Customer Reviews

Carving the Human Face: Capturing Character and Expression in Wood

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

World Champion carver Jeff Phares is kfamous for his lifelike busts and masks and in Carving The Human Face: Capturing Character And Expression In Wood, he shares his techniques for creating masterful human portraits in wood. Part One showcases more than 20 of his current works, focusing in on the wise and weathered expressions of Native Americans, frontiersmen and cowboys. Part Two offers more than 350 instructional photographs taking the aspiring sculptor from a block of butternut to the finished facial mask of a Native American warrior. Part Three of Carving The Human Face includes more than 20 diagrams explaining facial anatomy and how it relates to Carving Masks and busts. Woodcarvers and sculptors will find the material and techniques comprising this single volume "how to" guide and manual to be invaluable in honing their skills and improving their work.

This book is, without a doubt, the best instructional book for wood carvers in the past decade. I sincerely wish that Jeff Phares will do another book soon. I am certainly happy that the book is available through Amazon as his book seems to be selling out at most book stores.

For this being his first book it is very good. It explanes everything step by step, from begining to end.I have my own copy and I am awaiting the next book. You are inspiring to every person who would like to become a woodcarver

I have purchased all of Jeff Phares books, and this last edition, Carving the Human Face is by far the best one yet, much more detail and very clear photo's. I have learned a great deal from these books.
Herman Bernitt

This book is giving me a lot of help carving the face. To the extent that now I look at people and see the angles and the location of the bits of a face,and where they fit.I bought this book because I want to carve woodspirits with more than the adverage detail.I'm going to need a lot more practice with my chisels.

If you want instruction on how to carve the ultimate in realistic looking faces, any of Jeff Phares books can help you.

If you are interested in carving NA faces or cowboys, you will love this book. The instruction will also be useful in general for any type of face, though the artist seems particularly concerned with aged, lined, character-rich faces.

The type of wood you should use here for a more realistic carving is Butternut it helps to bring the carving to a more Human like look.

Very nice book full of wonderful pictures. Gave this as a gift to my father who is a woodcarver and he loved it!

This is a very good book on carving an Indian face. Much of the information can be adapted to carve any face. The pictures are of a good quality and the written information is clear. I think you would need to have some experience to follow along.