Book Review: Face Parts

Last Friday, I stopped at a bookstore on the way to a class in New York City, and I was browsing through the art instruction section. I decided to look for anatomical reference books, and I did not like most of them. But I came across this book, Face Parts (author: Simon Jennings) and I have never seen anything like it.

Face Parts

This book provides, not necessarily exhaustive, but just enough information on the facial features to generate ideas for any project. Not only that, it provides excellent examples of how the whole or parts of the face can be drawn, painted, sculpted, photographed, digitally processed, or created with found objects (!). It also shows the three different styles used by Picasso, Miro, and Modigliani in drawing the eyes. And it provides suggested "art directions" i.e. etchings, graffiti ("defacing"), pictographical represenations, and typewritten portraits, to name a few. It even contain a photocopyable images of the turning face and winking eye, so that you can created an animation flip flick book. This is really a neat and one of the most interesting reference books on faces.