Want to Learn Canvas? You Need to Get this Book.

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The HTML5 Canvas element and API have become indespensible for
developers who want to build interactive graphics without the need for
3rd party plugins. From very cool drawing to full-on video games, Canvas
is the new technology of choice for building out some great user
experiences. The downside is the learning curve. It's not a trivial API
and if you want to go beyond the basics, it's helpful to have a
resource. Thankfully, Canvas and game expert Rob Hawkes has written a
fantastic book the technology.

Foundation HTML5 Canvas: For Games and Entertainment takes
you through the basics of Canvas and leads you into advanced topics
that will have you building advanced Canvas apps, including games, in no
time. Here's what Rob had to say:

My
motivation behind writing the book stems from the lack of concise and
easy-to-understand documentation about all the cool things that HTML5
canvas can do. Back when I was learning canvas myself there was very
little to go on apart from the hardcore specification documentation,
which is meant for browser manufacturers to understand, not Web
developers. Readers of the book will be able to learn everything from
the history of HTML5, to a foundation course in JavaScript, all the way
to learning how to draw in the browser using canvas. The book ends with a
look at more challenging areas of canvas, like animation with physics,
and game development. All in all, this is the book that I wish existed
when I started out, so if you're looking at canvas or game development I
encourage you to check out the website for the book to find out more.

Here's what you'll learn:

  • The exciting new features that HTML5 brings and how to use them
  • The basics of programming in JavaScript and capturing user input
  • What the canvas drawing element is all about and why you'd want to use it
  • How to utilise both basic and advanced features of canvas
  • How to create realistic animations using canvas and a splash of physics
  • How to make interactive games using canvas, JavaScript, and other HTML5 goodies

The book is definitely top-notch and if you're interested in
HTML5-based animation, it definitely should be part of your library.

Be sure to check out the book as well as Rob's Script Junkie article on How to Build Asteroids with the Impact HTML5 Game Engine to learn what can be done with Canvas.