Art Models 3: Life Nude Photos for the Visual Arts (Art Models series)

I have found many photos for my purposes of personal sketching and for teaching. Due to the nature of the way the photos were taken some were not usable. That was only a minor problem. Variety of models and body types was very good.

Drawing the figure well takes time, patience, and models. The weak link in the chain is access to life models. Even when you have access it’s usually in a group, thus the group has to agree on a pose, then you can/cannot get the view you want or need. That said, there’s nothing like drawing from a live model. BUT the cd-rom enclosed in this book comes darn close. I pop it in my blu-ray and draw from the flat screen. The difference is there are no distractions in the background and the model on the cd incrementally gives a different angle with each jpg. Wonderful. The light doesn’t change either. Can’t wait till they come out with more books and yes, I’ve more than one. My only critiscism is the lighting is a bit flat. I’d like more darks.

This series’ competitor is “Virtual Pose”. For me the “Art Models” series wins hands down. In “Virtual Pose” the photos are opened using Quicktime or a media player. Be advised you can’t (or I can’t) play it on the blu-ray. I suppose “Virtual” is fine if you draw from the computer screen. For me I like the versatility of jpegs. With “Art Model” i can draw from the computer, flat screen TV or print it out. If you’re looking for a great reference buy this series. (In all fairness with “Virtual” you can rotate the model with a pointer instead of paging to a different jpeg. Still like having the jpegs.)

Having worked with live models (both nude and clothed) for over thirty years, the Art Model series 2, 3, and 4 (along with its DVDs), which are the ones I recently own, are the best I have seen of its kind. The authors have bent over backwards to create a reference book on models for artists and I was pleased to find the following:

In Art Models 2, the authors focus on classically inspired poses and cite their reference (i.e., “The Implorer” Rodin, 1900, On Disk: mandy017; and “Torso with a Twist,” A Red Ink study by Michelangelo, circa 1510 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, On Disk: jim013. Etc.).

In Art Models 3 and 4, the authors: include props (invaluable when an artist has to be sensitive to and understand the dynamics of the slightest muscle shift and its effect on the fulcrum; one grid page and one non-grid page with the same pose (an important aid when something about the image just doesn’t look right); 24 angles of the same pose for 360 degree views; and two-model poses which aids in spatial relationships.

The series serves exactly what the authors intended; that is, a reference to work from, independently creating (drawing, painting, sculpting) from the suggested poses in the books/CDs. My first choice will always be to work from a live model because cameras lie and distort by reinterpreting what our eyes see. Photographers reinterpret what the camera sees. And the inks necessary for printed publications, again, reinterpret the image tones. As an example, in terms of inches, our feet are larger than our heads. The camera doesn’t see this and the feet look suspiciously too small; all the figures are imbued with a luscious warm body tone which in reality our shadow areas, at the turning point, shifts into a slightly cool range. To have everything in a warm tone tends to flatten the image. These are camera and printer’s ink issues; but, this knowledge is important when planning to please a client.

The Art Models 3 CD is an exceptional value for figure artists. The CD includes 56 tasteful poses of both sexes (sometimes together), with diverse and attractive body types, and mostly in classic nude poses. There are 24 views of each pose taken around a rotating platform. The color photos can easily be viewed in standard picture viewing and editing software, and are of sufficiently high resolution to show fine details, even when enlarged to life size. For those of us who don’t currently have access to a talented group of models, all of whom are available on short notice and will never tire from holding the same pose for hours on end, this is a great resource.

This has male and female models, sometimes with props such as a Greek dais, a sword, a cane and so on, and a few sets have two models. The color photos are in a variety of angles.

Quel est le débutant qui peut vanter de savoir faire les courbes d’un corps ???
Pourtant l’exemple le plus beau,parfait et harmonieux n’est pas loin !!!
Dans la nature ,bien sur ,mais aussi dans des corps ou les modèles posent sans se soucier de leur nudité

One big problem for less-experienced artists, in figure drawing, is foreshortening. The studies in this DVD are especially helpful in coping with this difficulty. For each pose there is a series of photos — the same model in the same pose — but taken from a number of positions encircling the model. The increments are close enough that the student can observe the arm or the leg from the “side,” “end-on,”or in-between, and discover the development of the foreshortening. This experience should enable the student to draw the foreshortened limb or torso with much greater understanding.