Minimalist Geometric Portrait
A course by Maria Picassó i PiquerIllustrator and Caricaturist
A course by Maria Picassó i Piquer, Illustrator and Caricaturist
Learn to create vector illustrations and convey the essence and expressivity of each character
The magic behind every portrait lies in capturing the personality of the subject, which is exactly what María Picassó i Piquer, illustrator and caricaturist, achieves by drawing people with geometric and vector shapes. Her portraits of movie characters, music bands, and historical figures have been internationally recognized.
In this course, she teaches you to illustrate vector portraits with the geometric technique, achieving a resemblance and a unique expressiveness step by step.
What will you learn in this online course?
13 lessons & 12 downloads
Learning to observe, what makes us unique?
5 minutes, 9 seconds
Search for references and research
8 minutes, 26 seconds
Sketches
5 minutes, 55 seconds
Moodboard and artistic direction
11 minutes, 1 second
Color palette
6 minutes, 42 seconds
Work space
5 minutes, 0 seconds
What's included in this course?
To start, learn about Maria Picassó i Piquer's journey and how she came to develop her geometric vector illustration style.
Get to know her main influences in caricature, illustration and design, and discover books that can help you capture and convey the likeness of a person.
Next, learn to capture the essence of your subject through observation—the secret to caricatures—and by internalizing your character through research and references. Now it's time to draw your first sketch, with the aim of capturing your subject in the simplest way.
At this point, learn to recognize other elements to create a more expressive portrait, going beyond just the features of the face.
Develop a palette of colors and textures for your illustration's composition and see how to make a basic composition of the face with geometric shapes.
Maria guides you in adding the final touches to your illustrated portrait so that it is balanced, coherent, and impactful.
Now you have everything you need to illustrate a vector portrait of your subject, maximizing any resemblance and expressiveness with minimal expression.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Make a geometric illustration of a music band.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Illustrators, cartoonists, and designers who want to create minimalist portraits with geometric shapes.
Requirements and materials
For this course, basic knowledge of vector drawing and using a vector program such as Adobe Illustrator is necessary.
As for the materials, you need a computer with Adobe Illustrator or a more basic but similar program installed and some sketching tools.
Reviews
- 6 months ago
¡Excelente curso!!
- 7 months ago
Many thanks to the instructor! Super helpful and very practical. Highly recommend!
- 10 months ago
Este curso me decepcionó. Esperaba ver cómo transformar y abstraer personas de la vida real a figuras geometricas, sin embargo no profundizó en el tema, realmente no te dice como hacer una caricatura porque incluso sus referencias las dibuja de memoria. Siento que este curso va enfocado a ilustradores profesionales. Ella es talentosa sin duda, pero siento que terminé sabiendo más de Pink Floyd que de ilustración. Si eres principiante no lo recomiendo.
- 10 months ago
Me alegro haber tomado el curso, me e canta Maria como ilustradora y ver como lleva el proceso de sus ilustraciones me dio claridad en algunas cosas.
- 11 months ago
El curso es muy estimulante, he aprendido muchas cosas. Además, Maria es genial, no sólo como artista, sino como profe. Ojalá saque más cursos
Content
- U1
Presentation
- Presentation
- Influences
- U2
Capturing the essence
- Learning to observe, what makes us unique?
- Search for references and research
- Sketches
- U3
Release the essence
- Moodboard and artistic direction
- Color palette
- Work space
- Construction of the portrait, geometry and gradients.
- Textures
- U4
Last steps
- Expanding in the collection
- Finishing and finishing touches
- Delivery
- FP
Final project
- Creation of geometric and vector portraits
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
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 people with basic to intermediate illustration skills who want to deepen their knowledge of caricature techniques, geometric simplification, and visual composition.
You’ll need a computer with access to digital design and illustration programs like Photoshop and Illustrator, a graphics tablet is recommended, plus access to visual references and moodboards.
You’ll learn how to simplify and exaggerate facial features, create minimalist caricatures, analyze references, build geometric portraits, apply textures and gradients, and prepare files for various platforms.
It’s recommended to have basic knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator, as the course uses these tools for digital sketching, composition, and exporting illustrations.
The course teaches that traditional portraits aim for faithful likeness, while minimalist caricatures exaggerate and distill key features to capture essence and personality more expressively.
Yes, the course includes techniques to adapt your caricatures and geometric illustrations for different media like video games, advertising posters, and merchandise products.
You’ll learn how to search for, compile, and organize visual references, photos, and moodboards to enrich your creative process and ensure a stylized yet accurate representation of your subject.