There are two parts to drawing a clothed figure successfully: the figure and the clothes. Get either wrong and the result looks at best unconvincing, at worst a mess.

In this wonderfully varied and comprehensive guide, Lucy explains and illustrates figures both young and old and in a variety of costumes. She also looks at important features such as hands and feet and how they both affect and are affected by the folds and constraints of different types of clothing.

The position and poses of the body will influence how clothes fall and they, at the same time, will affect the ways in which it all comes to rest. In all cases, both the pose and the fall of the cloth need to be reproduced accurately for a successful result and Lucy explains clearly how all this fits together. As well as static poses, Lucy also looks at movement and demonstrates ways to represent this in the single dimension of a drawing.

Although this is not a primer in figure drawing, Lucy's explanations are always clear and generously illustrated. If you want to take your work to new levels, this book will help you immeasurably.

Book: Search Press. 96 Pages. Paperback. Black & White Throughout.