This is what I've expected, 24 Oct 2006
I'm an amateur photographer and doing this for more than 7 years but mostly I do outdour photography. This book was really helpfull for me, since I had not so much knowledge in indoor photography. Before that I didn't know anything about calculation of light which comes from several sources, what kinds of light are and how they can be combined and so on.
I do recommend this book to anyone who had no or not so many knowledge in indoor lighting and wants to have some basics and start making some nice (at least well lighted) portraits.

This is what I've expected, 24 Oct 2006
I'm an amateur photographer and doing this for more than 7 years but mostly I do outdour photography. This book was really helpfull for me, since I had not so much knowledge in indoor photography. Before that I didn't know anything about calculation of light which comes from several sources, what kinds of light are and how they can be combined and so on.
I do recommend this book to anyone who had no or not so many knowledge in indoor lighting and wants to have some basics and start making some nice (at least well lighted) portraits.

Best I've found so far, 20 Feb 2004
As a newcomer to portrait drawing, I was struggling with the features. I bought several books most of which were mediocre to disappointing. Drawing Portraits by Giovanni Civardi was by far and away the best value for money. I also bought Portraits by Susie Hodge. I enjoyed it but for me, it just doesn't compare to Giovanni Civardi. At the other end of the scale 'How to draw anything' by Mark Linley is excellent value for money at £1.99 - it contains some very useful stuff on features of the face as well as just about anything you might want to draw.

This is what I've expected, 24 Oct 2006
I'm an amateur photographer and doing this for more than 7 years but mostly I do outdour photography. This book was really helpfull for me, since I had not so much knowledge in indoor photography. Before that I didn't know anything about calculation of light which comes from several sources, what kinds of light are and how they can be combined and so on.
I do recommend this book to anyone who had no or not so many knowledge in indoor lighting and wants to have some basics and start making some nice (at least well lighted) portraits.

Best I've found so far, 20 Feb 2004
As a newcomer to portrait drawing, I was struggling with the features. I bought several books most of which were mediocre to disappointing. Drawing Portraits by Giovanni Civardi was by far and away the best value for money. I also bought Portraits by Susie Hodge. I enjoyed it but for me, it just doesn't compare to Giovanni Civardi. At the other end of the scale 'How to draw anything' by Mark Linley is excellent value for money at £1.99 - it contains some very useful stuff on features of the face as well as just about anything you might want to draw.

80s US style and not very informative, 15 Nov 2008
Rather disappointing, disjointed collection of tips and very poor photographs. As one of the other reviewers said, better to look at some quality photographs of the style you like. If, like me you were hoping to learn some valuable techniques for general use then this isn't the book for you.

It does what it says on the cover!, 07 Dec 2007
Plain and simple, this book covers every aspect of posing men, women, children and groups.

The images are good, but in part that's a problem, because the majority of people you or I might want to photograph are not the beautiful people in this book! Although plenty of advice is available to 'make the most/least' of different peoples features, there aren't any images demonstrating this advice (or perhaps the advice works so well that I couldn't tell that person X had a large nose, or person Y was overweight!). This aside, the other advice in the book is illustrated by the photographs.

The chapters of the book are in a sensible order and are well laid out, making it very readable in small bite sized pieces allowing the reader to go and try the advice! The index makes the book easy to use as a reference too, so if I can't remember how to photograph someone with 'big ears' I can look it up in the index! The text is well written, concise but easy to understand. The writing style may be a little on the 'dry' side. The text that accompanies each photograph describes the point the image is being used to make which is good.

There are a number of other Amherst books (listed in the back of this book) covering complimentary subjects, which I think helps to add value to this book.

Pretty good I'd say, 04 Oct 2007
I've looked at a lot of other books on "posing" and found that the majority are intent on showing you their great pictures. This book is more basic and tells you in simple phrases how to get subjects to pose, head position, arms position, foot placement etc and a host of other tips which can be employed to counter big people , small people, double chins, bald people. Not PC I guess but if you are taking somebody's photo they usually want to look good.
I find the advice spot on. There are an abundance of lovely pictures but this book doesn't let them get in the way of giving you proper advice. If you are a pro you probably know all this but I didn't and have found it very useful.


Not very useful, 20 Mar 2007
This book may suit a photographer just starting out but to be honest they would be better off looking at nice images from top mags such as Vogue. Not very impressed at all.

This is what I've expected, 24 Oct 2006
I'm an amateur photographer and doing this for more than 7 years but mostly I do outdour photography. This book was really helpfull for me, since I had not so much knowledge in indoor photography. Before that I didn't know anything about calculation of light which comes from several sources, what kinds of light are and how they can be combined and so on.
I do recommend this book to anyone who had no or not so many knowledge in indoor lighting and wants to have some basics and start making some nice (at least well lighted) portraits.

Best I've found so far, 20 Feb 2004
As a newcomer to portrait drawing, I was struggling with the features. I bought several books most of which were mediocre to disappointing. Drawing Portraits by Giovanni Civardi was by far and away the best value for money. I also bought Portraits by Susie Hodge. I enjoyed it but for me, it just doesn't compare to Giovanni Civardi. At the other end of the scale 'How to draw anything' by Mark Linley is excellent value for money at £1.99 - it contains some very useful stuff on features of the face as well as just about anything you might want to draw.

80s US style and not very informative, 15 Nov 2008
Rather disappointing, disjointed collection of tips and very poor photographs. As one of the other reviewers said, better to look at some quality photographs of the style you like. If, like me you were hoping to learn some valuable techniques for general use then this isn't the book for you.

It does what it says on the cover!, 07 Dec 2007
Plain and simple, this book covers every aspect of posing men, women, children and groups.

The images are good, but in part that's a problem, because the majority of people you or I might want to photograph are not the beautiful people in this book! Although plenty of advice is available to 'make the most/least' of different peoples features, there aren't any images demonstrating this advice (or perhaps the advice works so well that I couldn't tell that person X had a large nose, or person Y was overweight!). This aside, the other advice in the book is illustrated by the photographs.

The chapters of the book are in a sensible order and are well laid out, making it very readable in small bite sized pieces allowing the reader to go and try the advice! The index makes the book easy to use as a reference too, so if I can't remember how to photograph someone with 'big ears' I can look it up in the index! The text is well written, concise but easy to understand. The writing style may be a little on the 'dry' side. The text that accompanies each photograph describes the point the image is being used to make which is good.

There are a number of other Amherst books (listed in the back of this book) covering complimentary subjects, which I think helps to add value to this book.

Pretty good I'd say, 04 Oct 2007
I've looked at a lot of other books on "posing" and found that the majority are intent on showing you their great pictures. This book is more basic and tells you in simple phrases how to get subjects to pose, head position, arms position, foot placement etc and a host of other tips which can be employed to counter big people , small people, double chins, bald people. Not PC I guess but if you are taking somebody's photo they usually want to look good.
I find the advice spot on. There are an abundance of lovely pictures but this book doesn't let them get in the way of giving you proper advice. If you are a pro you probably know all this but I didn't and have found it very useful.


Not very useful, 20 Mar 2007
This book may suit a photographer just starting out but to be honest they would be better off looking at nice images from top mags such as Vogue. Not very impressed at all.

Animator Must, 13 Sep 2008
This is a fantastic resource. I am an animation student and I am sure I will find this invaluable. It's clear, simple, but packed full of pictures (and very little text, it's not needed). It has a wide range of face types and ages. It also has a phonemes section which is worth the price of the book alone.

Go on, get it.

A fun and useful tool, 15 Jul 2007
As a budding comic book artist, I found this book very useful. The facial expressions are well photographed and the models (both attractive and not so much) have some great and unusual expressions which are definately useful. Also though, the hairstyles, weight and age of the models is agreat help. Most reference books use people ages only 20-30, but this book covers ages 20 to 83.

Also at the end of the book, there is a gallery of sequential expressions, kissing, hats & headgear and phonemes (for those not in the know, these are the shape your mouth makes when you say certain letters. Dead useful for animation).

Definately great reference for any artist, but it would have been better in colour, hence the 4 star rating.

so so, 02 Apr 2007
This book is certainly useful, however I imagine there to be several better books available. The trouble I found with this was, although there are several differing shots for emotions etc, the actual photography can be pretty bad. For example, the shots are sometimes out of focus, too small and the contrast on the images is not high enough to enable you to see clearly the detail. It would have worked better using less images and making them larger. Not that it matters too much but the illustrations are hideous! Used for general face shape in many positions/emotions, this is a half decent book and the phonemes at the back are very useful.

Useful rather than essential, 07 Mar 2007
This is a useful but not essential reference book for the artist. There is a comprehensive range of models of various ages depicting an array of expressions though it is at times difficult to know which ones they're supposed to be! It would have been helpful if the author had listed the expression under each photo instead of having to cross reference a list at the front of the book. I think it's unfair, as a previous reviewer wrote, to label all the people as 'ugly'. They are, by and large, ordinary looking people you'd probably see in the street and many have faces full of character. Who would want to buy a book full of unnaturally beautiful or bland faces to work from? I checked out the Fairburn system too; it's out of print and if you do find a set of books it's very expensive (over £100). This is an inexpensive alternative - cheap and cheerful - but I can't help think that you'd be better of with a handily placed mirror to work from or, better still, a digital camera to take pictures of yourself for reference.

what it says on the tin, 02 Mar 2006
this is indeed a book of facial expressions. However it is also a collection of some very ugly people, along with some truly terrible illustrations. If you really want a decent artists refernce hunt down the fairburn system.

This is what I've expected, 24 Oct 2006
I'm an amateur photographer and doing this for more than 7 years but mostly I do outdour photography. This book was really helpfull for me, since I had not so much knowledge in indoor photography. Before that I didn't know anything about calculation of light which comes from several sources, what kinds of light are and how they can be combined and so on.
I do recommend this book to anyone who had no or not so many knowledge in indoor lighting and wants to have some basics and start making some nice (at least well lighted) portraits.

Best I've found so far, 20 Feb 2004
As a newcomer to portrait drawing, I was struggling with the features. I bought several books most of which were mediocre to disappointing. Drawing Portraits by Giovanni Civardi was by far and away the best value for money. I also bought Portraits by Susie Hodge. I enjoyed it but for me, it just doesn't compare to Giovanni Civardi. At the other end of the scale 'How to draw anything' by Mark Linley is excellent value for money at £1.99 - it contains some very useful stuff on features of the face as well as just about anything you might want to draw.

80s US style and not very informative, 15 Nov 2008
Rather disappointing, disjointed collection of tips and very poor photographs. As one of the other reviewers said, better to look at some quality photographs of the style you like. If, like me you were hoping to learn some valuable techniques for general use then this isn't the book for you.

It does what it says on the cover!, 07 Dec 2007
Plain and simple, this book covers every aspect of posing men, women, children and groups.

The images are good, but in part that's a problem, because the majority of people you or I might want to photograph are not the beautiful people in this book! Although plenty of advice is available to 'make the most/least' of different peoples features, there aren't any images demonstrating this advice (or perhaps the advice works so well that I couldn't tell that person X had a large nose, or person Y was overweight!). This aside, the other advice in the book is illustrated by the photographs.

The chapters of the book are in a sensible order and are well laid out, making it very readable in small bite sized pieces allowing the reader to go and try the advice! The index makes the book easy to use as a reference too, so if I can't remember how to photograph someone with 'big ears' I can look it up in the index! The text is well written, concise but easy to understand. The writing style may be a little on the 'dry' side. The text that accompanies each photograph describes the point the image is being used to make which is good.

There are a number of other Amherst books (listed in the back of this book) covering complimentary subjects, which I think helps to add value to this book.

Pretty good I'd say, 04 Oct 2007
I've looked at a lot of other books on "posing" and found that the majority are intent on showing you their great pictures. This book is more basic and tells you in simple phrases how to get subjects to pose, head position, arms position, foot placement etc and a host of other tips which can be employed to counter big people , small people, double chins, bald people. Not PC I guess but if you are taking somebody's photo they usually want to look good.
I find the advice spot on. There are an abundance of lovely pictures but this book doesn't let them get in the way of giving you proper advice. If you are a pro you probably know all this but I didn't and have found it very useful.


Not very useful, 20 Mar 2007
This book may suit a photographer just starting out but to be honest they would be better off looking at nice images from top mags such as Vogue. Not very impressed at all.

Animator Must, 13 Sep 2008
This is a fantastic resource. I am an animation student and I am sure I will find this invaluable. It's clear, simple, but packed full of pictures (and very little text, it's not needed). It has a wide range of face types and ages. It also has a phonemes section which is worth the price of the book alone.

Go on, get it.

A fun and useful tool, 15 Jul 2007
As a budding comic book artist, I found this book very useful. The facial expressions are well photographed and the models (both attractive and not so much) have some great and unusual expressions which are definately useful. Also though, the hairstyles, weight and age of the models is agreat help. Most reference books use people ages only 20-30, but this book covers ages 20 to 83.

Also at the end of the book, there is a gallery of sequential expressions, kissing, hats & headgear and phonemes (for those not in the know, these are the shape your mouth makes when you say certain letters. Dead useful for animation).

Definately great reference for any artist, but it would have been better in colour, hence the 4 star rating.

so so, 02 Apr 2007
This book is certainly useful, however I imagine there to be several better books available. The trouble I found with this was, although there are several differing shots for emotions etc, the actual photography can be pretty bad. For example, the shots are sometimes out of focus, too small and the contrast on the images is not high enough to enable you to see clearly the detail. It would have worked better using less images and making them larger. Not that it matters too much but the illustrations are hideous! Used for general face shape in many positions/emotions, this is a half decent book and the phonemes at the back are very useful.

Useful rather than essential, 07 Mar 2007
This is a useful but not essential reference book for the artist. There is a comprehensive range of models of various ages depicting an array of expressions though it is at times difficult to know which ones they're supposed to be! It would have been helpful if the author had listed the expression under each photo instead of having to cross reference a list at the front of the book. I think it's unfair, as a previous reviewer wrote, to label all the people as 'ugly'. They are, by and large, ordinary looking people you'd probably see in the street and many have faces full of character. Who would want to buy a book full of unnaturally beautiful or bland faces to work from? I checked out the Fairburn system too; it's out of print and if you do find a set of books it's very expensive (over £100). This is an inexpensive alternative - cheap and cheerful - but I can't help think that you'd be better of with a handily placed mirror to work from or, better still, a digital camera to take pictures of yourself for reference.

what it says on the tin, 02 Mar 2006
this is indeed a book of facial expressions. However it is also a collection of some very ugly people, along with some truly terrible illustrations. If you really want a decent artists refernce hunt down the fairburn system.

Everything you ever wanted..., 07 Feb 2008
...to know about using those pesky waxy coloured pencils that cost over a quid each.
I've spent a fortune on coloured pencils, being a lazy geezer, but I've always suspected that there was more to it than filling in the spaces between black lines and using the colours raw. Mixing? Layering? Blending? Good grief, Charlie Brown, with a crayon?
Not only can it be done, though, Ann Kullberg shows you how. And what makes this book special - to me, at any rate - is that she uses exactly the same brand of pencil. Used to be called Karisma, now gone legs up, reissued as Prismacolour. Only some of the colours have different adjectives - flesh is peach, etc - which Kullberg also tells you, to avoid confusion just in case you're still using the stubs of the old product. Wicked. The demos are great. Her artwork is brilliant. I think it pays to buy "How It's Done" books by artists whose work you admire. In Kullberg's case, I almost felt like using my pencils to start a barbecue. She is intimidatingly good, but also encourages the reader to try to improve. Which is the only reason I didn't have burnt sausages for tea last night.
So, put it in a nut shell - let's say a hazelnut - or a pecan, if you like - buy this book. I've already ordered her companion book, how to do the same thing in "...Soft Realism." Something like that, anyway. Dang it, buy 'em both. You know you want to.

Brilliant artist!, 20 Dec 2006
For coloured pencil portraits of children, this book cannot be faulted. But I was a bit disappointed not to see more portraiture, as it was not made clear in the description that the pictures were of children. Having said that, the book is brilliant, and worth the money for the photos of the artist's work alone.

Brillliant stuff!!, 14 Apr 2003
As a long term colour pencil devotee, i am always interested in books on the subject and, feeling in need of some inspiration, i can say i found it in Ann Kullbergs' book 'Colored Pencil Portraits Step by Step'. Straightforward and easy to understand techniques, step by step lessons and fab. drawings. Excellent!

Great for the beginner and more experienced alike., 03 Jan 2002
I hadn't even picked up a coloured pencil before reading this book. Now I am doing portraits and I've actually sold a few too! All thanks to Ann Kullberg for the knowhow.
She starts with materials, of which there aren't many, and goes on, showing in steps how to achieve the fantastic colouring, blending and layering that she has developed to make skin look 'touchable and breathable'. There is a colour chart to help with skin colour.
There is even a section at the back showing how to go about setting out a contract etc. for selling. The photo's of her work are worth the purchase price alone.
In my opinion this is a book well worth reading.

Fabulous, informative, helpful and a joy to read, 11 May 1999
A "must have" book for all colored pencil artists and for any artist interested in portraiture. Ann Kullberg has the talent to produce superlative work, but also the added ability to be able to explain how she does it and give hope to others that one day they might be that good! Worth the price just for the practical tips on what to do with pencils that you have sharpened almost to nothing, but more than this, a book I really enjoy just looking at.

This is what I've expected, 24 Oct 2006
I'm an amateur photographer and doing this for more than 7 years but mostly I do outdour photography. This book was really helpfull for me, since I had not so much knowledge in indoor photography. Before that I didn't know anything about calculation of light which comes from several sources, what kinds of light are and how they can be combined and so on.
I do recommend this book to anyone who had no or not so many knowledge in indoor lighting and wants to have some basics and start making some nice (at least well lighted) portraits.

Best I've found so far, 20 Feb 2004
As a newcomer to portrait drawing, I was struggling with the features. I bought several books most of which were mediocre to disappointing. Drawing Portraits by Giovanni Civardi was by far and away the best value for money. I also bought Portraits by Susie Hodge. I enjoyed it but for me, it just doesn't compare to Giovanni Civardi. At the other end of the scale 'How to draw anything' by Mark Linley is excellent value for money at £1.99 - it contains some very useful stuff on features of the face as well as just about anything you might want to draw.

80s US style and not very informative, 15 Nov 2008
Rather disappointing, disjointed collection of tips and very poor photographs. As one of the other reviewers said, better to look at some quality photographs of the style you like. If, like me you were hoping to learn some valuable techniques for general use then this isn't the book for you.

It does what it says on the cover!, 07 Dec 2007
Plain and simple, this book covers every aspect of posing men, women, children and groups.

The images are good, but in part that's a problem, because the majority of people you or I might want to photograph are not the beautiful people in this book! Although plenty of advice is available to 'make the most/least' of different peoples features, there aren't any images demonstrating this advice (or perhaps the advice works so well that I couldn't tell that person X had a large nose, or person Y was overweight!). This aside, the other advice in the book is illustrated by the photographs.

The chapters of the book are in a sensible order and are well laid out, making it very readable in small bite sized pieces allowing the reader to go and try the advice! The index makes the book easy to use as a reference too, so if I can't remember how to photograph someone with 'big ears' I can look it up in the index! The text is well written, concise but easy to understand. The writing style may be a little on the 'dry' side. The text that accompanies each photograph describes the point the image is being used to make which is good.

There are a number of other Amherst books (listed in the back of this book) covering complimentary subjects, which I think helps to add value to this book.

Pretty good I'd say, 04 Oct 2007
I've looked at a lot of other books on "posing" and found that the majority are intent on showing you their great pictures. This book is more basic and tells you in simple phrases how to get subjects to pose, head position, arms position, foot placement etc and a host of other tips which can be employed to counter big people , small people, double chins, bald people. Not PC I guess but if you are taking somebody's photo they usually want to look good.
I find the advice spot on. There are an abundance of lovely pictures but this book doesn't let them get in the way of giving you proper advice. If you are a pro you probably know all this but I didn't and have found it very useful.


Not very useful, 20 Mar 2007
This book may suit a photographer just starting out but to be honest they would be better off looking at nice images from top mags such as Vogue. Not very impressed at all.

Animator Must, 13 Sep 2008
This is a fantastic resource. I am an animation student and I am sure I will find this invaluable. It's clear, simple, but packed full of pictures (and very little text, it's not needed). It has a wide range of face types and ages. It also has a phonemes section which is worth the price of the book alone.

Go on, get it.

A fun and useful tool, 15 Jul 2007
As a budding comic book artist, I found this book very useful. The facial expressions are well photographed and the models (both attractive and not so much) have some great and unusual expressions which are definately useful. Also though, the hairstyles, weight and age of the models is agreat help. Most reference books use people ages only 20-30, but this book covers ages 20 to 83.

Also at the end of the book, there is a gallery of sequential expressions, kissing, hats & headgear and phonemes (for those not in the know, these are the shape your mouth makes when you say certain letters. Dead useful for animation).

Definately great reference for any artist, but it would have been better in colour, hence the 4 star rating.

so so, 02 Apr 2007
This book is certainly useful, however I imagine there to be several better books available. The trouble I found with this was, although there are several differing shots for emotions etc, the actual photography can be pretty bad. For example, the shots are sometimes out of focus, too small and the contrast on the images is not high enough to enable you to see clearly the detail. It would have worked better using less images and making them larger. Not that it matters too much but the illustrations are hideous! Used for general face shape in many positions/emotions, this is a half decent book and the phonemes at the back are very useful.

Useful rather than essential, 07 Mar 2007
This is a useful but not essential reference book for the artist. There is a comprehensive range of models of various ages depicting an array of expressions though it is at times difficult to know which ones they're supposed to be! It would have been helpful if the author had listed the expression under each photo instead of having to cross reference a list at the front of the book. I think it's unfair, as a previous reviewer wrote, to label all the people as 'ugly'. They are, by and large, ordinary looking people you'd probably see in the street and many have faces full of character. Who would want to buy a book full of unnaturally beautiful or bland faces to work from? I checked out the Fairburn system too; it's out of print and if you do find a set of books it's very expensive (over £100). This is an inexpensive alternative - cheap and cheerful - but I can't help think that you'd be better of with a handily placed mirror to work from or, better still, a digital camera to take pictures of yourself for reference.

what it says on the tin, 02 Mar 2006
this is indeed a book of facial expressions. However it is also a collection of some very ugly people, along with some truly terrible illustrations. If you really want a decent artists refernce hunt down the fairburn system.

Everything you ever wanted..., 07 Feb 2008
...to know about using those pesky waxy coloured pencils that cost over a quid each.
I've spent a fortune on coloured pencils, being a lazy geezer, but I've always suspected that there was more to it than filling in the spaces between black lines and using the colours raw. Mixing? Layering? Blending? Good grief, Charlie Brown, with a crayon?
Not only can it be done, though, Ann Kullberg shows you how. And what makes this book special - to me, at any rate - is that she uses exactly the same brand of pencil. Used to be called Karisma, now gone legs up, reissued as Prismacolour. Only some of the colours have different adjectives - flesh is peach, etc - which Kullberg also tells you, to avoid confusion just in case you're still using the stubs of the old product. Wicked. The demos are great. Her artwork is brilliant. I think it pays to buy "How It's Done" books by artists whose work you admire. In Kullberg's case, I almost felt like using my pencils to start a barbecue. She is intimidatingly good, but also encourages the reader to try to improve. Which is the only reason I didn't have burnt sausages for tea last night.
So, put it in a nut shell - let's say a hazelnut - or a pecan, if you like - buy this book. I've already ordered her companion book, how to do the same thing in "...Soft Realism." Something like that, anyway. Dang it, buy 'em both. You know you want to.

Brilliant artist!, 20 Dec 2006
For coloured pencil portraits of children, this book cannot be faulted. But I was a bit disappointed not to see more portraiture, as it was not made clear in the description that the pictures were of children. Having said that, the book is brilliant, and worth the money for the photos of the artist's work alone.

Brillliant stuff!!, 14 Apr 2003
As a long term colour pencil devotee, i am always interested in books on the subject and, feeling in need of some inspiration, i can say i found it in Ann Kullbergs' book 'Colored Pencil Portraits Step by Step'. Straightforward and easy to understand techniques, step by step lessons and fab. drawings. Excellent!

Great for the beginner and more experienced alike., 03 Jan 2002
I hadn't even picked up a coloured pencil before reading this book. Now I am doing portraits and I've actually sold a few too! All thanks to Ann Kullberg for the knowhow.
She starts with materials, of which there aren't many, and goes on, showing in steps how to achieve the fantastic colouring, blending and layering that she has developed to make skin look 'touchable and breathable'. There is a colour chart to help with skin colour.
There is even a section at the back showing how to go about setting out a contract etc. for selling. The photo's of her work are worth the purchase price alone.
In my opinion this is a book well worth reading.

Fabulous, informative, helpful and a joy to read, 11 May 1999
A "must have" book for all colored pencil artists and for any artist interested in portraiture. Ann Kullberg has the talent to produce superlative work, but also the added ability to be able to explain how she does it and give hope to others that one day they might be that good! Worth the price just for the practical tips on what to do with pencils that you have sharpened almost to nothing, but more than this, a book I really enjoy just looking at.

Splendid, 09 Sep 2008
This is a terrific book and shows you what and how, which is exactly why I bought it and I have not been let down.

Portraits from Life in 29 Steps, 29 Mar 2006
This is an invaluable book for anyone interested in portrait painting. His methods are relatively simple and straightforward, that is not to say that it is easy as, with most things, it all takes practice but this book certainly starts you on the right steps.

Don't be put off by his description of how your studio should be set up, I'd need to win the lottery for a studio like his and also his list of equipment, particularly the brushes, will probably be outside the budget of most amateurs however his technique is very much achievable with much less equipment than he recommends.

All in all this book should be on the bookshelf of anyone interested in painting portraits.

instructive and informative, 24 Feb 2002
John Howard Sanden is an excellent artist whose paintings are alive with life and beauty. He is very open and informative teacher who provides the oil portrait painter with wonderful colour recipes for various skin tones. This book says "in 29 steps" but it is definitely not the typical step-by-step painting book, it will help your artistic vision by enabling you to see the things you need to notice to enhance and improve your paintings. I would reccommend it to both beginners and more experienced oil painters.

This is what I've expected, 24 Oct 2006
I'm an amateur photographer and doing this for more than 7 years but mostly I do outdour photography. This book was really helpfull for me, since I had not so much knowledge in indoor photography. Before that I didn't know anything about calculation of light which comes from several sources, what kinds of light are and how they can be combined and so on.
I do recommend this book to anyone who had no or not so many knowledge in indoor lighting and wants to have some basics and start making some nice (at least well lighted) portraits.

Best I've found so far, 20 Feb 2004
As a newcomer to portrait drawing, I was struggling with the features. I bought several books most of which were mediocre to disappointing. Drawing Portraits by Giovanni Civardi was by far and away the best value for money. I also bought Portraits by Susie Hodge. I enjoyed it but for me, it just doesn't compare to Giovanni Civardi. At the other end of the scale 'How to draw anything' by Mark Linley is excellent value for money at £1.99 - it contains some very useful stuff on features of the face as well as just about anything you might want to draw.

80s US style and not very informative, 15 Nov 2008
Rather disappointing, disjointed collection of tips and very poor photographs. As one of the other reviewers said, better to look at some quality photographs of the style you like. If, like me you were hoping to learn some valuable techniques for general use then this isn't the book for you.

It does what it says on the cover!, 07 Dec 2007
Plain and simple, this book covers every aspect of posing men, women, children and groups.

The images are good, but in part that's a problem, because the majority of people you or I might want to photograph are not the beautiful people in this book! Although plenty of advice is available to 'make the most/least' of different peoples features, there aren't any images demonstrating this advice (or perhaps the advice works so well that I couldn't tell that person X had a large nose, or person Y was overweight!). This aside, the other advice in the book is illustrated by the photographs.

The chapters of the book are in a sensible order and are well laid out, making it very readable in small bite sized pieces allowing the reader to go and try the advice! The index makes the book easy to use as a reference too, so if I can't remember how to photograph someone with 'big ears' I can look it up in the index! The text is well written, concise but easy to understand. The writing style may be a little on the 'dry' side. The text that accompanies each photograph describes the point the image is being used to make which is good.

There are a number of other Amherst books (listed in the back of this book) covering complimentary subjects, which I think helps to add value to this book.

Pretty good I'd say, 04 Oct 2007
I've looked at a lot of other books on "posing" and found that the majority are intent on showing you their great pictures. This book is more basic and tells you in simple phrases how to get subjects to pose, head position, arms position, foot placement etc and a host of other tips which can be employed to counter big people , small people, double chins, bald people. Not PC I guess but if you are taking somebody's photo they usually want to look good.
I find the advice spot on. There are an abundance of lovely pictures but this book doesn't let them get in the way of giving you proper advice. If you are a pro you probably know all this but I didn't and have found it very useful.


Not very useful, 20 Mar 2007
This book may suit a photographer just starting out but to be honest they would be better off looking at nice images from top mags such as Vogue. Not very impressed at all.

Animator Must, 13 Sep 2008
This is a fantastic resource. I am an animation student and I am sure I will find this invaluable. It's clear, simple, but packed full of pictures (and very little text, it's not needed). It has a wide range of face types and ages. It also has a phonemes section which is worth the price of the book alone.

Go on, get it.

A fun and useful tool, 15 Jul 2007
As a budding comic book artist, I found this book very useful. The facial expressions are well photographed and the models (both attractive and not so much) have some great and unusual expressions which are definately useful. Also though, the hairstyles, weight and age of the models is agreat help. Most reference books use people ages only 20-30, but this book covers ages 20 to 83.

Also at the end of the book, there is a gallery of sequential expressions, kissing, hats & headgear and phonemes (for those not in the know, these are the shape your mouth makes when you say certain letters. Dead useful for animation).

Definately great reference for any artist, but it would have been better in colour, hence the 4 star rating.

so so, 02 Apr 2007
This book is certainly useful, however I imagine there to be several better books available. The trouble I found with this was, although there are several differing shots for emotions etc, the actual photography can be pretty bad. For example, the shots are sometimes out of focus, too small and the contrast on the images is not high enough to enable you to see clearly the detail. It would have worked better using less images and making them larger. Not that it matters too much but the illustrations are hideous! Used for general face shape in many positions/emotions, this is a half decent book and the phonemes at the back are very useful.

Useful rather than essential, 07 Mar 2007
This is a useful but not essential reference book for the artist. There is a comprehensive range of models of various ages depicting an array of expressions though it is at times difficult to know which ones they're supposed to be! It would have been helpful if the author had listed the expression under each photo instead of having to cross reference a list at the front of the book. I think it's unfair, as a previous reviewer wrote, to label all the people as 'ugly'. They are, by and large, ordinary looking people you'd probably see in the street and many have faces full of character. Who would want to buy a book full of unnaturally beautiful or bland faces to work from? I checked out the Fairburn system too; it's out of print and if you do find a set of books it's very expensive (over £100). This is an inexpensive alternative - cheap and cheerful - but I can't help think that you'd be better of with a handily placed mirror to work from or, better still, a digital camera to take pictures of yourself for reference.

what it says on the tin, 02 Mar 2006
this is indeed a book of facial expressions. However it is also a collection of some very ugly people, along with some truly terrible illustrations. If you really want a decent artists refernce hunt down the fairburn system.

Everything you ever wanted..., 07 Feb 2008
...to know about using those pesky waxy coloured pencils that cost over a quid each.
I've spent a fortune on coloured pencils, being a lazy geezer, but I've always suspected that there was more to it than filling in the spaces between black lines and using the colours raw. Mixing? Layering? Blending? Good grief, Charlie Brown, with a crayon?
Not only can it be done, though, Ann Kullberg shows you how. And what makes this book special - to me, at any rate - is that she uses exactly the same brand of pencil. Used to be called Karisma, now gone legs up, reissued as Prismacolour. Only some of the colours have different adjectives - flesh is peach, etc - which Kullberg also tells you, to avoid confusion just in case you're still using the stubs of the old product. Wicked. The demos are great. Her artwork is brilliant. I think it pays to buy "How It's Done" books by artists whose work you admire. In Kullberg's case, I almost felt like using my pencils to start a barbecue. She is intimidatingly good, but also encourages the reader to try to improve. Which is the only reason I didn't have burnt sausages for tea last night.
So, put it in a nut shell - let's say a hazelnut - or a pecan, if you like - buy this book. I've already ordered her companion book, how to do the same thing in "...Soft Realism." Something like that, anyway. Dang it, buy 'em both. You know you want to.

Brilliant artist!, 20 Dec 2006
For coloured pencil portraits of children, this book cannot be faulted. But I was a bit disappointed not to see more portraiture, as it was not made clear in the description that the pictures were of children. Having said that, the book is brilliant, and worth the money for the photos of the artist's work alone.

Brillliant stuff!!, 14 Apr 2003
As a long term colour pencil devotee, i am always interested in books on the subject and, feeling in need of some inspiration, i can say i found it in Ann Kullbergs' book 'Colored Pencil Portraits Step by Step'. Straightforward and easy to understand techniques, step by step lessons and fab. drawings. Excellent!

Great for the beginner and more experienced alike., 03 Jan 2002
I hadn't even picked up a coloured pencil before reading this book. Now I am doing portraits and I've actually sold a few too! All thanks to Ann Kullberg for the knowhow.
She starts with materials, of which there aren't many, and goes on, showing in steps how to achieve the fantastic colouring, blending and layering that she has developed to make skin look 'touchable and breathable'. There is a colour chart to help with skin colour.
There is even a section at the back showing how to go about setting out a contract etc. for selling. The photo's of her work are worth the purchase price alone.
In my opinion this is a book well worth reading.

Fabulous, informative, helpful and a joy to read, 11 May 1999
A "must have" book for all colored pencil artists and for any artist interested in portraiture. Ann Kullberg has the talent to produce superlative work, but also the added ability to be able to explain how she does it and give hope to others that one day they might be that good! Worth the price just for the practical tips on what to do with pencils that you have sharpened almost to nothing, but more than this, a book I really enjoy just looking at.

Splendid, 09 Sep 2008
This is a terrific book and shows you what and how, which is exactly why I bought it and I have not been let down.

Portraits from Life in 29 Steps, 29 Mar 2006
This is an invaluable book for anyone interested in portrait painting. His methods are relatively simple and straightforward, that is not to say that it is easy as, with most things, it all takes practice but this book certainly starts you on the right steps.

Don't be put off by his description of how your studio should be set up, I'd need to win the lottery for a studio like his and also his list of equipment, particularly the brushes, will probably be outside the budget of most amateurs however his technique is very much achievable with much less equipment than he recommends.

All in all this book should be on the bookshelf of anyone interested in painting portraits.

instructive and informative, 24 Feb 2002
John Howard Sanden is an excellent artist whose paintings are alive with life and beauty. He is very open and informative teacher who provides the oil portrait painter with wonderful colour recipes for various skin tones. This book says "in 29 steps" but it is definitely not the typical step-by-step painting book, it will help your artistic vision by enabling you to see the things you need to notice to enhance and improve your paintings. I would reccommend it to both beginners and more experienced oil painters.

New Yorks most beautiful girls, 31 Jul 2006
Never before have I seen models so comfy, frisky and sexual, all at the same time. It's Andrew Einhorns first book. Naked happy Girls unveils dozens of New Yorks most beautiful girls, in their own home.

This is what I've expected, 24 Oct 2006
I'm an amateur photographer and doing this for more than 7 years but mostly I do outdour photography. This book was really helpfull for me, since I had not so much knowledge in indoor photography. Before that I didn't know anything about calculation of light which comes from several sources, what kinds of light are and how they can be combined and so on.
I do recommend this book to anyone who had no or not so many knowledge in indoor lighting and wants to have some basics and start making some nice (at least well lighted) portraits.

Best I've found so far, 20 Feb 2004
As a newcomer to portrait drawing, I was struggling with the features. I bought several books most of which were mediocre to disappointing. Drawing Portraits by Giovanni Civardi was by far and away the best value for money. I also bought Portraits by Susie Hodge. I enjoyed it but for me, it just doesn't compare to Giovanni Civardi. At the other end of the scale 'How to draw anything' by Mark Linley is excellent value for money at £1.99 - it contains some very useful stuff on features of the face as well as just about anything you might want to draw.

80s US style and not very informative, 15 Nov 2008
Rather disappointing, disjointed collection of tips and very poor photographs. As one of the other reviewers said, better to look at some quality photographs of the style you like. If, like me you were hoping to learn some valuable techniques for general use then this isn't the book for you.

It does what it says on the cover!, 07 Dec 2007
Plain and simple, this book covers every aspect of posing men, women, children and groups.

The images are good, but in part that's a problem, because the majority of people you or I might want to photograph are not the beautiful people in this book! Although plenty of advice is available to 'make the most/least' of different peoples features, there aren't any images demonstrating this advice (or perhaps the advice works so well that I couldn't tell that person X had a large nose, or person Y was overweight!). This aside, the other advice in the book is illustrated by the photographs.

The chapters of the book are in a sensible order and are well laid out, making it very readable in small bite sized pieces allowing the reader to go and try the advice! The index makes the book easy to use as a reference too, so if I can't remember how to photograph someone with 'big ears' I can look it up in the index! The text is well written, concise but easy to understand. The writing style may be a little on the 'dry' side. The text that accompanies each photograph describes the point the image is being used to make which is good.

There are a number of other Amherst books (listed in the back of this book) covering complimentary subjects, which I think helps to add value to this book.

Pretty good I'd say, 04 Oct 2007
I've looked at a lot of other books on "posing" and found that the majority are intent on showing you their great pictures. This book is more basic and tells you in simple phrases how to get subjects to pose, head position, arms position, foot placement etc and a host of other tips which can be employed to counter big people , small people, double chins, bald people. Not PC I guess but if you are taking somebody's photo they usually want to look good.
I find the advice spot on. There are an abundance of lovely pictures but this book doesn't let them get in the way of giving you proper advice. If you are a pro you probably know all this but I didn't and have found it very useful.


Not very useful, 20 Mar 2007
This book may suit a photographer just starting out but to be honest they would be better off looking at nice images from top mags such as Vogue. Not very impressed at all.

Animator Must, 13 Sep 2008
This is a fantastic resource. I am an animation student and I am sure I will find this invaluable. It's clear, simple, but packed full of pictures (and very little text, it's not needed). It has a wide range of face types and ages. It also has a phonemes section which is worth the price of the book alone.

Go on, get it.

A fun and useful tool, 15 Jul 2007
As a budding comic book artist, I found this book very useful. The facial expressions are well photographed and the models (both attractive and not so much) have some great and unusual expressions which are definately useful. Also though, the hairstyles, weight and age of the models is agreat help. Most reference books use people ages only 20-30, but this book covers ages 20 to 83.

Also at the end of the book, there is a gallery of sequential expressions, kissing, hats & headgear and phonemes (for those not in the know, these are the shape your mouth makes when you say certain letters. Dead useful for animation).

Definately great reference for any artist, but it would have been better in colour, hence the 4 star rating.

so so, 02 Apr 2007
This book is certainly useful, however I imagine there to be several better books available. The trouble I found with this was, although there are several differing shots for emotions etc, the actual photography can be pretty bad. For example, the shots are sometimes out of focus, too small and the contrast on the images is not high enough to enable you to see clearly the detail. It would have worked better using less images and making them larger. Not that it matters too much but the illustrations are hideous! Used for general face shape in many positions/emotions, this is a half decent book and the phonemes at the back are very useful.

Useful rather than essential, 07 Mar 2007
This is a useful but not essential reference book for the artist. There is a comprehensive range of models of various ages depicting an array of expressions though it is at times difficult to know which ones they're supposed to be! It would have been helpful if the author had listed the expression under each photo instead of having to cross reference a list at the front of the book. I think it's unfair, as a previous reviewer wrote, to label all the people as 'ugly'. They are, by and large, ordinary looking people you'd probably see in the street and many have faces full of character. Who would want to buy a book full of unnaturally beautiful or bland faces to work from? I checked out the Fairburn system too; it's out of print and if you do find a set of books it's very expensive (over £100). This is an inexpensive alternative - cheap and cheerful - but I can't help think that you'd be better of with a handily placed mirror to work from or, better still, a digital camera to take pictures of yourself for reference.

what it says on the tin, 02 Mar 2006
this is indeed a book of facial expressions. However it is also a collection of some very ugly people, along with some truly terrible illustrations. If you really want a decent artists refernce hunt down the fairburn system.

Everything you ever wanted..., 07 Feb 2008
...to know about using those pesky waxy coloured pencils that cost over a quid each.
I've spent a fortune on coloured pencils, being a lazy geezer, but I've always suspected that there was more to it than filling in the spaces between black lines and using the colours raw. Mixing? Layering? Blending? Good grief, Charlie Brown, with a crayon?
Not only can it be done, though, Ann Kullberg shows you how. And what makes this book special - to me, at any rate - is that she uses exactly the same brand of pencil. Used to be called Karisma, now gone legs up, reissued as Prismacolour. Only some of the colours have different adjectives - flesh is peach, etc - which Kullberg also tells you, to avoid confusion just in case you're still using the stubs of the old product. Wicked. The demos are great. Her artwork is brilliant. I think it pays to buy "How It's Done" books by artists whose work you admire. In Kullberg's case, I almost felt like using my pencils to start a barbecue. She is intimidatingly good, but also encourages the reader to try to improve. Which is the only reason I didn't have burnt sausages for tea last night.
So, put it in a nut shell - let's say a hazelnut - or a pecan, if you like - buy this book. I've already ordered her companion book, how to do the same thing in "...Soft Realism." Something like that, anyway. Dang it, buy 'em both. You know you want to.

Brilliant artist!, 20 Dec 2006
For coloured pencil portraits of children, this book cannot be faulted. But I was a bit disappointed not to see more portraiture, as it was not made clear in the description that the pictures were of children. Having said that, the book is brilliant, and worth the money for the photos of the artist's work alone.

Brillliant stuff!!, 14 Apr 2003
As a long term colour pencil devotee, i am always interested in books on the subject and, feeling in need of some inspiration, i can say i found it in Ann Kullbergs' book 'Colored Pencil Portraits Step by Step'. Straightforward and easy to understand techniques, step by step lessons and fab. drawings. Excellent!

Great for the beginner and more experienced alike., 03 Jan 2002
I hadn't even picked up a coloured pencil before reading this book. Now I am doing portraits and I've actually sold a few too! All thanks to Ann Kullberg for the knowhow.
She starts with materials, of which there aren't many, and goes on, showing in steps how to achieve the fantastic colouring, blending and layering that she has developed to make skin look 'touchable and breathable'. There is a colour chart to help with skin colour.
There is even a section at the back showing how to go about setting out a contract etc. for selling. The photo's of her work are worth the purchase price alone.
In my opinion this is a book well worth reading.

Fabulous, informative, helpful and a joy to read, 11 May 1999
A "must have" book for all colored pencil artists and for any artist interested in portraiture. Ann Kullberg has the talent to produce superlative work, but also the added ability to be able to explain how she does it and give hope to others that one day they might be that good! Worth the price just for the practical tips on what to do with pencils that you have sharpened almost to nothing, but more than this, a book I really enjoy just looking at.

Splendid, 09 Sep 2008
This is a terrific book and shows you what and how, which is exactly why I bought it and I have not been let down.

Portraits from Life in 29 Steps, 29 Mar 2006
This is an invaluable book for anyone interested in portrait painting. His methods are relatively simple and straightforward, that is not to say that it is easy as, with most things, it all takes practice but this book certainly starts you on the right steps.

Don't be put off by his description of how your studio should be set up, I'd need to win the lottery for a studio like his and also his list of equipment, particularly the brushes, will probably be outside the budget of most amateurs however his technique is very much achievable with much less equipment than he recommends.

All in all this book should be on the bookshelf of anyone interested in painting portraits.

instructive and informative, 24 Feb 2002
John Howard Sanden is an excellent artist whose paintings are alive with life and beauty. He is very open and informative teacher who provides the oil portrait painter with wonderful colour recipes for various skin tones. This book says "in 29 steps" but it is definitely not the typical step-by-step painting book, it will help your artistic vision by enabling you to see the things you need to notice to enhance and improve your paintings. I would reccommend it to both beginners and more experienced oil painters.

New Yorks most beautiful girls, 31 Jul 2006
Never before have I seen models so comfy, frisky and sexual, all at the same time. It's Andrew Einhorns first book. Naked happy Girls unveils dozens of New Yorks most beautiful girls, in their own home.

Face-to-Face Comparisons Reveal Warhol's Perspectives, 08 May 2007
When most people think of Andy Warhol, images of Campbell's soup cans and a vividly colored Chairman Mao come to mind. For those who know Warhol better, memories also include Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, most wanted posters, and self-portraits of the artist.

What few appreciate is that portraiture was the bread-and-butter that Warhol used to finance his experimental work at the Factory. Before this book, you could not see the full range of this work. Unframed and grouped with similar and complementary works in the same time period, these 300 portraits show a considerable range of style and expression that will be a new perspective for all but collectors of Warhol portraits. I found the work to be so impressive that it totally changed my sense of who Warhol was as an artist.

In this book, the portraits do the talking. The brief essays merely describe the processes that Warhol used and that he tried to make people look good . . . and larger than life. But you knew that already, didn't you?

The range of the ways he captured the spirit of his subjects is what's most impressive in this volume. Repetition of the same image in one work with different treatments could help us see many different expressions of the person (see Natalie 1962). In other places, many images of the same person in one work express mood, movement, and a story (see Sixteen Jackies 1964). In other cases, multiple images of the same subject give us deep insight into personality (see Ethel Scull 1963). In other cases, the multiple images show the reality as well as the personality (see Merce Cunningham 1963 and Triple Rauschenberg 1963).

Exploring different use of colors and backgrounds, Warhol could totally change our emotions as viewers (Silver Liz 1963 gives us a sense of coolness and elegance while Liz 1963 shows a woman of great emotion and passion).

In Warhol's process, subjects were photographed around 100 times using a Polaroid camera. The subject then picked the images (or image) that she or he liked best. The images were turned into silk screens. Then, Warhol added the background and color to capture what the mere shape could not. The degree of focus also creates more or less power and immediacy (compare Donald Judd 1967 and Robert Rauschenberg 1967).

The portraits also create dialogues, such as when married couples had their portraits done around the same time. In the book, these images are often on facing pages. You'll be arrested to see Nelson Rockefeller 1967 and Happy Rockefeller 1968 looking off into the same spot in space . . . but not each other. The color overlap is minimal, emphasizing their differences.

These images are even more arresting when the pair are portrayed looking away from one another as with Gianni Agnelli 1972 and Marella Agnelli 1972.
In places, painterly backgrounds add remarkable depth and power to the images as with the Agnellis.

In places, the painterly treatment is sufficient to remind one of the work of Degas such as Lee Radziwell, 1972.

Portrait creators have always arranged sitters carefully to emphasize a certain point. Warhol does this in a very minimal way, often adding more than part of a hand touching the face or a bit of clothing. Because of its slight use, the impact is much stronger.

How do the subjects fare? Those with strong personalities do best. Those with complex personalities are rendered beautifully, but aren't as accessible. Subjects who want to look physically attractive often appear merely decorative, like a background model at a party.

Warhol's talent can best be seen by comparing the various ways he renders eyes. Male and female subjects alike receive slashes of color that sometimes resemble eye shadow and other times seem like tiny masks.

There isn't much that's soulful about these works. They are more about promotion than about moral uplift. It's all the more surprising when that soulfulness appears as in Farah Dibah Pahlavai (Empress of Iran) 1977.

Seeing Judy Garland 1979 and Liza Minelli 1979 made me wish that Warhol had done more mother-daughter combinations. These two stunners crawl right inside you.

Part of Warhol's art comes in knowing something about the person. Where the subject is unknown, you'll find yourself a little more baffled about what the message is. Think of each of the celebrity portraits then as being in part a reflection of the public image and our current perceptions. Warhol uses this celebrity awareness to good purpose in creating very minimal works that express the dominant impression of a person (see Martha Graham 1980).

As his career continued, the works became more daring. I was particularly drawn to the line drawings with bold bands of color such as in Paul Delvaux 1981 and Jean Cocteau 1985.

Some of these portraits will cause you to stop and rethink what you know about the people. I had that reaction to the pairing of Prince Charles 1982 (coolly displayed as a young symbol of the monarchy) with the almost flirtatious Princess Diana 1982 (appearing as a powerful force with an earthy grounding).

The portrait of John Lennon is simply stunning (1985-86).

For a good sense of Warhol's progress, you'll enjoy seeing many of his self-portraits.

Enjoy a good look!

A great collection of Andy Warhols portraits., 15 Apr 2007
First off I would say that this book is a great collection, containing portraits of some of the worlds most known faces like Elvis, Mao, Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and the artists own selfportrait. The book also contains pictures of royalty like Queen Elisabeth II of the UK and Princess Caroline of Monaco.
The only disappointing thing about the book, which I had expected, are his portraits of Ingrid Bergman, Princess Grace of Monaco and Queen Sonja of Norway.

This is what I've expected, 24 Oct 2006
I'm an amateur photographer and doing this for more than 7 years but mostly I do outdour photography. This book was really helpfull for me, since I had not so much knowledge in indoor photography. Before that I didn't know anything about calculation of light which comes from several sources, what kinds of light are and how they can be combined and so on.
I do recommend this book to anyone who had no or not so many knowledge in indoor lighting and wants to have some basics and start making some nice (at least well lighted) portraits.

Best I've found so far, 20 Feb 2004
As a newcomer to portrait drawing, I was struggling with the features. I bought several books most of which were mediocre to disappointing. Drawing Portraits by Giovanni Civardi was by far and away the best value for money. I also bought Portraits by Susie Hodge. I enjoyed it but for me, it just doesn't compare to Giovanni Civardi. At the other end of the scale 'How to draw anything' by Mark Linley is excellent value for money at £1.99 - it contains some very useful stuff on features of the face as well as just about anything you might want to draw.

80s US style and not very informative, 15 Nov 2008
Rather disappointing, disjointed collection of tips and very poor photographs. As one of the other reviewers said, better to look at some quality photographs of the style you like. If, like me you were hoping to learn some valuable techniques for general use then this isn't the book for you.

It does what it says on the cover!, 07 Dec 2007
Plain and simple, this book covers every aspect of posing men, women, children and groups.

The images are good, but in part that's a problem, because the majority of people you or I might want to photograph are not the beautiful people in this book! Although plenty of advice is available to 'make the most/least' of different peoples features, there aren't any images demonstrating this advice (or perhaps the advice works so well that I couldn't tell that person X had a large nose, or person Y was overweight!). This aside, the other advice in the book is illustrated by the photographs.

The chapters of the book are in a sensible order and are well laid out, making it very readable in small bite sized pieces allowing the reader to go and try the advice! The index makes the book easy to use as a reference too, so if I can't remember how to photograph someone with 'big ears' I can look it up in the index! The text is well written, concise but easy to understand. The writing style may be a little on the 'dry' side. The text that accompanies each photograph describes the point the image is being used to make which is good.

There are a number of other Amherst books (listed in the back of this book) covering complimentary subjects, which I think helps to add value to this book.

Pretty good I'd say, 04 Oct 2007
I've looked at a lot of other books on "posing" and found that the majority