Portrait Sculpting: Anatomy & Expressions in Clay

I have to say, this book is amazing. I am a beginning sculptor on a budget, so I was a bit hesitant because of the price of this book. It was well worth the money I paid for it. As far as the contents go, it is an excellent resource for a beginner. There is no way one book can cover absolutely everything of course, but this book gives you an excellent foundation. The book lays out the basics about tools, anatomy, working with models etc. in a very accessible way that doesn't overwhelm the reader. The tone is professional without being condescending. I feel like I am being taught by a very patient teacher.The book is also beautifully put together. The photos are crisp and show detail, the pages are well laid out, it is a hardcover and the pages have a glossy finish. If you have ever been disappointed by a cheaply produced book, as I have been several times, this book will come as a pleasant change.I really can't praise this book enough. While it may be too basic for experienced sculptors, if you are new to sculpting, I highly recommend it. I will definitely be coming back for the second book once I get to the point that I am ready for it.

This is the second time I have bought this book. The first was lost or stole or who knows. I learned a lot from this book when I first started sculpting. Its great for learning where to begin and the basics of building shapes. This book covers building the foundations of your work. After that it is up to you to change it according to the anatomical features of the subject.If you are serious about learning how to sculpt portraits and figures in general look no further. But you will also need a good anatomy book and some understanding of anatomy. This isn't for just off the cuff learning. I suggest building some kind of background in anatomy before attempting or you might be unhappy/frustrated with your work. I was a portrait illustrator and taught figure drawing before I started sculpting. I was scared and felt over whelmed by where to begin. This book helped rope me in and build a solid foundation. My portraits turned out amazing every time I used his formula. I stopped sculpting/illustrating for almost 5 yrs (personal reasons) but have decided to start playing with it again. So I got the book to inspire me and help me find my way back to where I was five yrs ago.Thank you for publishing this book...

this book helped me to get my around sculpting facial features. It improved my work.In the photos I posted, the one on the right was how I used to sculpt eyes before I started to buckle down and study facial anatomy. The left photo is the work I am doing now after study with the help from the book.Study and reference does help.

Just an excellent reference book. A friend of mine, who recently had her work published in the Lark 500 series for her figurative work, utilizes it all the time. I used to drool over this volume more than any other thing in her library, so when I began student teaching in an intro clay class with a project focused on portraiture, I just knew I had to have it. It's a wonderful reference to really understand not just the surface level, but the pivotal underworkings of the human body. There are tons of sections dedicated to troubleshooting common pitfalls that really make a piece lifeless. If you understand why something is the way it is, it will help you to recreate it all the more. This book really does that, plus is filled with photos of Philippe Faraut's absolutely stunning sculptures.

I'm a mixed media artist and don't aspire to sculpt like Phillipe. I bought this book because I've seen snippets of his videos and felt his techniques would serve to enhance my skills and techniques as I develop as a sculptor. His book is full of large black and white, close up, photos of his processes and is invaluable for references to the head and it's features. I'll spend some time absorbing book one, then buy book two and then the DVD's. Some day I'll be able to attend a workshop. Phillipe's teaching style gives you the confidence, that with time and practice, you too can produce a beautiful sculpture. The book shipped immediately and directly from Phillipe's studio with a nice note from the author.

This book contains very percise techniques to create specific parts of a face. I myself would get stuck trying to creat certain areas of a portrait to become accurate, with this book not only does it break down the techniques it shows various solutions to obtain a certain look. It's a very informative book as far as technique goes, but it also gives you examples of how other artists creat certain look or style. I like the fact that it's broken down into sections. When sculpting let's say the eyes, there's a specific section that breaks down the essentials on how to reach a good result. After the technique is described you get different pictures of other portrayals and examples based on the same technique. I found this the most valuable, because you can build on what is tought from the book. I highly recommend it for any one starting, especially if you have difficult on certain specific aspects of portrait sculpting.

Perfect book!

The book itself was vacuum sealed, then put inside of a cardboard envelope inside of another box. Very well packed, excellent condition, and I got it a full 4 days before the expected date. Completely happy with this!!