Art Models: Life Nudes for Drawing Painting and Sculpting [Paperback]

Maureen Johnson (Author), Douglas Johnson (Author), Butch Krieger (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2006

Artists can easily access the human form outside of the studio with this solid pictorial reference. More than 500 crisp photographs portray a diverse set of models in 100 poses—ranging from the classical to the everyday—and show the positions from a variety of angles, including overhead. Exquisitely detailed photos of particular body parts and precise lighting reveal otherwise hidden areas of the models while providing rich shadowing and tone. The inspiring photographs in this collection are ideal for both students and more advanced artists who are looking for material to supplement a live model class or to hone their skills from the comfort of home.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"As close as possible to what you would see, if you were observing the models directly with your own eyes."  —Butch Krieger, from the foreword

"As photographic references go, [this] is one of the best."  —Stuart Mark Feldman, 30-year veteran sculptor

From the Publisher

Through careful research and consultation with a variety of artists, the authors have created a truly useful art reference. Packed from cover to cover with over 100 poses photographed at multiple angles, Art Models provides a supplement for routine work such as practicing with new mediums and studying body features and also creative work like planning compositions. By encouraging extra practice and planning, Art Models makes studio time with live models more worthwhile and rewarding for both artists and models. See full previews at the author's livemodelbooks site. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Live Model Books (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976457326
• ISBN-13: 978-0976457329
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,289 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > Arts & Photography > Sculpture
  • #63 in Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing > Figure Drawing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning, June 20, 2006

By 

PhotoKid - See all my reviews

This review is from: Art Models: Life Nudes for Drawing, Painting, and Sculpting (Book & DVD-ROM) (Hardcover)

I was surprised by how many photos they could fit in a 160 page book. They're on just about every page and they fill the page. And since the book is 8.5x11, the photos are really big.

Other pose books I've seen put the photos in little frames. Maybe little photos and lots of white space looks nice, but it's a bad idea if you really want to see the models. Would you rather work from big color photos or little ones that you can't really see?

The quality, size of the photos, and the sheer number of them is stunning. Definitely the best bang for the buck of any pose book out there.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About the Models, June 14, 2006

By 

JJ9786 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Art Models: Life Nudes for Drawing Painting and Sculpting (Paperback)

About the models,
If you buy the book expecting to get airbrushed ultra skinny fashion models, you might be disappointed. But, if you want naturally beautiful models photographed in clear lighting so you can see every bit of them, then this book is great. And there's a nice range, from Susan who is slim and athletic and has a classic Greek-sculpture face to someone like Jen with her amazing natural figure and more modern look.

The previews above give a good idea of the range of models but it's kind of hard to see how beautiful they are. And a couple of my favorites, Jessica and Jennifer (who have pin-up style figures) are missing.

So, if you want supermodels, go buy a fashion magazine, or if you want erotic models airbrushed to look like plastic, go buy a men's magazine, but if you're looking for attractive naturally beautiful models, this is the book to get.

The poses are good too.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Pose Book on Disk, April 26, 2006

By 

Aspiring Artist - See all my reviews

This review is from: Art Models: Life Nudes for Drawing Painting and Sculpting (CD-ROM)

I've been searching for a really good model reference for several years. I've tried most of the others but the photos were always too small. This one is much better- not only is it the best one I've found, it's also one of the least expensive.

The book comes on two disks: one of them has the book in a PDF and the other one (a DVD-ROM) has all the photos in JPGs.

Pros
The JPGs are huge so you can zoom in for details. There are a ton of views of each pose so you can see them all around which is nice for finding just the right angle. You can print them out if you want- I wanted to zoom in and print out closeups to use in my studio. The photos are evenly lit which is great for seeing details. There's a good variety of models: male and female, ages range from young to middle age, a few different ethnicities and several different body types. There's a good variety of poses, some are taken from the classics while others are more dynamic and some ordinary ones.
I emailed the seller and they seemed friendly and were quick to respond.

Cons:
This version is on disk only, no print book included. So, your computer must have a DVD reader in it and you need a recent version of Adobe Reader.

Conclusion- I like the big clear photos and the low price.