Looking at works from a range of different artists & their various approaches this book examines the process & practice of drawing showcasing artworks from 15th- & 16th-century masters such as Leonardo da Vinci & Michelangelo right up to artists working today In arranging them not by period or style but by the types of thinking that give rise to them readers gain fresh insights into the thought processes of some of the world's greatest artists This thematic rather than chronological structure allows us to place historical drawings side-by-side with modern & contemporary works to show how artists from widely differing times & places have all used drawing to record explore & develop ideas The accompanying exhibition ' Lines of Thought Michelangelo to Bridget Riley Drawings from the British Museum' will tour to venues associated with art schools around the UK & internationally to inspire students to draw The exhibition & this book include highlights of the British Museum's Prints & Drawings collection as well as some lesser-known contemporary works