Customer Reviews

Pose File 8: Above & Below (Pose File, Vol 8)

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

 

 

The theme for this volume is "above and below." The result is a series of fantastic poses shot with mostly with wide angle lenses. An old professor of mine encouraged us to exaggerate the form as necessary to compel a composition. This volume demonstrates how distortion and exaggeration work on a page - these are views that the eye is not able to create on its own. I highly recommend this volume for serious artists or illustrators who already have a good sense of basic proportion and form and are looking to extend their knowledge of the human figure.

When I first got this book back in 96' I wasn't really sure what I was ordering. But once I got it, I was astounded by how great the pictures were, it's one of my valued resources! There are few books out there that cover as many everyday poses from different angels with different types of lighting...

A Definate must have, you won't regret the investment!

...one of my favorites in the series, right along with pose files 6 and even 5...

This is tied with Pose File 6 for being my absolute favorite in the series. This is a great photo-reference series that unfortunately has a hard time staying in print. If you can find any copies, I mainly recommend these 3 volumes I mention, but Pose File 8: Above & Below may actually be the best one. Certainly it has some of the best and most creative poses and angles in the series, and production value is top-notch; the only drawback here is that all models are female, if that's even *actually* a drawback. It's Pose File 6 that includes some decent male reference. Pose File 5 isn't as great as either of these in regards to overall production quality, but it has a *great* section on close-ups of hands to make it unique. In any case, these asian female models are beautiful and great to draw from. This is a *tremendous* help in figure drawing(!). But along with high production value comes high cost, and these things weren't the most inexpensive books to begin with, let alone *now* that they're hard to find and out of print. These paperback volumes are 8-1/4" x 11-5/8", and are all at around 160 pages last time I checked.

It's *highly recommended*- if you can find a decent price!

Yes it is the next best thing to live models but in general the quality of the pictures varies a bit. That is not to say having the poses isnt wonderful but the lighting varies a bit...if you rely solely on the photos and the lighting is poor it becomes difficult. I really think that the whole "pose file " series are books that you need to look through before buying...I think you need to go to a book store and thumb thru each "pose file" book to determine if you have the right version...some books are more lighted some are closer up...some are sitting...some more standing. I think these are expensive and need to be viewed and assessed before deciding about a purchase...although returns are easy at amazon.com :O)

This book is great, who thought anyone could fit so many fresh poses pictured so clearly, all within one cover! I have this book already. I'm buying this one for a friend, because if you like to draw figures and can't get a hold of a live model this book is the next best thing.