Realistic Portrait with Graphite Pencil

Start the course by getting to know Diego's work. He also tells you about his favorite artists, giving you a tour through the history of portraiture.

He goes through the materials you need for your final project and gives you some tips for choosing your model and the best way to compose the photograph to facilitate the drawing process.

Then get straight to work learning the fundamental principles of academic drawing to help you draw the silhouette of your portrait and begin your first sketch.

Next, Diego teaches you to analyze the proportions of the face from a theoretical point of view and you begin to consider scale and proportion.

Study the bone structure of your model's skull as well as muscle structure. Now it’s time to carefully detail each facial feature.

Once your portrait is down on paper, apply two-dimensional shadows. Diego goes into detail about the physics of light and its properties, before moving onto the modeling phase designed to bring realistic volume to your portrait.

Finish up by applying textures to your drawing, including hair, wrinkles, and pores, etc.