Artists have always been fascinated with portraying the nude: the beauty and nuances of the human figure are endlessly absorbing. This practical and inspirational book celebrates and continues that enduring and beautiful tradition by encouraging you to discover your own talent and style. Philip Tyler looks in detail at the key skills and themes, such as perception, proportion, composition, colour and facture, that the artist needs. He then investigates ideas and styles, and encourages you to interpret the nude so your paintings have those elusive qualities of vitality and relevance, which can turn a painting into a masterpiece. He explores the practical, technical and philosophical problems of drawing and painting the nude, with exercises to support each lesson and over 300 images illustrate the text. Aimed at both novices and art graduates, this practical and inspirational guide is illustrated throughout with 320 colour images and there are exercises to support the fifty lessons.