Art Models 5: Life Nude Photos for the Visual Arts

Whether for work on a finished piece, trying a new technique, or getting in some practice time, this figure study enables artists to work when and where they want with their choice of model, pose, and view. The latest in the series features 12 new male and female art models--as well as Becca from the previous book--in a collection of poses selected by readers and visitors to the authors' website. The contrast has also been increased in many of the photos to provide deeper, more challenging shadows. While the guide includes individuals and couples with a wide range of body types in natural, relaxed stances as well as some inspired by classical works of art, the primary focus is on dynamic poses--twisting, scrunching, reaching, and even fighting. Poses are precisely lit, revealing every area of the model, and have been carefully chosen to illustrate important effects such as foreshortening and perspective changes. A judicious amount of photo retouching is done, not to make the models more glamorous or plastic, but to remove distractions that detract from the essence of the models. The PC- and Mac-compatible DVD-ROM included in the book features more than 1,200 high-resolution photos available in a number of viewing options--on a computer screen, printed out, projected for a group, or via a high-definition television. Each angle of every pose may also be enlarged, enabling artists to zoom in on specific body parts to achieve a higher level of detail.

Maureen Johnson is an art director and a management analyst. Douglas Johnson is a photographer. They are the coauthors of the Art Models series. They live in Salem, New Hampshire.