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Reviews (27)

Body guide for art
Very good surce of material for developing paints, draws and even sculpture.

Pretty pictures, not much information
I was looking for a book that would give me real understanding of the way that muscles connect to bones and how they work in motion. This book doesn't do that, and some of the drawings of muscles are so stylized as to be almost useless -like the drawing of muscles of the shoulder on page 103, which seems to have been compressed vertically simply because it looks cooler that way.
Beautiful photos, could use morefull body shots showing face
The photos and book are beautiful.I am happy with the book in that regard.Also it has a wealth of information necessary for a solid education in figure drawing.The transparent overlays of muscle over skeletal structure is great.I would have liked to have seen more full body shots, head to toe, with faces pointed towards the viewer.Really though, it is an invaluable addition to my artistic reference library. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anatomy, Artistic    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Artistic anatomy    5. Figure drawing    6. Human figure in art    7. Pictorial works    8. Reference    9. Study & Teaching    10. Techniques - General    11. Techniques - Life Drawing    12. Art / Techniques    13. Art, Architecture & Photography   

Reviews (15)

Say "cheese" cake
I ordered this book because of the glowing reviews.Even the review that was negative sited "faults" that I view as pluses. I returned this book as soon as it arrived because I found the poses to be cliched cheese cake for the most part.

YOU MUST PURCHASE THIS BOOK
This book is essential for all artists. each shot is posed and designed so beautifully, that it reaches the level of perfection. your drawings will tremendiously improve if you study from THE FEMALE NUDE I. it's impossible to flip through the book, without getting an intense desire to draw. and then you sit in awe, from the fact that a book can have such an impact on you. YOU MUST PURCHASE THIS BOOK!!!!!

A MUST MUST ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE... and here's why
If you really want to learn to draw... buy this book. Don't hesitate. This is the best pose book I have ever seen! Carefully designed by an artist for artists. Each pose is a full page. It's in black and white, so you can really work out your values / tones without getting distracted by color. The model is perfection itself, not a stick figure but curvy, streamlined with amazing muscle tone. Loads of varied poses and so well arranged. She poses barefoot and in heels. In heels she strikes a totally different attitude, you don't see this in other books. No dull expressionless faces, she's alive from head to toe. Having a great model is half way to a great drawing.
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Subjects:  1. Art / Study & Teaching    2. Art / Subjects & Themes / Human Figure    3. Art / Techniques / Life Drawing    4. Art    5. Artists' models    6. Figure drawing    7. Figure painting    8. Nude in art    9. Study & Teaching    10. Subjects & Themes - Human Figure    11. Techniques - Life Drawing    12. Women in art   

Reviews (1)

Figure drawing books don't get any better than this one.
"Drawing from Life" is a treasure an artist, teacher, and drawing lover finds once in awhile. It is very logically layed out. I enjoyed variety of illustrations, the learning exercises, and glossary. Alas... some negatives: the price, the quality and detail of the reproductions, especially the anatomy ones. The book needs to be bigger in size and make use of detail enlargements to show the beauty of the drawings ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anatomy, Artistic    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Drawing    5. General    6. Subjects & Themes - Human Figure    7. Technique    8. Techniques - Drawing    9. Art / General    10. Art techniques & materials    11. Drawing & drawings    12. Philosophy   

Reviews (21)

50's Medical Terms meet the Modern Artist
This book was purchased as required for class. The verbage in the textbook is reminiscent of the types of medical textbooks originating from the 50's.However, once you get past that, the diagrams and sketches are very in depth and descriptive.
Excellent book
This book has everything and more as far as anatomy for artists goes. The book is complete with excellent illustrations from real pictures to life like illustrations that capture the essence and meaning in the human form as conceptualized by the artist. A definite must have for any artist intrested in the human form.

Simplicity of form
Peck manages to breakdown scientific understanding of the human form into simple graphic shapes. Up there with Andrew Loomis's work. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anatomy, Artistic    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Fine Arts (Specific Aspects)    5. History - General    6. Human Anatomy    7. Reference    8. Techniques - Life Drawing    9. Art & Architecture | Art Instruction    10. Art / Drawing    11. Art techniques & materials    12. Drawing & drawings   

Reviews (25)

Great reference
For those of us who don't want to have to find out when the local art school has models coming in, or don't want to look at tons of porn trying to find something for reference, this book and its predecessors are perfect.

Disappointing
Great idea but poor execution. The photos are much too small to do any serious work with. The photos on disk are grainy and get even worse when you try to enlarge them.

fantastic!
Artists that seek to master the human figure very quickly come to the realization that unless you're married or are in a committed relationship (and have a partner patient enough to be your model), you don't have access to a model 24/7. This is the next best thing to having a live model. You purchase this product for the CD - the book is meant more as a reference for the CD images. Virtual Pose allows you to view photos of a live model from every angle and zoom in. There are dozens of poses from both female and male models, each of which can be rotated 360 degrees. Highly recommend. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Study & Teaching    4. Subjects & Themes - Human Figure    5. Techniques - General    6. Art techniques & materials    7. Drawing & drawings    8. Human figures depicted in art   

Reviews (19)

The secret is revealed!
I've always grown up wanting to be one of those people who could draw portraits but never had any luck. I havent touched a pencil in over 10 years, but my very first attempt after reading Carrie's book came out wonderfully! And it just keeps improving!
a word to the wise!!!
Carrie is a gifted teacher and artist who opens her heart to her readers, holding back no "professional secrets".Her enthusiasm for the gifts God has given her makes her books as well as her artwork a welcome addition to ANY artists library.She has personally recommended other teachers to me to help me add to my skills, and I can truthfully state that she (or one of her books) will encourage and empower you to be the best you can be.Carries' honesty, talent and energy are a great resource for anyone with the gift of art.

It works!
I not only bought the book, I found one of her classes and attended.I have drawn stick figures my whole life, and after her training...which comes directly from the book....I have drawn pictures of friends and grandchildren that actually look like them.Just as she says in the book, she teaches you how to overcome the patterns of drawing that you have in your head from childhood.She will teach you how to SEE!
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Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Drawing    4. Face in art    5. Technique    6. Techniques - Drawing    7. Techniques - General    8. Art techniques & principles    9. Drawing & drawings    10. Human figures depicted in art   

Reviews (7)

Atlas of Foreshortening: The Human Figure is Deep Perspective
The book is okay. My biggest beef is that a lot of the poses that the models are in are pretty boring and could have been more interesting. They seemed pretty repetative to me as well. However, it does over insight on the muscles shapes formed when looking at the body from deep perspective. You can then takes that and push it to your needs.
Exellent!
This is the book I've been searching for for years! Most art photo reference books will either give you very standard standing, lying, walking poses or very artistic poses(ie unclear) . This book has clear photos of the body in unusual positions. There's a wide variety of poses and sections. Both male and female models.
Very useful
There are lots of visual reference books out there. It would be easy to populate a bookshelf with them. After a while, though, they start to look the same.
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Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Artists' models    4. Figure Drawing    5. Nude in art    6. Perspective    7. Techniques - General    8. Techniques - Life Drawing    9. Art / Techniques    10. Human figures depicted in art    11. Photographs: collections    12. Reference works   

Reviews (11)

One of my Top 3 Bridgman books- great in drawing from memory...
Mainly for intermediate-level artists- it's actually *GREAT* for enthusiastic beginners. It has a little bit of *everything* depicting anatomy construction from memory. It's also great for general improvement; a few tips & tricks- an *excellent* reference for all working artists.
Kinda hard to understand
This book is filled with pictures. George B. Bridgeman did a great job with this book. The reason I gave only 4 starts is beacuse it was kinda hard to understand. I mean I spent 20 min. figuring out the introduction and still dont full understantd it. But farther into the book it was easier to understand but still difficult. I am only 13 and this book may have been written for college students or adults so that may have been one reason I dont unerstand so well but once you start picking it up you learn a lot of stuff about the human anatomy. THIS IS GREAT FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS, AS WELL AS ANY OTHER ARTIST.

Not what I hoped for!
I expected more from this book based on the reviews that I read before buying it. Although it has some good information about what specific muscles jobs are, the illustrations are not clear enough for good understanding. As an artist specifically working with the human form I find this book very mickey mousey and incomplete. If you already have all the books ever created on human anatomy that are needed to put together the information that is required to have a comprehensive knowledge on how the human body is constructed and moves then get this to finish your collection, but if you are looking for a clear understanding and accurate information on human anatomy for the artist look elswhere. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anatomy, Artistic    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Science/Mathematics    4. Techniques - Drawing    5. Techniques - Life Drawing    6. Art / Techniques    7. Art techniques & materials   

Reviews (41)

Good for drawing "live"
Very usefull, very pleasant to read. I was expecting more explanations about the relationship between anatomy and the human pose, but it's more about how to look at the model to draw it well.

Thank God for an excellent figurative painter!
Ryder's book is a delight to leaf through, looking at the excellent life drawings in red earth, done with the same accuracy and passion as the masters of the past.
Excellent, but...
The general consensus of the reviews I've read is that this is a fine book, but not for beginners.My take is somewhat different.
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Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Figure drawing    4. Study & Teaching    5. Technique    6. Techniques - Drawing    7. Techniques - Life Drawing    8. Art techniques & materials    9. Drawing & drawings   

Reviews (12)

Perfect book of Human Anatomy
If you're looking for a book that will once and for all give you an indepth idea of how muscles and bones work to produce the form of the human body, this is the best I've found. If, like the reviewer below, you're looking for pictures of genitalia there are plenty of other places where you can see all you want.

The Elements Of A Great Art Reference Book
This is the greatest book on human anatomy for artist, especially sculptors that I have in my extensive collection.I really appreciate the way Mr. Goldfinger lays out the origin and insertion of each muscle, showes the relationship to other muscles, and finally shows a real image.Don't forget the cross secional images that help so much in orienting you to where the muscles and bones really are in 3-D.The extensive text is clear, concise, and necessary to fully understanding the relationship of bones and muscles.I am currently taking a gross anatomy class at the local medical school and would be lost without the wonderful book. Thanks to the author for a gift that keeps on giving accuracy information and inspiration.

Great reference book
As an anatomy reference for artists, this book is fabulous.I have not yet seen its equal.It has detailed drawings of all the bones and muscles of the body from multiple angles, and goes through the layers of muscles as well (again, from multiple angles), showing where the muscles connect to the bones.It also has useful text descriptions for increased clarity where pictures might not be enough (such as explaining the function of a muscle).
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Subjects:  1. Anatomy, Artistic    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Human figure in art    5. Special Subjects In Art    6. Techniques - General    7. Techniques - Life Drawing    8. Anatomy    9. Art & Architecture | Art Instruction    10. Art / Techniques / Life Drawing    11. Art techniques & materials    12. Drawing & drawings    13. Sculpture & other three-dimensional art forms   

Reviews (44)

Overrated
I can not believe anyone has ever learned to draw the human figure from this book. Even people who give it good reviews generally mention that they've had some prior class experience or say that the book is an advanced work. I'll go further and say that this is the very worst book any beginner could possibly pick up. Bottom line is that the explanatory text and the content of the instructional material itself make this book of limited value to an intermediate artist and utterly useless to the beginner.
Interesting Anatomy Showcase
Very well drawn figures with insightful commentary help the reader learn interesting ways of drawing anatomy using not only drawings but words aswell.
Does not give any instruction
This book contains a great deal of very well crafted drawings, obviously the author knows what he is doing, but my main problem with this book is that the author fails to give detailed, specific "how to" information.There are no steps to follow, the author just comments on his own drawings throwing tidbits here and there to the reader.I found myself with paper and pencil and this book before me and I did not know what to do.Should I just copy his drawings?Why not draw from life then?What should the reader be doing?It's as if the book were a seminar instead of a class which has projects and lessons.I honestly don't understand what everybody else is getting from this book.I felt like I was trying to put a cabinet together with chinese instructions...If he or any of his students decide to make another book, they should consider making one that gives step by step instruction... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Figure Drawing    4. Study & Teaching    5. Techniques - Drawing    6. Techniques - Life Drawing    7. Art techniques & materials    8. Drawing & drawings   

Reviews (15)

Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters
This is one of the finest books an art student could purchase. It is a treasure. The Great Master paintings are presented which alone is worth it. But Hale has analyzed them in an artistic, not overly anatomical way that makes his lessons sink beneath your skin and pencil. Hale's contribution is priceless.

Great reference!
This book is a great analysis of past masters drawings. It basically breaks down what is good about the masters techniques. Also, there are some really well thought out chapters on drawing basics as they apply to figure drawing. Definitely worthy of having for a serious artist who draws just about anything.
drawing lessons from the great masters
was well written, the pictures could be more clearly printed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anatomy, Artistic    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Drawing    5. Figure drawing    6. Human figure in art    7. Study & Teaching    8. Techniques - Drawing    9. Art techniques & materials    10. Drawing & drawings    11. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles   

Reviews (20)

Designed to develop familiarity with the figure
First off, let me start off by saying that this is not a how-to guide for drawing the figure. It does not attempt to teach you, and it's not designed to do so. Also, don't expect this book to have great photos that will translate into beautiful, finished pieces of art--I don't think one should expect it to be. Instead, it is choke full of full figure poses with which a student can learn the human anatomy by repeated practice of drawing different poses.
Love it
I browsed through this book at a Barnes & Nobles a few weeks ago, and almost immediately fell in love with it. But I did have to wait to go online as it was nearly 30.00 at B&N and I knew I could get it cheaper at amazon.com, which I did for a mere 22.00 with shipping.
Only ordinary
The one thing this book contributes is variety, at least a little. As pointed out elsewhere, the models are all young. Still, there are a few different men and women with interesting differences between them. The fact of having a pregnant model at all is distinctive - pregnancy could be a topic for a whole pose book itself. Blacks, Asians, New World faces and others are also conspicuous by their absence, but that's true of most other pose books as well.Read more

Subjects:  1. Anatomy, Artistic    2. Art    3. Figure Drawing    4. Nude in art    5. Photography    6. Reference    7. Special Subjects In Art    8. Subjects & Themes - Erotica    9. Subjects & Themes - Portraits    10. Art techniques & materials    11. Drawing & drawings    12. Painting & paintings   

Reviews (8)

A helping hand
Good book, when trying the hard art of drawing a human hand.

One of my Top 3 Burne Hogarth books
...Right along with his famous, incredibly excellent Dynamic Figure Drawing, and the *original* version Dynamic Anatomy. When You Need Them to Do More than Hang There
Fists, guitar players, the effects of age on hands from pudgy little baby paws to veiny old ones.Covers the anatomy, including the veins which are sometimes visible, foreshortening the hand, and the effects of movement on the structure.
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Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Drawing    4. Drawing Of Specific Subjects    5. Hand    6. Hand in art    7. Study and teaching    8. Techniques - Drawing    9. Techniques - Life Drawing    10. Art techniques & materials    11. Drawing & drawings   

Reviews (49)

Good but Dated
The author gives some good tips on drawing the face, etc., but the style of the drawings reeks of the 1930's & 1940's.Also I felt like he was trying to cram too much into one book, giving some things the short shrift.

One of the best
This book is one of the best how to draw human figure books ever made. This contains so much information in so little pages. I just wished there was more on foreshortening and capturing the flow of the body, since I'm interested in animation.

Great for Beginners and Intermediate artists!
I bought this book two months ago, and I am not sorry that I did! It is an excellent drawing book, and I recommend it to all who want to learn how to draw, or improve their drawing skills. It definately helped me to improve mine! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Techniques - Drawing    4. Techniques - Life Drawing    5. Art techniques & materials    6. Biography & Autobiography / Historical    7. Drawing & drawings   

Reviews (4)

Companion to tape series by Robert B. Hale
I purchased the companion tape series from Jo-An Pictures Ltd in NYC (212-532-5003) several years ago. The book and tapes record the lectures given by Robert Beverly Hale at the Art Student's League in NYC. You may never find better instruction on artistic anatomy and drawing the human form! He was without doubt the greatest instructor of this subject! The tapes are almost like attending his classes! You must draw from life as well as study this material to master the subject. If you cannot afford the tapes, at least get this book! You will not find a better investment but you must also make the effort! A valid observation from his lectures: 'You can not draw a form, if you don't know it exists.' If you want to draw figures that will impress other artists, clients with medical training or other sophisticated viewers, then master the lessons in this book!
very comprehensive
I am currently in Figure drawing 2 and this book is a wonderful help. I have few figure drawing books that I feel compleatly happy with and this one is the best. It shows you how the masters worked with simple shapes, line, value, mass, and anatomy to represent the figure. It breaks up the chapters into body parts and each chapter deals with that specific part. By presenting works of master artists and disecting them you understand how the human form works and can be expressed. I would reccomend this book to anyone interested in drawing the figure, especially beginers.

A masterpiece of life drawing tuition
Mr Coyle has done great justice to his old mentor Robert Beverley HALE with this magnificent book. The lessons are based on Mr Hales teachings on the techniques and thinking of the great master drawers, and not only arethe examples all master works, but innovative use of coloured line overlaysmakes sometimes difficult concepts abundantly clear.The real point ofthis book, as with all R.B.Hale books, is that YOU can learn to think inthe same highly visually intelligent way as these greats of the past, andlearn to apply that thinking to your own creations. BRAVO Messrs Hale etCoyle! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Drawing Of Specific Subjects    4. Figure drawing    5. Study & Teaching    6. Technique    7. Techniques - Drawing    8. Techniques - Life Drawing    9. Art techniques & materials    10. Drawing & drawings   

Reviews (13)

classicartist materials
This is a classic for people who want to draw or paint the human figure. It is not so well illustrated, oddly, but the information is excellent.

A Classic for Drawing the Human Body
If you read knowledgable reviews for books on figure drawing, the two authors they consistantly recommend are Vanderpoel and Bridgman [Construction of Anatomy, to start].He begins with facial features: eyes, nose, ears, lips and chin, and then goes into the rest of the body. Each chapter is stand-alone, so if one part of the anatomy is giving you fits, just flip to those pages. I carry the book with me, along with my sketchpad.In fact I have to order another copy because my mother, an artist for decades,is taking my copy home with her.

Great book for beginners
This book is excellent for beginners I think. For more advanced artist it must be very good book for practice. Human figure drawing is broke down in couple parts - starts with eyes and all other facial features, than continues with torso, arms, legs and hands. Finally there are nice drawings of complete figure. This book will help you to understand how the face and body are constructed. I gave this book 5 stars because of the value of the information, but it has one disadvantage - pictures look like 10-th copy of another copy. I would probably appreciate more bigger pictures too. There is a lot of text to read in this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Figure drawing    3. Techniques - Life Drawing    4. Art / Techniques    5. Art techniques & materials   

Reviews (1)

STILL my favorite drawing book
My copy of the original edition of Force has seen plenty of wear and tear since I try to always keep it handy when I'm drawing. But that one's going into retirement for this new expanded version.
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Subjects:  1. Animation    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Computer Animation    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computer Graphics - General    6. Computers    7. Figure drawing    8. Force and energy    9. Miscellanea    10. Technique    11. Techniques - Drawing    12. Art / Drawing    13. Graphic design   

Reviews (1)

Best Figure Drawing Book Ever!
Recommended text for any figure drawing class, ages 14 to adult. Gives the artist many excellent samples of all mediums. The chapters devoted to basic anatomy are easy to understand and a pleasure to tackle for any ability level. Drawing is broken down into Four well illustrated categories : Structure, Anatomy(skeletal and muscular), Design, and Expression. A "best buy"! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anatomy, Artistic    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Drawing    5. Drawing Of Specific Subjects    6. History - General    7. Human figure in art    8. Technique    9. Techniques - Drawing    10. Techniques - Life Drawing    11. Art / Fine Arts    12. Drawing & drawings    13. Iconography, subjects depicted in art   

Reviews (2)

Useful Artist's Reference
People and Poses is an excellent drawing reference for those interested in drawing human figure in action poses. This Impact title is chock full of spectacular photos of the human figure and contains a small amount of drawing instruction towards the end. I particularly like the 'couple's photos,' and the pictures depicting wounded/injured poses.
very handy for the professional
I already own Buddy Scalera's Pose reference DVDs and was delighted to see he'd come out with a book. I am a professional storyboard artist and find the figure and light/shadow reference in this book to be extremely helpful. While it may be geared more to the comic book artist (fighting and swordplay poses); nevertheless, I think it is worth owning. It comes with a DVD with more material. For a modest price, I think it's a terrific source for anyone drawing the human figure. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Caricatures and cartoons    4. Comic books, strips, etc.    5. Drawing from photographs    6. Figure Drawing    7. Human beings    8. Technique    9. Techniques - Cartooning    10. Techniques - Drawing    11. Art techniques & principles    12. Comic book & cartoon art