Head Model Studio - Art Study Reviews

About a year ago I spent a frustrating month going through all the different pose apps for iOS, hoping to find something a balance of good design and decent models. Maybe you're in that search now. It took me *ages* (and not a few dollars) to find Head Model Studio. I haven't looked back since.

Fast forward a year, and the release of the expression feature has utterly blown me away. It's like doubling the value of an already incredible app. Even on a phone the controls are somehow both straight forward and able to provide fine grained control. I can't wait to see them on all the models.

Wes, thank you so much - this is one of the best apps out there.

a veryyyy useful tool, especially where environmental and local lighting is concerned. However, i paid for the full (a very reasonable price, btw, thank you for that) so that I can make use of the facial morphing features. To my dismay, the modifications are not as diverse as I had hoped. Even after heavy tweaking, the different combinations of features still look very much the same. I am a novelist and artist. None of my characters look the same. I wanted to create a 3D model of my characters so that i can have a reference tool on my ipad pro to use when i want to draw each of them from different angles. Maybe the devs could adjust it to include a wider selection of eye, jaw, ear, and head shapes. I know it’s a lot of work. Im also a programmer and developer (making a few games with unity, 3ds max, reallusion character creator, blender, etc) so i understand the difficulty and work that goes into it. Designing my own would take way longer than i want. I just want to pick up my ipad and draw. By no means is this a bad app. its GREAT for what it is. I just thought the paid version would offer more options than it does.

I’ve had HeadModelStudio for a year now but am just using it daily now, and the fantastic features added in that time turned a very good app into a near perfect one - focal length, for example, will really allow me to check my proportions and placement and create a base for my characters and original portraits based on slightly distorted references. Even existing features have been polished and improved. As someone who struggled to keep features spaced and placed correctly it’s really invaluable. Premium is def worth it for serious learners.

I came to HeadModelStudio a year or two ago and it changed the game for me. I loved it, despite the lack of representation it was a great tool. I paid for the lifetime subscription because it was a great price. I was excited to draw today because I heard HeadModelStudio finally got African American models! To my dismay, my premium lifetime payment was taken and to access these amazing new resources they want to charge me almost $30 for a lifetime. While it’s not a lot. I still find it incredibly strange that as soon as there is equal representation this developer decides to increase prices. It’s not a lifetime sub if you strip It away when you decide to change the price. It’s poor customer service and honestly just a disappointment for those who were already using HeadModelStudio .

I bought the yearly pass since I couldn’t afford lifetime at the moment. For 12 USD, the pass is an absolute steal.

As a beginner artist branching away from cartoony and anime art styles, HeadModelStudio is an AMAZING introduction to and very solid reference on realistic heads. The pass gives you a full hands-on experience learning how to draw detailed facial features on top of proportions. I saw immediate improvement in my skills and much more accuracy in the heads I drew right after.

The only thing I want from HeadModelStudio are facial expressions. It would be the cherry on top.

Edit: HeadModelStudio was just updated with some facial expressions. They also edited the guides, which was a huge bonus. All of the updates are amazing!!!

HeadModelStudio is a lifesaver. I was having to keep multiple browser tabs open constantly to shift between 3D models to draw from. Now everything is in one place thanks to HeadModelStudio. It is well worth the money. The only thing I’d like to ask for are some anime style models. Maybe a male/female head model, and a few different eye models? Just a thought. Love HeadModelStudio regardless, thank you!

I normally don’t write reviews but I have to with HeadModelStudio! As a self taught artist I needed help with facial planes, features, and lighting and HeadModelStudio provides that and more!
I love how you can rotate the loomis head, morf it to whatever facial characteristics you want to challenge yourself, and on top of that provide training to help you practice drawing the asaro head and plane studies. I recommend this to anyone, especially if you need help with painting or drawing planes of the human head and how lighting affects each plane depending on the positions.

Again, 6/5 stars!!

Where has HeadModelStudio been all my life? 😅 Well I’m glad I found it—just when I think it can’t get better it does. Meticulous lighting options, Loomis, Asaro…I could go on and on about what I love but suffice it to say if you study portrait drawing or even if you’re a seasoned artist you MUST have HeadModelStudio. Pricing is super reasonable too! To just try it is absolutely free so you have nothing to lose. To the makers of HeadModelStudio, you have my undying thanks…my life just got waaay easier! Please keep it up this student happily gives you their money! 🥳🥰

Best head study app ive ever had the opportunity to use. Wish it was free, but I definitely have pid for this before and will be willing to do again, especially considering the updates.
I think it would be very interesting to upload custom face models from games and such but that sounds like a process no one has time for. Regardless, keep making it greater~ thanks

Has some very detailed, high quality models. Nice, clean interface. Very smooth and responsive 3D movement, no load times. The ability to adjust the focal length of the camera is a great feature I haven’t seen in many other apps. And it keeps improving with regular updates. Highly recommended!

Over all, this is a great app. I’m an artist and this makes it a little easier to draw and paint heads. However, it really irritates me that in order to access better heads, you need to make a purchase. It would be nice if we could access a few more features just so we could know that we like HeadModelStudio before making a purchase. I would love a free female head, or maybe a detailed male and or female head. Great app in general though.

This tool is really valuable for artists, I’d definitely recommend. Thank you to the responsive developers for adding the option to turn off camera inertia! It’s clear they want to keep improving HeadModelStudio, and even though I don’t like subscriptions, it’s definitely been worth it.

I wish I had something like this years ago. I’ve used similar apps and models from online 3D stores but this is my favorite thus far. Great models of the head and facial features. From the most basic forms to more complex ones. If they come out with a full body one in the future, that would be awesome.

Im very busy at work, so it’s hard for me to go out to the galleries to draw some sculptures. It’s hard for me to do it at the computer, but when I do it on my phone, it’s a lot easier.

The drawback is that there isn’t much models available. But im hoping there will be more in the future. This is a great app, worth the subscription.

When HeadModelStudio first came out I thought it was perfect. It provided beautiful representations of the human head that I could practice drawing. But then more and more features were added and with each new update I asked myself what can he possibly do to make it better? And I’m always pleasantly surprised.

The models are great and in high quality resolution but $6.99/ year is somewhat not a great deal because there’s Sketchfab where you could get any models for free.

I’m not really sure if you should just increase the price for a lifetime considering that you’ve worked so hard for HeadModelStudio but let’s see how it goes.

I’ll really recommend it to new artist asking for head reference though.

I am actually feeling emotional about this tool. So wonderful. There could be improvements but for what I was looking for, it’s beyond expectation. Thank you to the creator and developer. I recommend this to anybody looking for a great reference tool.

It’s a very useful app, I wish the perspective grid can be adjusted to have more lines than just one cross on each plane. Also the proportion ruler would be easier for me if I can adjust the opacity/thickness of the lines. Same with the perspective grid.

The best app/tool I've used for getting portrait references at specific angles/lighting. Being able to switch between the simplified models and the realistic models while retaining the same orientation is a game changer for internalizing the planes of the head.

Helpful for beginning artists to get a sense of drawing loomis heads and chins from different angles.

I’m still experimenting in it but I didn’t give 5 stars because I wish I could find a way have the loomis sphere guidelines on the actual figure models.

i’ve always had trouble finding decent references and never with the exact lighting i wanted but HeadModelStudio really just blew me away. i was decently surprised by the extent which you can customize the model without any problems. the environmental lighting is a little finicky and glitchy but it works, and it overheated my phone a bit but honestly not as much as i anticipated.
the premium is very tempting considering the features and price. maybe in the future a good idea would be full body reference or facial expressions? :) amazing app and outstanding customer support !

HeadModelStudio is very useful even without paying for it. I have paid for it and I love the timed practice, it really helps keep me focused since I’m not having to time myself or switch pictures. The models are all very helpful and this is well made. Great job creators! The work you put in really shows