Illustrator's Reference Manual: Hands and Faces

[...] As a cartoonist who was anxious to find reference material for my Captain Cockle children's books, I found this reference manual an absolute goldmine of illustrations to work with. Arranged in sections by expression and activity, this book has the unique advantage over other reference sources in that its offers a series of multi-angle views of the same theme on each page. Thus, if you want to know what, for example, playing a guitar looks like from twenty-one different angles, or indeed any of 90 different expressions or activities, then this is the book for you. The book is also published in hardback version that will lie open easily next to your drawing board while you work (a great advantage over paperback books that fall shut again when you least want them to). A great resource, well thought-out and practically presented at a reasonable price.

This is easily one of the best-ever photo references for hands- the faces section being pretty useful as well... This is a great series of photo references that, for whatever reason, has a hard time staying in print. The entire series is done in color, but it's a very muted & faded color- almost like being in black & white. Hands & faces, as we all know, are critical in depicting expression- and it's really the section on hands here that makes this book shine. The book is split evenly between the two, with faces getting the first section. These faces, shot from many angles, usually include the shoulders and hands as well. Various ages & both genders are included, and all models are caucasian- for a reference on different ethnicities, check out Facial Expressions: A Visual Reference For Artists. Anyway, this hands section is the most detailed I've ever seen. It's this hands section that makes this book worth getting the most!