Models Books

Stop Staring: Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right

Jason Osipa

Amazon Price: $31.49 List Price: $49.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Sybex Amazon Marketplace: 43 new & used starting at $26.45

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 39 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Lips, brows, frown lines--they’re all in motion in an expressive face. Stop Staring analyzes facial structures and movements and shows animators how to enliven the faces of their characters. The author, whose own handsome head (in modeled form) graces the cover, is an experienced animator currently working on The Sims.

He writes with a dry wit and a confidence born from experience. The book is friendly but also loaded with content and precise in its directions. "I am by no means God’s gift to animation, but I do pretty well at making a talking head look like a living one, not just a set of gums flapping." This is not a how-to manual, but a richly detailed guide to achieving the right movements for a given situation and emotion. The companion CD includes all the pieces readers will need in order to work along with the text: models (both realistic and stylized ’toon characters), lip-synching samples, finished Quicktime movies, and even a copy of Maya Personal LE. (More info and some movies can be found at jasonosipa.com.)

Readers move from "Getting to Know the Face," to synching audio, working on the mouth, eyes, and brows, and rigging. Osipa has created a methodology for facial animation that gets results and makes the process fun. The book can be used as a step-by-step guide for learning new skills or finessing techniques, or as a reference book for troubleshooting specific expressions (for example, "happy eyes," "frustration," and "sneers" are all in the index). Although the projects are presented using Maya, the concepts involved pertain to animation in general.

There are lots of production tips and, in Chapter 13, case studies using five scripted scenes. Readers can even begin with this last chapter, watching the movies (they’re funny!) and enjoying Osipa’s debates as he works through animating his face telling a lame bartender joke or a sassy ‘toon gal weighing the pros and cons of pink and blue bows. This hip writer knows what he’s talking about, even when it’s his own animated mug that’s doing the talking! --Angelynn Grant

Build Your Own Stonehenge (Running Press Mini Kits)

Morgan Beard

Amazon Price: $6.95 List Price: $6.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Running Press Miniature Editions Amazon Marketplace: 21 new & used starting at $2.93

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

YAY! 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Yes, it's tiny. It's supposed to be tiny, that's the point. The whole thing fits in a tiny box, it's the same with the rest of the Running Press Mini Kits. But, like most of their other kits, this is a lot of fun and really cool. You get a tiny model Stonehenge to build and display in your home/office/whatever. If you're quirky, eccentric, or just into this kind of thing then you'll love this. I do!

Pay Close Attention to the Product Dimensions! 1 out of 5 stars.
4 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Pay close attention to the Product Dimensions: 3.2 x 3 x 1.3 inches. It's very small, with TINY pieces.

AMAZING 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

so much detail went into the creation of this product! I'm so impressed with it I'll be buying it for friends as well! Anyone who loves miniatures will go nuts for this tiny kit!

Editorial Review:

In the past, it was believed that only giants, wizards, Druids, and aliens were extraordinary enough to have built the mythical Stonehenge, but our kit makes it easy for everyone, whether you can map a leyline or not. Complete with 16 stone replicas, a beautiful placement mat, and a 32-page guide, it won’t take a trip to England for your family, friends, and coworkers to admire this ancient wonder.

Professional Model Portfolios: A Step-by-Step Guide for Photographers

Billy Pegram

Amazon Price: $23.07 List Price: $34.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Amherst Media, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 44 new & used starting at $17.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Helpful hints to helping models 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This really helps with up and coming models who need a bit of direction.
I share this book with every new model I use.
Brings ideas to both of us.
It helps the models understand thier side of the business also.

Editorial Review:

This photographer's guide to creating successful model portfolios encourages a dynamic, diversified artistic approach and shares essential knowledge about the modeling industry, portfolio basics, and agency requirements. Photographers learn how to work with models for the best possible results, create and refine a standout portfolio, and sell that product to agents in the United States, England, and Asia. Three actual portfolios are included to help photographers conceptualize, sculpt, and refine their own portfolios to maximize their client's reach in the industry. Photographers learn why particular images were chosen for opening and closing shots, how to arrange the interior images, and what constitutes an appealing design. Featuring information on working with women, men, and children, this book will help new and experienced models and photographers alike in getting the results they desire.

Slot Car Racing in the Digital Age

Robert S. Schleicher

Amazon Price: $21.11 List Price: $31.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Voyageur Press Amazon Marketplace: 5 new & used starting at $21.11

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Editorial Review:

Robert Schleicher wrote the book on slot car racing—literally. In the three short years since Schleicher’s Slot Car Racing: Tips, Tricks & Track Plans was published, the hobby has been virtually transformed by new products and technologies. This new volume, a perfect complement to its predecessor, brings readers and racers up to date, offering a concise, comprehensive overview of slot car racing’s developments, along with expert, practical guidance for putting this information to good use.

A primer on the latest digital and analog developments for both 1/32 and HO scales, Schleicher’s book delivers the lowdown on building cars from individual components on ready-to-race chassis, as well as popular tune-up tips to get even more speed and better handling out of today’s cars. Schleicher also provides track tests of 70 cars and a slot-car shootout featuring 23 more vehicles. Finally, Schleicher includes nearly 50 track plans: 14 tabletop-size plans for Scalextric, Classic, Carrera, Sport, SCX, and Ninco brand track; 14 plans modeled on real circuits like Watkins Glen, Monaco, Spa-Francorchamps, Sears Point, and the Bahrain and Shanghai F1 courses; and 17 4x8-foot HO scale plans. Illustrated throughout with color photography and track plan line art, this is the book that no serious slot car racer can afford to be without.

Airbrushing and Finishing Scale Models (Modelling Masterclass)

Brett Green

Amazon Price: $26.37 List Price: $39.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Osprey Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 31 new & used starting at $22.37

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A convincing paint finish is essential for any model, be it military or civilian, aircraft, vehicles, figures or even background items such as terrain or buildings - and good airbrushing and finishing techniques can be the key to creating a superior model. Over the last few years there have been huge strides made in the development of airbrushes, paints and thinners, and consequently, this new book will provide up-to-date practical information and illustrated techniques to take full advantage of these new technologies.

Brett Green details the prerequisites of airbrushing, including the different types of spray equipment and air sources available, offering advice on appropriate thinners, paint ratios and air pressures to ensure the most appropriate paint coverage across a range of different airbrushing applications. He then examines various airbrushing techniques across a wide range of models. Ten step-by-step, illustrated case studies ranging from heavily weathered military aircraft to pristine, high gloss motor vehicles, science fiction models, fantasy figures, groundwork and buildings will complete this in-depth guide to getting the best results on your models.

Posing Techniques for Photographing Model Portfolios

Billy Pegram

List Price: $34.95 By: Amherst Media, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 2 new & used starting at $59.87

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Full of practical tips and pearls 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros: Well written easy to read and follow. I learned a great deal regarding posing and composition, what makes a pose good vs not so good (which may differ depending on the photo shoot target customer / audience).

Excellent content on posing hands, head, shoulders and legs.

Good intro on how to pursue putting together a decent portfolio for both the model and the photographer.

Cons: Some of the photos were quite dated, struck me as being one or two decades old.

All in all, I am very happy with this book. Highly recommended reading for the aspiring portrait and event photographer.

Editorial Review:

With detailed discussions and eye-catching, dynamic images, this guidebook shows professional photographers how to masterfully create beautiful images of a model to achieve any creative objective. Instructions illustrate basic poses as well as a host of subtle variations to provide photographers with an endless array of looks for editorial fashion shots, athletics, glamour or nude photography, and shots designed to show curves, reveal personality, or showcase the hands, hair, or legs. This comprehensive resource also provides expert advice on conducting a successful session, how to work with the model, how to work with a support staff of image stylists, and tips for designing a high-quality portfolio. Additional lessons provide a start-to-finish analysis of four different shooting sessions, each with a different model and a different objective.

Modelling Armoured Vehicles (Osprey Modelling)

Gary Edmundson, Steve Van Beveren, Graeme Davidson, Jim Carswell

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Osprey Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 24 new & used starting at $12.93

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Editorial Review:

A central resource to all armor modelers from the complete beginner to the more experienced modeler, this book details all the steps involved in creating a realistic and attractive model armored vehicle. Gary Edmundson and his colleagues take the reader through all the steps required in armor modeling, from the basic stage of putting the kit together, through to the intricacies of texturing and elaborate paint schemes, finishing with how to display your model.

Each chapter is illustrated with a range of different models covering the whole spectrum of armor modelling, including both Second World War Axis and Allied armor as well as more modern subjects. The authors also cover specific techniques and subject areas in which they individually excel, highlighting the different tools and approaches required for each individual discipline. Lavishly illustrated with over 250 images, this book contains all the detailed, step-by-step information you need to become an expert armor modeler.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being a Model, 2nd Edition (Complete Idiot's Guide to)

Roshumba Williams, Anne Marie O'Connor

Amazon Price: $12.89 List Price: $18.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Alpha Amazon Marketplace: 42 new & used starting at $6.22

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being a Model, 2nd Edition (Complete Idiot's Guide to) 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This is a great book for folks who are looking for basic information about the modeling industry and tips for getting a foot in the door. Having gone through some of the areas discussed in the book, it's right on the money about expectations and industry structure... Very helpful!

Great! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I highly recommend this book.This book is great.She also has a section for parents with children who wants to model.

Editorial Review:

Make way for this year’s model.

In the most comprehensive, practical book on modeling, celebrity model and media darling Roshumba Williams shares her secrets of supermodel stardom. This revised guide for young hopefuls everywhere includes completely updated information on contests, reality shows, and online opportunities, new illustrations, a comprehensive new resource section, and much more.

--Comprehensive, brand-new resource section and information on contests, reality shows, and internet opportunities
--Dazzling new eight-page color insert of fashion photography and hip new illustrations
--Behind-the-scenes information and advice from a star supermodel

Wilhelmina Guide to Modeling

Natasha Esch, C.L. Walker

Amazon Price: $10.88 List Price: $16.00 In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served. By: Fireside Amazon Marketplace: 59 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Very little substance. 1 out of 5 stars.
14 of 16 people found this review helpful.

Essentially this book, with its large fonts and generous helpings of superfluous pictures, contained scant information about the modeling industry. The pages are just filled with very shallow and unsubstantiated statements such as, "Your agent will navigate your career, setting in motion a business and promotional plan geared to market fully your unique looks and talent", with no further elaboration. Take for example its chapter on "Ethinic Modeling". It glazes over the subject on how its such a promising area of the industry and tops it off with two short interviews with 2 female black models - 7 pages in all, with plenty of pictures might I add. The interviews themselves were just as disappointing with superficial statements of little substance that only glamorizes the modelling industry. Above all, the author insults the reader's intelligence by shamelessly pitching the Wilhelmina modeling agency almost every other page. In fact, the entire book's message boils down to - try to sign up with an model agency (no less the Wilhelmina) and expect a 20% commission rate. Those who have rated this book 5 stars are obviously the author or Wilhemlmina employees.

Editorial Review:

Every year, thousands of young men and women descend on America's largest cities to make it big in the world of modeling. Unfortunately, most of them end up disappointed because they lack the knowledge they need to work in this exciting industry.

A few do make it, though, and you can be one of those who do. In The Wilhelmina Guide to Modeling, Natasha Esch reveals all her secrets to give you the edge you need.

In this informative and illustrated manual, you'll learn about:
• How to get started and find the right agency.

• The modeling opportunities in domestic and foreign markets, including new opportunities in the plus-size, male, and ethnic segments.

• The people who make it happen, including interviews with models, photographers, and stylists.

• And much, much more.

Sex, Love, and Fashion: A Memoir of a Male Model

Bruce Hulse

Amazon Price: $16.29 List Price: $23.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Harmony Amazon Marketplace: 55 new & used starting at $4.39

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

You may think you’ve heard everything about the modeling industry from Tyra Banks, but Sex, Love, and Fashion is the real behind-the-scenes scoop, from a true insider who is considered one of the top ten male models of all time.

In the glamorous galaxy of modeling, Bruce Hulse was a supernova. Taken under the wing of famed photographer Bruce Weber as a fledgling model, Hulse went on to collaborate with the industry’s biggest names as one of the world’s top male models.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the exciting world of top models was filled with sex, drugs, and countless other indulgences. Bruce Hulse is one of the most recognizable figures of that time; from his iconic Calvin Klein and Levi's ads to his appearance on the cover of GQ, his face defined an era. In Sex, Love, and Fashion, Bruce shares the true stories of his globe-trotting career working with some of the industry’s biggest names–Calvin Klein, Janice Dickinson, Herb Ritts, Elle Macpherson, Andie MacDowell, Paulina Porizkova, and Cindy Crawford among them–and also details the exhilarating successes and painful failures he experienced on his way to the top.

Bruce Hulse pulls back the curtain on the life of an international supermodel and reveals everything the cameras don’t expose. Sex, Love, and Fashion is a dishy, sexy, and honest look at what really happens to beautiful people playing in the often decadent fields of fashion glory.