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Summary: An Educational Tool for Many Professions
Review: Finally, it seems we are able to take advantage of Karen Taylor's wealth of experience and expertise in the latest professional text. After hiring Karen to teach in the classroom, we as educators are pleased to see that some of the training conducted for professionals now has this valuable learning tool. Imagine the difference it can make to have the text available to accompany the hands-on instruction. The best of both worlds.I'm certain that the excellent presentation of material, coupled with the easy-to-follow information will keep the novice reader and professional artist involved from cover to cover. And it should hold a proud spot on everyone's shelf as a learning resource for years to come.
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Summary: Forensic Art & Illustration
Review: I have worked in law enforcement for 9 years and seen over and over again how a good composite or reconstruction can enhance an investigation. I have also seen how a poorly done composite can impede one! Forensic Art & Illustration should be required reading for forensic artists and anyone involved in the identification process. This book is phenomenal! It covers every aspect of forensic art--history, interviewing, drawing and sculpting techniques, ethics, applications--it has it all. Karen Taylor's research is superb, and she has consulted a variety of experts (including Betty Pat. Gatliff & Dr. David Glassman, both premier in their fields) as well as drawn on her own vast experience. To top it all off, this book is easy to read and the illustrations are incredible!!
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Summary: The book we've all been waiting for!
Review: This book is a well-written chronicle of a person's life's work and passion. It is unselfish in its content and in the specialized subject area of Forensic Art; is a book for the ages. Karen Taylor does an excellent job of covering a vast amount of information in an organized, easy to read fashion. She utilizes a myriad of visual aids that captivate the reader and clearly illustrates the subject matter. Her refreshinginly unselfish attitude allows us to see the variety of work being done in the field by others. Her collaboration with other experts in the field gives the reader the sense that this book is "state of the art" in it's content and is worth reading; as both an interesting text and an excellent resource manual for us to keep nearby when consulting and working on active cases. Most books on specialty subjects like this are usually reduced to several hundered pages of self-agrandized back-slapping and literary grandstanding that really teach nothing and are valueless .....NOT so with this book. THIS book shares knowledge AND teaches! I would highly recommend this book for anyone in the field of law enforcement interested in this valuable investigative tool as well as those that have any interest in Forensics. I know I'll keep going back to mine.
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Summary: Complete and Challenging
Review: This book is not only a chronological review of Karen's successful professional life as a Forensic Artist over the past 20 years, but it is a testament to her endless energy, enthusiasm and relenting thirst for knowledge. Her ability to describe the difficult so simply in either words or pictures makes this book a must for every student of Forensic/Fine Art. The clearly described detail makes this book a must as a reference/resource for all professional personnel involved in Forensic Identification. The contributions from Betty Pat Gatliff and Dr. David Glassman make this a complete book in all methods of Forensic Identification. I have already incorporated this book in my Facial Scupting Course here at Melbourne University. The age old question to Forensic Artists "Is it Art or is it a Service". Thanks to Karen we now have a foundation to base the discussion on. BRILLIANT!
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Summary: walt @ shaker hts pd,ohio
Review: i purchased karen's book a few months ago and it is my opinion a must for any composite artist. having been lucky enough to have attended 3 classes at the scotsdale art school in scottsdale,az with ms. taylor as the instructor, my drawings have improved amazingly so. i average 5-10 cmposites a year,being in basically a bedroom community that boarders the city of cleveland.we get a lot of spill over crime from that area. her book has been a tremendous guide for me in undersatnding the interview process of victims/witnesses and her expamples of her own drawings have been an aide to me that is unsurpassed. i study her book at least 3 times a week and it is a tool that i use while drawing the composite and i read it prior to my interviews to help remember the key questions to ask and refresh my memory as well as a study of the faces and where shading and light need to go in order to make the likeness 3D. being a self taught artist, with no other formal training, i would not be in the postion i am now without her classes or the instruction from her new book. i highly recomend the purchase of ms. taylor's book and if anyone has the chance to attend any of her classes and meet her in person, they should do so without any hesitation. because of her classes and book i am now in the positon to attend the fbi course, forensic facial imaging in quantico,va next year. if you cannot attend one of her workshops the purchase of "foresic art and illustrations" is a investment that will pay great dividends to your growth as a composite artist, your department and to the victims of crime. karen and betty pat are two of the finest foresic artists in the country and down to earth people. karens book is written in a way that is easy to understand and easy to apply to our craft. thanx again fr writing it karen, walt siegel. shaker hts police
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Summary: Mass Appeal
Review: Friends in fine art introduced me to this book as one of their most valuable resources. Though concerned much of it would be "above" me, such was not the case. As a reader of mysteries, I found "Forensic Art and Illustration" by Karen T. Taylor fascinating reading. I can picture many of my favorite authors perusing this book. Though geared toward professionals, the appeal of this book to the general public should not be discounted.
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Summary: Fascinating and Educational Resource
Review: This book should be in the library of every forensic artist and forensic anthropologist. Law enforcement investigators, attorneys, and others engaged in forensic identification will also find this a valuable resource. Karen Taylor and her two primary contributors (Betty Pat. Gatliff and Dr. David Glassman) have collaborated to bring numerous aspects of human identification together into a single volume that is both fascinating and educational. Taylor has managed to produce a comprehensive reference text that is encyclopedic in scope, yet is as interesting as a mystery novel. The book is filled with well-illustrated case reports and step by step instructions on the use of techniques used by forensic artists today. Ethical considerations regarding witnesses, suspects, and court proceedings should also prove to be invaluable for anyone engaged in forensic art and illustration. Karen Taylor has worked for over 20 years in both fine art and forensic art, and this wealth of experience is evidenced in the scope of forensic science and art displayed in this book. Taylor's artistic talents, which have resulted in successful identification of countless suspects as well as victims, are now matched only by her talents as an author.
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Summary: A must for all Sketch Artists!
Review: Finally, one of the most accomplished Sketch Artists of our time has brought the discipline of Forensic Art into focus. I ordered my book well in advance and read it from cover to cover in the first week that I received it. The history and defintion of certain aspects of Forensic Art are clearly and efficiently presented with dates, names and opinions. This book will be a must for any and all practicing sketch artists around the world! This book should be on the list of any artist thinking about setting on a career in Composite Art. At last, an informative resource where working sketch artists can measure and reflect on their own programs. Fantastic!
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Summary: Best and Only Forensic Art Text
Review: 9Nov2000 Really exceptional, textbook quality but novel read! This book was used during a recent class by Betty Pat. Gatliff the famous Forensic Sculptor (chapters 11 and 13). Details of forensic portrait art and illustration from history to actual instruction with emphasis on identification of missing persons in drawing , sculpture, or composite from artifact facial bones or by other postmortem methods to reproduce the likeness including aging and other image modification. There are multiple case histories outlined and discussed. Karen T. Taylor has made a wonderful contribution for all future Forensic Investigation. I predict this text will be a "must-read" for lawyers/law enforcement, all artists, writers and also physicians such as myself in Forensic Pathology.
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Summary: "The Bible" for Forensic and Fine Artists
Review: Karen Taylor has given of her talent to the Forensic Art/ Law Enforcement community for many years. Her innovative teaching methods have inspired and educated artists from around the world. Now comes the definitive work on the subject. For any artist who desires to understand the human head, this book is a must. Beyond the natural audience of forensic artists, I would recommend this book to fine artists as well.
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