Character Drawing from Scratch: Capture Faces and Figures
A course by Laura Pérez, Comic Artist
Capture the personality of a character through facial expressions and gestures by learning how to draw them from scratch
Even the simplest of postures or facial expressions have the power to convey a range of complex emotions. Learn how to capture the expressivity of faces and figures through the techniques, inspiration, and artistic approach of Laura Pérez, comic artist and author who has worked with big-name clients like The Washington Post, National Geographic, and American Airlines.
She teaches you fundamental concepts so you can start drawing from scratch and illustrate your own characters full of personality and depth. If you'd like to take your illustrations a step further, check out her previous course Traditional Drawing Techniques with Procreate and discover how to draw expressive illustrations, but this time on your iPad.
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 15 downloads
What's included in this course?
Meet your teacher, Laura Pérez. She tells you about her professional background and her career as an illustrator and comic artist before sharing some of her biggest influences.
Begin by getting to know some common materials and mediums used in drawing, including your teacher's favorites. With your pencil in hand, Laura teaches you about the basic internal structure of the head and the face using geometric shapes so you can accurately express the personality of anyone you draw.
Build on these concepts by drawing faces using reference photos and real-life observation, then repeat the process with the human figure. Explore different stylistic possibilities and see how to translate them into basic shapes before discovering how to depict a variety of gestures and postures to make your poses look more natural.
Finally, find out how to enhance your drawing process with the quick-sketch technique, a creative process that Laura herself uses in her own work. Learn how to capture fleeting emotions by drawing imperfect lines and shapes to create a rough sketch that you can refine into a more realistic illustration.
You now know how to transform basic shapes to draw your own expressive characters full of personality.
- 97% positive reviews (412)
- 13,874 students
- 16 lessons (3h 51m)
- 15 additional resources (3 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Create a sketchbook with a series of practical exercises to help you study and understand how to draw the various parts of the face and body.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
No previous experience is needed; this is a beginner's course for anyone interested in learning how to draw portraits and the human figure from scratch.
Requirements and materials
The only requirement for this course is an interest in drawing and learning the basics. For materials, you need notebooks, pencils, water-soluble graphite, and calibrated markers.
Reviews
Laura Pérez
A course by Laura Pérez
Laura Pérez has devoted her career to illustration and comics. She is an expert in capturing the essence of people in her artwork and is constantly exploring different forms of drawing and expression.
Her career in publishing began a decade ago, working at a Canadian illustration agency for clients like National Geographic, Penguin, The Wall Street Journal, and more. She later entered a Spanish agency and has now been designing comics for over four years. She has created projects for publishers Salamandra Graphic and Astiberri, and has illustrated picture books available in France, the United States, Russia, Italy, and Spain.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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Presentation
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Influences
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U2
Drawing faces
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Supports and materials
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Morphology of heads and faces
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Expressiveness and personality of the face 1
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Expressiveness and personality of the face 2
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Natural drawing of faces
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Drawing with reference of faces
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U3
Figure drawing
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Body morphology
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Expressiveness and personality of the figure
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Expressiveness of clothing
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Natural drawing of figure
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Drawing with figure referent
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U4
Drawing method
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Quick notes: how to do them and what they are for
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Definition from the notes
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Final advice
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FP
Final project
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Character Drawing from Scratch: Capture Faces and Figures
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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
You’ll learn to analyze the internal structure of the head, draw faces and well-proportioned human figures, express emotions, and create original characters by combining traditional and digital techniques.
Yes, this course is designed for those with basic drawing skills who want to refine their technique and explore new ways to express themselves in portrait and character illustration.
You’ll need pencils, watercolor graphite, markers, watercolors, mechanical pencils, paper, a sketchbook, a portable drawing table, and optionally, a tablet with Procreate for the digital portion.
Yes, the course covers techniques for drawing facial expressions and conveying emotions by studying facial structure and gestures across different styles.
Yes, you’ll work on basic human anatomy, proportions, and figure construction to create more realistic and expressive characters.
Yes, you’ll learn to do quick sketches and graphite studies to capture poses, movements, and gestures quickly and expressively.
Yes, the course explores integrating digital tools like Procreate to enrich your artistic process and experiment with new styles.
buen curso
Es un curso lindo!
Muy lindo el curso y el estilo de la profe!
Totalmente recomendado para quienes buscan mejorar su habilidad y encontrar su propio estilo
Un cours inspirant et accessible pour pratiquer, expérimenter et trouver son propre style. Merci Laura.