Mixed Media Portraiture: Capturing Expressions and Emotions
A course by Daniel Segrove, Artist, Illustrator, and Teacher
Create expressive contemporary portraits that combine realism and abstraction using a variety of materials and artistic techniques
Portrait drawing is an art form as old as time. Renowned artist and illustrator Daniel Segrove takes the classic creative practice a step further by incorporating mixed media into his work. In this course, he teaches the basics of drawing facial proportions, adding realistic detail, and applying abstract elements with acrylic paint, oil pastels, and colored pencils.
Turn something ordinary into an extraordinary work of art by transforming a realistic drawing with abstract techniques. Learn to capture the expressions and emotions in your model’s face and bring them to life in full color.
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 10 downloads
What's included in this course?
Begin by getting to know Daniel Segrove, an artist, illustrator, and teacher based in San Francisco. He shares his creative journey and how he developed his unique style. Hear about the influences that have shaped his work and his sources of inspiration.
Daniel gives you an overview of the tools and materials needed, and shares his recommendations. Start with some graphite and oil pastel exercises to improve your technique. Then, get inspired by the work of your favorite artists, and identify different elements that you can incorporate later in your own work. Discover how to take the right reference photo before doing an exercise on drawing facial proportions accurately.
Delve into portrait drawing by applying the principles of proportions learned previously to the facial features of your photo reference. Using graphite, create shadow, mid-tones, and light tone value to add depth. Then, learn blending and detailing techniques to give your portrait a realistic look. Give your drawing its own unique and abstract style by adding color and texture with oil pastels, acrylics, and colored pencils.
Then, take a moment to reflect on your work and decide if it needs any final touches. Once your work is complete, digitize it by taking a photograph. To ensure your photograph resembles the original as much as possible, Daniel shares some editing tips to adjust your image. Wrap up the course by sharing your final piece with the world.
- 96% positive reviews (126)
- 3,196 students
- 16 lessons (2h 57m)
- 10 additional resources (2 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, German, Spanish, Spanish (Latam), French, Indonesian, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Draw a realistic portrait with graphite, and incorporate abstract elements using mixed media like oil pastel, colored pencils, and acrylic paint.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone wanting to develop their skills in realistic drawing, or expand their creative techniques through abstract art.
Requirements and materials
No previous experience is necessary, since Daniel takes you through the basics of portrait drawing.
To take this course, you need a graphite pencil, oil pastels, acrylic paint, colored pencils, and paper or an illustration board. For the reference photo, you can take one or use an existing one. If you choose to edit your completed, digitized piece, a photo editing software like Photoshop or the editing tools built in phones or social media platforms.
Reviews
Daniel Segrove
A course by Daniel Segrove
Daniel Segrove is a mixed media artist based in San Francisco. He graduated from Academy of Art University with a BFA in Fine Arts. Following his collaboration with ShowStudio creating fashion illustrations early in his career, Daniel quickly gained wide recognition for his work, and has amassed over 107K followers on Instagram.
His work has been displayed in exhibitions throughout the United States and Canada, most notably at the Robert Kananaj Gallery in Toronto, and the Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco. Daniel’s work has also been featured throughout Europe, like at the Galerie de Francony in Paris and in London Fashion Week (2015). Daniel also teaches workshops on portraiture and figure painting.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Tools and Techniques for an Expressive Portrait
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Tools and Materials
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Techniques and Exercises with Oil Pastel and Graphite 1
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Techniques and Exercises with Oil Pastel and Graphite 2
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Finding Your Own Unique Style
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Choosing a Proper Reference Picture
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Methods of Basic Facial Proportions
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U3
Creating the Portrait
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Portrait Structure 1
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Portrait Structure 2
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Blocking Major Values
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Blending and Detailing Techniques
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Abstraction of the Face 1
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Abstraction of the Face 2
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U4
Sharing Your Art with the World
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Final Changes, Additions and Tips
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Moving Your Physical Art to the Digital World
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FP
Final project
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Mixed Media Portraiture: Capturing Expressions and Emotions
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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
Yes, this course is designed for intermediate artists looking to deepen their understanding of mixed media, graphite, acrylic, oil pastel, and realistic portrait techniques.
You’ll need graphite pencils, kneaded erasers, mechanical pencils, oil pastels, acrylic paints, palette knife, charcoal, suitable drawing paper, X-Acto knife, razor blade, and basic photography equipment for reference images.
You’ll learn how to layer, blend, and mix graphite, acrylic, and oil pastel to create textured, expressive, and realistic portraits using a variety of mark-making and surface preparation techniques.
Yes, the course teaches how to choose, capture, and use high-quality reference photos, including tips on lighting and minimizing distortion for accurate portraiture.
The course guides you through abstraction techniques and minimalism, showing how to simplify portrait structures while maintaining realistic features and emotional impact.
Some prior experience with drawing or painting is recommended, as the course is tailored for intermediate artists ready to advance their mixed media and portrait skills.
Yes, the course provides strategies for organizing independent art shows, networking with other artists, and leveraging social media to grow your professional presence.
J'adore ce cours et le style de dessins du professeur. Très clair
I really enjoyed Daniel Segrove’s course! I learned a lot about emotion and expression in portrait drawing and loved experimenting with mixed techniques. Daniel’s calm and inspiring teaching style made the whole process very enjoyable. I’m already looking forward to the next course!
Trovo il corso molto stimolante!! Mi piace molto come l’insegnante combina tecniche e stili differenti per creare progetti unici e pieni di personalità!!!
excellent and creative!
Nice class, learned new techniques!