Observational Drawing: Illustrate with a Fresh Perspective
A course by Celeste Byers , Freelance Illustrator and Artist
Joined February 2020

Learn how to deconstruct images using the principles of observational drawing and turn them into unique compositions full of color and texture in Photoshop
Through observational drawing, you can deconstruct an image into lines, shapes, angles and forms to determine its essence, and translate the soul of what you’re creating. Artist Celeste Byers uses observational drawing techniques to create large-scale murals and illustrations around the world for clients including Sephora, Warner Bros, Amazon, and more.
In this course, Celeste teaches you her observational drawing technique to create your own striking illustrations. Learn to draw with a more critical eye and design your own universe. Are you ready to look at the world in a new way?
What will you learn in this online course?
17 lessons & 11 downloads
- 97% positive reviews (31)
- 914 students
- 17 lessons (3h 35m)
- 11 additional resources (1 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Learn the principles of observational drawing to sketch, ink and color a digital illustration.

Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone with an interest in improving their observational drawing skills and turning line drawings into fun and colorful illustrations.
Requirements and materials
Basic knowledge of Adobe Photoshop is beneficial, but not necessary.
You will need drawing materials and a computer with Photoshop installed.

Reviews

Celeste Byers
A course by Celeste Byers
Celeste Byers is a freelance illustrator and artist who specializes in creating large-scale murals. She first discovered her love for drawing and painting in high school, before going on to study for a BFA in illustration at Art Center College of Design in California. Since then, she’s painted over 75 murals all over the world, in places like New Zealand, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.
Celeste’s work is inspired by the world around her, and her clients include Amazon, Airbnb, American Express, Facebook, Sephora, and Warner Bros. She has also been featured by Condé Nast Traveler, Live Free Podcast, San Diego Natural History Museum, and more. She shares her murals with over 24K followers on Instagram and has won numerous awards including City of San Diego Certificate of Recognition and California State Senate Certificate of Recognition.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Sketching
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Basic Ideas and Principles of Observational Drawing 1
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Basic Ideas and Principles of Observational Drawing 2
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Freehand Ink Drawing
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Sketching It Out: Beginning Your Drawing 1
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Sketching It Out: Beginning Your Drawing 2
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U3
Inking
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Inking Your Drawing
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Using Stippling to Create Shading 1
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Using Stippling to Create Shading 2
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The Importance of Line Widths 1
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The Importance of Line Widths 2
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Tying All Together
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U4
Digitizing & Coloring Your Drawing
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Digitizing Your Image 1
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Digitizing Your Image 2
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Final Touches and How to Export 1
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Final Touches and How to Export 2
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FP
Final project
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Observational Drawing
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
dobleporciento
Excelente, una maestra muy buena
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agnieszka_gorka
Przepadam za grafikami Celeste i jej podejściem do rysunku i koloru. Z radością korzystałam z jej wskazówek. Szczerze polecam! :)
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amjad.wyne
Excellent. Great way to express her thoughts. Definitely a great teacher. Would love to see a bit more structured approach. Definitely recommend to any one who is interested in drawing.
titanzqul
Il corso è molto interessante anche se non mi è piaciuto molto il fatto che non abbia mostrato come ha creato la foto che ha usato come riferimento per il suo disegno, era la cosa più importante e l’ha omesso! È un corso basato sul disegno di osservazione almeno poteva soffermarsi un po’ sul suo approccio al recupero delle reference! Oltre a questo non riesco a capire perché le anteprime abbiano i colori così spenti, non è nulla di invasivo ma ho pagato per questo corso e pretendo il meglio.
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sms20
Excellent instruction with great ideas to improve techniques!