Digital Painting and Portraiture for Black Skin
A course by Wilno Fakie , Digital Artist
Learn to depict the diversity of African features in Photoshop with the right tones and lighting for each context
Representing black skin requires a specific approach that not all artists have mastered. If you want to depict the beauty of African ethnicity in your illustrations, Wilno Fakie, a self-taught digital artist specializing in portraying black characters, is the perfect person to accompany you on your journey.
In this online course, learn to draw and paint black people under a range of different lighting contexts. Wilno Fakie teaches you the entire process for creating a digital portrait that respects the particularities of this type of skin, from sketching to painting.
What will you learn in this online course?
25 lessons & 25 downloads
- 100% positive reviews (23)
- 455 students
- 25 lessons (5h 21m)
- 25 additional resources (12 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Portuguese
- Portuguese · Spanish · English · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software & tools for this course
Adobe PhotoshopWhat is this course's project?
Do an illustration contemplating three shades of black skin: light, brown, and dark.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Illustrators, beginners or advanced, and anyone interested in learning how to paint black skin.
Requirements and materials
No previous knowledge is necessary to take this course.
In terms of materials, you need a device installed with Adobe Photoshop, Procreate, or a similar program.
Reviews
Wilno Fakie
A course by Wilno Fakie
Wilno António, better known as Fakie Art or Wilno Fakie, is a self-taught digital artist specializing in portraits of black people. After creating an artistic profile on Instagram in 2017, he realized that most creators did not make characters from this ethnic group, which is what motivated him to turn his attention to this group. He believes that his art, which combines realism with characteristics from the cartoon genre, is a means of expressing himself beyond words, in addition to inspiring other creators to include African beauty in their work.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Introduction to black skin
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Initial thoughts
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How to use colors in black skin painting
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Search for references
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Anatomy and traits of African ethnicity
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U3
Preparation and theory
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How to work with Photoshop
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Photoshop for digital art
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The digital sketch
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Refine and finalize the sketch
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Shadows and lights
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My painting process 1
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My painting process 2
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U4
Let's paint!
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Base color 1
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Base color 2
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Base color 3
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Face color zones
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Ambient color and volume 1
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Ambient color and volume 2
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Main light
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How to make the skin livelier and the design more appealing and more real 1
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How to make the skin livelier and the design more appealing and more real 2
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U5
The next step
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Exercises to improve colors and volumes 1
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Exercises to improve colors and volumes 2
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The best way to study independently
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FP
Final project
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Digital Painting and Portraiture for Black Skin
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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, the course focuses on specific techniques for drawing and painting Black skin in digital portraits, covering color choices, specular highlights, shadows, and volume for various skin tones.
The course is intermediate level, so basic drawing skills and familiarity with digital tools like Photoshop are recommended.
You'll need a computer, access to Photoshop, plus tools like PureRef to organize visual references.
You'll learn concepts about representation, analysis of Black cultural references, building authentic characters, and how to integrate identity and personal experiences into your illustrations.
The course teaches how to select appropriate base colors for different Black skin tones, as well as how to apply transitions and contrasts for realism and color harmony.
Yes, the course covers everything from proportions and African facial structure to advanced digital painting techniques for detailed, realistic portraits.
Yes, you'll learn how to find, select, and organize cultural and visual references using tools like PureRef and Pinterest during your creative process.
Adobe Photoshop
I would like for this course to have an English dub option, but the content is still very informative. I have to pause the videos often in order to get the English translation from Chat GPT. I appreciate Wilno Fakie's approach & technique to painting dark skin tones & the range of skin tones in the black community. So, the extra effort I need to take to translate the language this course is being taught in is worth it. Still though, think about that English dub.
Consiglio!
Ótimo conteúdo, sendo possível aplicar a técnica não só na ilustração digital mas também em outras áreas. Ótima didática !
Curso muito bom e com boa didática!! Professor é muito bacana!!
Very detailed and thorough course to quickly draw and apply paint more appropriately for Black characters.