Now that the term generative art has become widely known, I posted this article for those who want to create graphics with programming code and want to know about related books.

I recommend these books not only for beginners, but also for those who have worked with code to some extent.

3 Great books for learning “Processing” – Beginner

Generative Art: A Practical Guide Using Processing – Matt Pearson

Generative Art presents both the techniques and the beauty of algorithmic art. In it, you’ll find dozens of high-quality examples of generative art, along with the specific steps the author followed to create each unique piece using the Processing programming language. The book includes concise tutorials for each of the technical components required to create the book’s images, and it offers countless suggestions for how you can combine and reuse the various techniques to create your own works.

Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book.
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► Generative Art: A Practical Guide Using Processing – Matt Pearson
Publication date: 2011. July 10
Length: 240 Pages
Publisher: Manning
Language: English
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Generative Design: Visualize, Program, and Create with Processing
-Harmut Bohnacker, Benedikt Groß, Julia Laub

Generative Design takes users through specific, practical instructions on how to create their own visual experiments by combining simple -to-use programming codes with basic design principles. A detailed handbook of advanced strategies provides visual artists with all the tools to achieve proficiency. Both a how-to manual and a showcase for recent work in this exciting new field, Generative Design is the definitive study and reference book that designers have been waiting for.

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► Generative Design: Visualize, Program, and Create with Processing – Matt Pearson
Publication date: 2012. August 22
Length: 472 Pages
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Language: English
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The Nature of Code: Simulating Natural Systems with Processing – Daniel Shiffman

The Nature of Code focuses on a range of programming strategies and techniques behind computer simulations of natural systems, from elementary concepts in mathematics and physics to more advanced algorithms that enable sophisticated visual results. Readers will progress from building a basic physics engine to creating intelligent moving objects and complex systems, setting the foundation for further experiments in generative design.Subjects covered include forces, trigonometry, fractals, cellular automata, self-organization, and genetic algorithms.The book’s examples are written in Processing, an open-source language and development environment built on top of the Java programming language. On the book’s website (http://www.natureofcode.com), the examples run in the browser via Processing’s JavaScript mode.

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► The Nature of Code: Simulating Natural Systems with Processing – Daniel Shiffman
Publication date: 2012. December 13
Length: 520 Pages
Language: English
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Recommended on Amazon

I introduce the tools and gear I use for my art, as well as the books on my studio bookshelf on Amazon’s barbe_generative_diary page.

barbe_generative_diary on Amazon