Artistic Portrait Drawing: Capture Authentic Expressions
A course by Sam BrisleyPortrait Artist
A course by Sam Brisley, Portrait Artist
Draw striking pencil portraits by learning how to apply shadow mapping techniques to capture realistic facial structures
The challenges of capturing likeness and interesting facial expressions are what artist Sam Brisley loves most about drawing portraits. The human figure is complex and intricate, which provides an endless source of learning and exploring for those who choose to represent it.
In this course, Sam guides you through his entire process of creating impactful pencil portraits. Learn about the basics of light and shadows, facial structure and proportions, right down to the final details. Are you ready to grab your pencils and start drawing?
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 17 downloads
Behaviour of Light
20 minutes, 38 seconds
Limited Value Drawing 1
19 minutes, 56 seconds
Limited Value Drawing 2
17 minutes, 18 seconds
Lay In Proportions and Structure
18 minutes, 20 seconds
Eyes and Nose
17 minutes, 52 seconds
Shadow Mapping
20 minutes, 45 seconds
What's included in this course?
Meet Sam, discover how he began drawing portraits and how he merges his two passions into his art. Explore the wide range of artists that inspire his work and continuously influence his distinctive style of drawing.
Discover the different types of pencils, erasers, blending tools, and paper Sam uses, seeing how he creates different effects with each tool. Learn about how light behaves and interacts with objects and see how to reflect it in your drawings. Understand how shadow mapping works by creating a drawing of a face with five-value shading.
Learn how to select a reference image to help you produce a great portrait. Get familiar with the basic proportions of the human head and discover the Loomis method to draw accurate proportions. See the basic structures of the eyes and nose, then the mouth and ears.
Begin rendering your final portrait. Start with shadow mapping, then the hair and edges. See how to create hard, soft, or lost edges to define bone and muscle, create convincing shadows, and give a focal point in your portrait.
Focus on the details and add finishing touches such as key highlights and redefined edges. Then, learn how to take high-quality photographs of your work with Sam’s expert tips. To finish the course, get Sam’s advice on how you can continue improving your skills and see some topics to further your studies in portrait drawing.
What is this course's project?
Draw a portrait with pencils using a reference photograph.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for drawing enthusiasts of all levels, as Sam starts with the basics and works up to more advanced techniques.
Requirements and materials
No previous experience is required.
As for materials, you’ll need paper with a grain, pencils in a range of hardness (either graphite, carbon, charcoal, or all three), erasers, blending stumps, and brushes.
Reviews
- lunavela49PLUS1 month ago
Muy bien estructurado, yendo de lo más facil a lo más complejo sin que parezca agobiante para principiantes
- 2 months ago
muito bom
- 1 year ago
Bardzo ciekawy kurs. Bardzo szczegółowe i uniwersalne wskazówki dotyczące rysowania portretów. Podoba mi się efekt końcowy projektu, który dzięki zastosowanej technice rysowania zaskakująco podobny do zdjęcia referencyjnego. Polecam a sama biorę się za naukę.
- 1 year ago
Amazing course! Very easy to understand and to follow through.
- 1 year ago
very good detailed instruction relly enjoyed the course
Sam has taught a number of drawing workshops, ranging from portraiture, figure drawing, and more. He also shares his work in progress drawings with his followers on Instagram to help others improve.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- U2
Portrait Fundamentals
- Materials
- Behaviour of Light
- Limited Value Drawing 1
- Limited Value Drawing 2
- U3
Drawing Proportions and Structure
- Choosing a Reference Image
- Lay In Proportions and Structure
- Eyes and Nose
- Mouth and Ears
- U4
Rendering Your Drawing
- Shadow Mapping
- Five Value Drawing
- Hair
- Edges
- U5
Taking Your Drawings Further
- Details and Finishing Touches
- Sharing Your Work and Continuing Your Studies
- FP
Final project
- Artistic Portrait Drawing: Capture Authentic Expressions
What to expect from a Domestika course
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.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Watch professionally produced courses
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FAQs
This course is designed for intermediate artists who already have basic drawing skills and want to deepen their understanding of portraiture, structure, and shading techniques.
You’ll need a selection of graphite and carbon pencils, blending stumps, erasers, a range of papers, and optionally Pan Pastels and a mechanical pencil. A camera or smartphone is recommended for photographing artwork.
You’ll learn how to construct accurate portraits using geometric analysis, master facial proportions, map shadows, capture likeness, use edge variety, and photograph your artwork for social media.
Yes, the course teaches shadow mapping, value separation, and organizing light and dark shapes to create depth and realism in portrait drawing.
The course demonstrates analytical techniques for observing proportions and shadow shapes to accurately capture the unique features and likeness of your subject.
Yes, the curriculum covers selecting appropriate pencil grades for values, paper textures, and the use of both traditional and mechanical pencils for detail work.
The course includes step-by-step guidance on photographing your finished portraits with optimal lighting, cropping, and preparing images for social media sharing.