Fundamentals of Portrait Drawing with Pencil
A course by Matt Smith, Artist
Learn to sketch a portrait from scratch by exploring a variety of drawing techniques and bring it to life using basic shapes, tones, shadows, and line work
To learn how to draw a striking portrait, you need three things: a pencil, some practice, and a good teacher. In this online course, award-winning artist and teacher Matthew Smith teaches you the basics of portrait drawing, from the initial proportions to the final details. So really, all you need is a pencil.
Matthew takes you step by step through the process, starting with drawing exercises to warm up, sketching proportional facial features, adding detail with tones and shadows, to creating texture with line work. By the end of this course, you will be able to draw realistic and captivating portraits from scratch.
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 22 downloads
What's included in this course?
Meet Matthew Smith, an artist, illustrator, educator, and your teacher for this course. Hear about his creative journey, which started as a child and led him to become a professional artist. Then he shares his influences and sources of inspiration.
Get an overview of the course materials needed, before starting on some drawing exercises. Discover the fundamentals of representing a head, its shapes, and its different features. Then learn how to sketch the light and dark tones found on a face.
Time to start your final project! Begin with the key lines that give shape to the head, before rendering your model's main facial characteristics. Matthew shows you how to fill in the shadows, adjust the proportions, and refine your piece.
Put some finishing touches to your portrait drawing by adding the darker values to add more depth. Matthew wraps up the course by showing you how to add calligraphy (linework) for texture and correct the final details.
- 98% positive reviews (189)
- 9,069 students
- 16 lessons (2h 53m)
- 22 additional resources (10 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, 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 complete portrait from scratch in pencil.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone who wants to improve their drawing abilities by learning how to draw a portrait.
Requirements and materials
No previous experience required.
All you need is a sketchbook, a pencil, and an eraser.
Reviews
Matt Smith
A course by Matt Smith
Matthew Smith is an award-winning artist, illustrator, and educator from upstate New York, but has been living in San Diego, California for 15 years. He comes from a family of six, and has a twin brother, who is an artist as well. Like many artists growing up, he has been creating art for as long as he can remember. From drawing dinosaurs very early on to his favorite cartoon and video game characters, he was always creating.
After completing an art degree in university, he began to teach drawing and painting for over a decade. He has created artwork for clients across multiple industries, from gaming, film to fashion. Some of his clients include TIME Magazine, BLT Communications, Remetee Clothing, among others. His work has also been published in multiple books and magazines, such as Spectrum, Infected By Art, and ARC Salon .
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
The Basics
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Materials and How To Use Them
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Dexterity Building Exercises
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Basic Head Construction
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Shapes and Features 1
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Shapes and Features 2
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Head Sketches Based on Shapes
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U3
Creating a Finished Head Sketch
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Constructing the Head
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Advancing the Construction
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Corrections and Filling in the Shapes
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Judging Proportions
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Refining the Shapes
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U4
Taking the Sketch Further
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Adding Darker Values
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Adding Calligraphy
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Finishing the Sketch
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FP
Final project
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Fundamentals of Portrait Drawing with Pencil
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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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FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for intermediate artists who already have basic drawing skills and want to deepen their understanding of portrait and figure drawing techniques.
You’ll need sketchbooks, pencils (including a mechanical pencil), erasers (especially kneaded eraser), and possibly acrylics for mural practice. A tilted easel is recommended for comfort and accuracy.
You’ll learn head construction, facial feature drawing, value control, shading, hatching, inking, shape simplification, and techniques for both traditional and apparel art, plus strategies for using references and correcting proportions.
Yes, the course covers hatching, crosshatching, shading techniques, and effective value control to create depth and dimensionality in your drawings.
You’ll learn geometric construction methods, dividing the head into thirds, and stepwise strategies for accurately placing and proportioning facial features from various angles.
Yes, the course includes modules on hand-drawn apparel art and illustrating for fantasy card games, helping you adapt your drawing skills across creative industries.
Yes, you’ll learn how to use photography and other references effectively for study, accuracy, and creative inspiration in your artwork.
This was a great course and very straightforward to follow along. Matt Smith was very encouraging and gave clear instructions, while encouraging being playful and trying things out. It was very enjoyable.
Siendo princiante- intermedia me ayudo a desarrollar mi técnica y a darle agilidad a mi proceso de dibujo. Lo mantiene simple mientras te enseña como hacer una buena estructura
Simplified shapes and explained nice
Vastante intuitivo y con resultados rápidos.
Elaborate, well-structured, easy to follow, and beginner-friendly.”