THE FACIAL EXPRESSION BOOK
an essential resource for creative professionals
Considered a classic in its field, "The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression" has sold over 175,000 copies, been translated into seven languages and reprinted 24 times. The English publication is currently available as a softcover book and an e-book.
Using the book's copious illustrations and descriptive text, professionals from forensic artists to plastic surgeons to robot designers have referenced the book in their work. Digital artists, in particular, have developed uniquely expressive character creations for the animation industry.
take a flip through the book
read what animation professionals have to say
​"Here at Framestore, Gary Faigin's book, "The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression" has been a wonderful source of knowledge and inspiration in the construction and animation of many of our beloved characters; from Paddington Bear and Rocket Raccoon, to Kreacher and Dobby from the Harry Potter films. ​It provides in-depth analysis of structure and anatomy; explaining and illustrating the underlying muscles and surface landmarks associated with facial expressions.
We continue to use this knowledge to create face sculptures and animation for our characters. Faigin's book is both accessible and in-depth, littered with engaging anecdotes and beautifully illustrated throughout. In short, it’s our bible." Max Solomon, VFX Animation Supervisor, Framestore | London​
Kyle McCulloch, VFX Supervisor & Mark Wilson, CG Supervisor - Framestore
from Faigin's face book
"Loved your book. I used it all the time while designing the many animator GUIs for character rigs used at ILM, Sony Imageworks, Rainmaker and Nerd Corps." Ron Bublitz, Character Pipeline TD
"I have your book. Bought it quite some time ago. It was an essential resource for me when I was animating and rigging faces for animated and visual effects production. As a result, it is the recommended book that I suggest ​to my students today." Animation Lecturer, LinkedIn reviewer
"I teach animation and I recommend that every student add this book to their personal library. Faigin provides just the right blend of anatomy (how the face moves) and psychology (how the emotions animate the face). His examples are clear and lucid, drawing from fine-art painting and sculpture to court room photographs. The kindle version works better than I thought it would." CarlEd, Amazon.com reviewer
“Thanks for creating such a seminal work that has become indispensable to me and other professionals in the VFX community over our careers!” Character TD Supervisor, LinkedIn reviewer
"In the back, there is a sketch guide to the quintessentials of each expression for fast reference. The main body covers how these look in detail and somewhat varied lighting, discussing which muscles bulge, and how the shape of the eye is affected, and everything else necessary to let you get just the right subtle or dramatic look, that can determine the whole mood of the work." Holly Ingraham, Amazon.com
"I love your book and have referred students to it for some of my classes. I found it invaluable when I set up some of my face rigs, adding a sneer morph really helped on one project. And as a matter of general knowledge, I found your detailed breakdowns between fake smiles vs. real, stifled tears vs. pride/happiness quite informative and fascinating." ​Professor of Animation, LinkedIn
from a Faigin demo
from Faigin's face book
“Your book "The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression" was a booster rocket for my career. Thank you so very much.” VFX Supervisor, LinkedIn
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Beautiful work you do. I believe everyone in our facial modeling dept. has your book for reference.” CG Modeler, LinkedIn reviewer
"I've been a big fan of your book for almost two decades and use it as my text book for my facial expression class." Digital Artist /Sculptor/Designer/Educator, LinkedIn​ reviewer
"I love your book and have referred students to it for some of my classes. I found it invaluable when I set up some of my face rigs, adding a sneer morph really helped on one project. And as a matter of general knowledge, I found your detailed breakdowns between fake smiles vs. real, stifled tears vs. pride/happiness quite informative and fascinating." ​Professor of Animation, LinkedIn reviewer
