Introduction to Portraits with India Ink and Nibs

José will introduce himself, explain his beginnings and later career as a versatile artist. He will tell you what inspires him and what his greatest artistic references are.

You will start by introducing the portrait as a concept, seeing a retrospective about its evolution and context.

You will choose the person you are going to portray. You do not have to meet the condition of an iconic beauty, but it is better to choose a face that appeals to you. It is good that you inquire into his biography: the more you know about the character, the better the result.

You will learn the technique of inking by seeing the multiple ways to use the pen, although in this course you will work mostly online and plot. You will see the different patterns one by one, as well as the different shades.

You will create your sketch, simplifying the head in geometric figures. You will learn to draw every part of the face paying attention to the shape and structure, and seeing tips to reproduce gestures and expressions. You will see how to make the correct proportions, then you will focus on identifying and drawing the special features of the character.

Start your composition! You will place the basic structure in a vertical A4, in which you will be accommodating in a proportionate way the geometric figures belonging to each anatomical part. On these, you will draw each feature.

You will learn to generate the volumes, lights and shadows with the F and HB pencils, which will help you create the gestures of the character. Next, you will begin the pen-inking process: first you will delineate, then you will make the patterns and then you will accentuate certain parts.

Finally, you will erase the parts that do not work for you. José will advise you on how to clean, finalize and fix your illustration. Then it will teach you how to digitize your piece with the scanner and give you a couple of tips to use Adobe Photoshop and optimize your file for printing.