The study of figure drawing from life is regarded as a basis of the development of skill in all graphic and plastic arts. The human figure is an infinitely rich subject. It has been said that "If you can learn to draw and paint the figure, you can learn to draw and paint anything.” This doesn’t mean that, having studied figure drawing, one is automatically an experienced landscape or still-life painter. But the skills and principles acquired through the study of the human figure will greatly enhance one’s landscape or still-life work. Thus, for centuries artists have trained themselves by studying the complex form of the body and its associated pattern of light and shade.