Ink Portraits with Lines and Dots
A course by Leonardo Gauna, Illustrator
Learn to analyze the anatomy of a face, play with light and shadow, and express the identity of people through portraits
Illustrator Leonardo Gauna is an expert at capturing the identity and expressiveness of people through their face. Armed with a pen, he explores the limits of art by experimenting with lines, composition, and the distribution of white space on the page, which has led him to work with businesses like Starbucks and institutions such as the La Plata National University.
In this course, he teaches you how to analyze the anatomy of a face and play with light and shadows to create ink portraits of anyone you want using lines and dots. If you'd like to learn more with Leonardo, check out his other course Introduction to Artistic Figure Drawing.
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 22 downloads
What's included in this course?
Meet your teacher, Leonardo Gauna, who tells you about his art and illustrations as well as the authors he admires and the influences that inspire him to create every day.
Take a look at the materials you need, their characteristics, and how to use each one properly. Then, get an introduction to inking and see how it has evolved throughout history.
Continue with the technical aspects of illustration and learn how to create any portrait you have in mind. Study the primary muscle groups of the face to understand volume and see how to work with the value scale and key tonal values.
Now it's time to work on your project! Search for reference photos to create a sketch of your illustration and add complementary elements that bring out the identity and personality of the person you're portraying.
Once you've got a detailed outline, roll up your sleeves and start inking. Work outwards from the face to the surrounding objects, then emphasize specific details and add the finishing touches with watercolor, pencil, or a hint of color.
- 100% positive reviews (74)
- 1,256 students
- 16 lessons (1h 45m)
- 22 additional resources (11 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Illustrate an ink portrait using lines and dots.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Designers and illustrators, regardless of experience, who want to explore the art of portraiture as a dynamic form of expression.
Requirements and materials
No previous knowledge is needed; this course is a thorough introduction to the technique, which you can use with any other drawing skills you already have.
As for materials, all you need are some basic drawing supplies like pencils, pens, markers or felt-tips, and an eraser.
Reviews
Leonardo Gauna
A course by Leonardo Gauna
Leonardo Gauna is an illustrator with more than a decade of experience who lives in the city of La Plata, Argentina. He has illustrated for a variety of media outlets, institutions, agencies, and galleries, and has traveled across the world to present artistic and educational projects in cities like Tokyo, Toronto, Paris, Belo Horizonte, Prague, and Houston, among others.
In 2014, the publisher TASCHEN featured his work in the book Illustration Now 5! Leonardo has published 12 books and his latest is a collection of his illustrations. He currently teaches workshops and courses and does research on virtual reality, which was the topic of his thesis for his degree in fine arts from the La Plata National University.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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Presentation
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Influences
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U2
Know your tools
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Materials
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Inking
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U3
What do you observe?
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Face anatomy
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Scale of values and tonal keys
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Inking and scale of values
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Volumes, lights and shadows
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U4
The strategy
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Start the sketch: choose photo and initial line
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Develop the sketch
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Complement the portrait
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U5
Inked
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Inking the face
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Ink peripheral objects
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Hairs and details
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A detail of color
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To learn more
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FP
Final project
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Ink Portraits with Lines and Dots
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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
The inking technique using patterns and dots involves using lines and dots to build shadows, textures, and volume in ink portraits, allowing for expressive and detailed results.
This course is designed for people with basic drawing skills, ideal for intermediate level, though motivated beginners can also follow along and learn the techniques from scratch.
You’ll need an HB pencil, eraser, small rulers, fine-tip markers, technical pens, India ink, opaline paper or similar, and a drawing board to practice inking and shading techniques.
You’ll learn how to create expressive ink portraits using patterns and dots, analyze facial anatomy, apply value scales, select references and materials, and adapt traditional techniques for editorial and commercial projects.
Patterns and dots vary in density to represent light and shadow, creating depth, texture, and volume in facial features and other portrait elements.
Choose a photo with good resolution, clear light and shadow contrasts, and an engaging expression. This makes anatomical analysis and effective inking much easier.
Using patterns and dots, you can achieve a high level of detail and control over light, shadow, and texture—perfect for professional-quality editorial illustrations with strong visual impact.
Muy bueno
Bom curso, bem explicado.
Un curso muy entretenido. Aprendiendo cosas nuevas, el profesor lo explica muy bien
Questo corso è molto valido! È incredibile quanto sia migliorata!!!
Gostei muito da abordagem. Fácil de aplicar e me ajudou a melhorar meu traço.