Book excerpt: Drawing the human form requires a complete vocabulary of skills and techniques. In this concise guide to figure drawing, Watson teaches readers, step by step, everything they need to know to master these valuable methods. Separated into two distinct sections, "Elements of Figure Drawing" and "Drawing From the Figure," readers are treated to nearly eighty drawings, paintings, and photographs that build foundational skills and help analyze anatomy, perspective, light, shade, and composition. From the basics of posing a model and choosing the proper materials, to the importance of measurement, action, median lines, foreshortening, and more, here is an essential treasury of artistic learning and expertise.