovely images too. Its the generative art handbook for processing - an essential guide to those who want to explore creativity with code

The book was perfect but came damaged so slightly disappointed

Pearson has put together a well structure introduction and tutorial guide into generative computational techniques. On par with Shiffman's books.

Top!

Excellent

"Generative Art" is easy. And fun. It takes two things: technique and enthusiasm, and this book gives you both. If you wanna make generative art, you have to code, and this book teaches that. Every artist needs craft. But making coding boring is easy, and this book avoids that by tying exercises in with interesting philosophical and artistic debates. Look at the chapter titles: "Emergence", "Autonomy", "The Wrong Way to Draw A Line". Take this last chapter for example. It introduces you to key generative tools like randomness, noise, and trigonometry, but with a light touch, and a continuing focus on their effect on the actual artwork, which is more ambiguous. The chapter title itself suggests this. What is the "wrong" way to draw a line? Artists have been arguing about it forever. Nowhere in this chapter is it explicitly stated. Tools are definable, art is not. Matt gives you the tools (the Processing language, emergent behaviour, Perlin noise, and the rest), and leaves the creativity to you. Except the images of course. The book is full of illustrations from generative luminaries like Robert Hodgin, Jared Tarbell, and of course Matt himself.

This is an introduction to producing generative art using the Processing language. Processing was invented to be an “easy” language for artists to learn. In its original form, it is based on a stripped down version of Java. (There is also a Python Mode available on the web.) The book has an introduction to generative art, and introduction to Processing (Java Mode), and three example sections on its use for art: emergent swarming behaviour, cellular automata, and fractals. There are lots of good examples to copy and modify, and also lots of pictures of somewhat more sophisticated examples of generative art. Note for publishers: don’t typeset your books in a minuscule typeface, grey text on white, with paper so thin that the text shows through, if you want anyone over the age of 25 to read it comfortably. I frankly skimmed in places. Nevertheless, this book should provide a good introduction to Processing for artists, providing basic skill that can then be incrementally upgraded as time goes by.