Realistic Portraits Using Charcoal
A course by Xavier Denia Valls , Artist and Teacher
Discover the step-by-step process and the materials to draw portraits that leap out of the paper
- Best seller English, Spanish
- 99% positive reviews (490)
- 10334 students
Discover the step-by-step process and the materials to draw portraits that leap out of the paper
Art has an inherent element of exploration and mystery. According to artist Xavier Denia, who has been studying it for 15 years: "Art is about discovering diverse ways of solving problems and finding ways to communicate, creating unlimited possibilities that make it truly intriguing". Learn the basics of charcoal portraits and achieve a realistic finish that will amaze you.
In this course, Xavier teaches you how to make a realistic charcoal portrait with graphite and white pastel on toned paper. Explore the structure of the face's individual features (nose, mouth, ears, and eyes), and the effect of lights and shadows that help give a certain aesthetic to your drawing.
What will you learn in this online course?
27 lessons & 17 downloads
- 99% positive reviews (490)
- 10334 students
- 27 lessons (5h 46m)
- 17 additional resources (9 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, Spanish
- Spanish, English, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Polish, Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Draw a portrait with a classic realistic style based on a photograph. Using charcoal, graphite, pencils, and white pastel on toned paper, learn how to create mood and texture in the image.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is appropriate for both beginners who want to explore portraiture —since you will learn the most basic concepts—and experienced artists who want to learn the systems and techniques used in traditional nineteenth-century academies.
Requirements and materials
To take this course, no previous experience is needed.
As for materials, you will need charcoal or watercolor paper with a fine grain (not glossy), ink and a sponge or wide brush to tone the paper, an artist gum eraser, charcoal of different sizes, graphite pencils (9B, 4B, 2B and HB), one or two brushes to unify and soften edges, toilet paper to use as a rag, and white pastels. You will also need different types of white pencils: Xavier recommends a Stabilo CarbOthello 1400/100 white pencil, a Polychromos Faber-Castell white pencil, and a Conté à Paris Blanc/France/630 pencil.
Reviews
A course by Xavier Denia Valls
Xavier Denia is an artist who has been studying and working with figurative art for more than fifteen years and has been teaching for over five years. He currently works for Barcelona Academy of Art in 2020, one of the largest drawing, painting, and sculpture schools in Europe.
He has participated in collective exhibitions in Italy, the UK, and Spain. In 2019, he was selected as a finalist in the Reina Sofía painting and sculpture competition, in Madrid. A large part of his work can be found in the galleries and rooms at the Barcelona Academy of Art.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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Presentation
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Influences
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What will we do in the course?
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U2
Materials and basic concepts
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The materials
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Application of materials
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Basic structure
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Big Shape Exercise
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The light
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U3
Areas of the face
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The eye
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Nose
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Mouth and chin
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Forehead
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Ear
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The hair
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U4
The portrait
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The photo and the portrait approach
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Big shape 1
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Big Shape 2
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Work in parts 1
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Work in parts 2
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Dark and shadows
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Highlights and halftones 1
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Highlights and halftones 2
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Highlights
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Completion of portrait 1
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Completion of portrait 2
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Completion of portrait 3
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Completion of portrait 4
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FP
Final project
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Realistic Portraits Using Charcoal
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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
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
dbfoster
Xavier did an excellent job with every aspect of the drawing project....I especially liked that he shared what he was thinking as he worked on the drawing, showing both what he intended to do, and then each time he made edits, or used a different too he talked about why he was doing what he was doing....this was an exceptional course in my opinion.
angelous4455
Me gusta mucho el curso, pienso que está muy bien diseñado y que refleja la experiencia como docente ( por ejemplo explicando los fallos más comunes de los estudiantes) y también la calidad y detalle en su trabajo.
El curso comparando calidad- precio es un regalo
Muy recomendable para introducción al retrato con carboncillo, sobre todo si tienes un poco de idea.
Felicitaciones a Xavier
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toby7446
I really learned a lot from this course. Very pleasant and not rushed.
renatoguzmanreyes
muy bueno
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marinier_jm
Cours très bien expliqué et progressif, je recommande pour les débutants en dessin
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