Book excerpt: Well-crafted and class-tested, this guide to figure drawing features a unique teaching method. It focuses on learning to draw complete figures prior to the study of individual components, and it stresses action figures rather than the customary static examples favored by most drawing and anatomy texts. Employing more text than typical art instruction books, it presents thirty figure drawing lessons and fifty-six drawings and figures. Each lesson includes detailed instructions on anatomical drawing, accompanied by visual examples of strokes, boxes, and measurements. Author Alon Bement taught art instruction to future art teachers at Columbia University and later founded the prestigious Maryland Institute of Art. His students included Georgia O'Keeffe, who regarded him as a mentor and major influence. Bement's nontraditional approach offers students at all levels an excellent opportunity to build their visual acuity and technical skills.