Heads, Features and Faces [Paperback]

This really isn't an *in-depth* book- Very slim & brief, it's definitely great for a quick intro to the basics...
Bridgman gets right into it: starting with the basic outline, he proceeds to planes and basic shading, then follows with a decent look at the various features we all need to be familiar with. Eyes, nose, mouth & ears are simply & accurately treated. Basic proportions are touched upon. This is actually great material for beginners (recommended!), in contrast to his usual intermediate-level stuff. With *very high* paper quality (thank you!!!), the drawings here seem to be a bit more clear than in his other books. Stylistically speaking, this is very different & interesting for Bridgman. He actually displays representations of various famous figures: Vermeer of Delft; Frans Hals; Sir Joshua Reynolds; Rembrandt Van Ryn; George Washington; Abraham Lincoln; and Louise Elisabeth LeBrun. This tends to be my least favorite aspect of the book, although the accompanying text is actually sometimes pretty interesting. Miscellaneous drawings here also include: men; women; children; a chef; a clown; a small Leonardo Da Vinci self-portrait sketch; and Jolly St. Nick a.k.a. Santa Claus. I kinda like these miscellaneous drawings! Like I said, this is all *very* different from his usual, uniquely-conceived, figure drawing efforts. Facial expressions are barely touched upon. This is a basic-level book in pretty much every single respect.
He describes *introductory* methods of construction in the last few pages- perspective, cube-construction & oval construction. This book will *not* teach you to construct heads from every conceivable point of view from memory. For a more detailed look at constructing heads from memory, check out his truly excellent & more famous works: Constructive Anatomy and Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing From Life. Bridgman is famous for his cube-construction of the head, but we only get a little of it in these very brief pages. Great for beginners! Also great & more *in-depth*, 5-star works for beginners: Drawing the Head and Figure by Jack Hamm, and Andrew Loomis' Drawing: The Head. All currently available here on Amazon!

**UPDATE**- My copy of this book has somewhat bright white paper with a semi-glossy finish, actually better paper than in the other Bridgman books I have. It seems they now use a more standardized & still good grade of paper in all of Bridgman's titles including this one; it's just not the excellent bright white paper that I got when I originally bought this. I guess I'm fortunate to have this copy(!). In any case, it's still easily a title worth recommending, especially considering the price.

For the price, I don't think you can get a better book on drawing human heads. Bridgman illustrates a structural approach to the head and its features. (I agree that his language it sometimes a bit difficult to follow, but the sketches show everything you need to know about his technique).

The book covers basic proportions of the head, an introduction about how to approach the head as a series of planes, how to draw the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth in a structural way, a brief comparision of adult to child head proportions, and an introduction to how to draw the heads at different perspectives.

Overall, it's a short book, but it's packed with valuable techniques that have definitely improved my portrait drawings.

Being an artist and having been an art teacher, losing all of my books and references in hurricane Katrina was devastating. I have been trying to replenish the best books for references since then. The books by Bridgman are some of the best around. I was pleased to find these and look forward to building my library back to where it once was. I recommend these books for both the amateur and professional.
Thank you. B. Seabolt