Artistic Drawing for Beginners
A course by Ester N. Lloveres , Painter, Illustrator, Photographer, and Writer
Learn academic observation techniques for drawing what you see
If you want to combine harmony, order, and subtlety in your drawings, artist Ester N. Lloveres is the person to show you the way. As an expert in painting and drawing, Ester shows you how to work with academic techniques that have been used in art studios since the XIX century, to achieve expressive and realistic images.
Learn basic drawing techniques using artistic academic methods. Create a still life composition using pencils, working on textures, proportions, and other drawing elements. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to apply your newfound skills to any figurative drawing project.
What will you learn in this online course?
15 lessons & 22 downloads
- 98% positive reviews (285)
- 8,853 students
- 15 lessons (2h 3m)
- 22 additional resources (6 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Create a realistic still life pencil drawing using the academic drawing method of the XIX century.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
For painters, illustrators, and anyone who enjoys drawing, for beginners as well as professionals looking to add academic drawing techniques to their work.
Requirements and materials
No previous drawing experience is required to take the course.
As for materials you’ll need pencils, an eraser, paper, a painter’s easel, a lamp, and objects to use for your still life composition.
Reviews
Ester N. Lloveres
A course by Ester N. Lloveres
Ester N. Lloveres is a painter and drafter, with a bachelor’s degree in the Arts and Illustration from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain and the Escola de Arte e Superior de Deseño Pablo Picasso, in Galicia, Spain.
Her work focuses on human figure drawing and portraiture, where she communicates emotions through facial expressions and gestures. Currently, Ester lives in Madrid, where she gives painting and drawing classes.
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 This Course?
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U2
First steps: preparation
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Drawing as a way of thinking
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Materials
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Composition and preparation
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The line
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Fit and proportion 1
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Fit and proportion 2
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U3
Volume: light and shadow
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The texture
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Volume 1
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Volume 2
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Final adjustments
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U4
Postproduction
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Conservation of drawing
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Photography and technical sheet for the portfolio
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FP
Final project
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Artistic Drawing for Beginners
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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
You’ll learn academic drawing and painting techniques, from using graphite and charcoal to modeling volume, composing still lifes, and creating realistic portraits and oil self-portraits—applying principles of light, shadow, and proportion to produce expressive, lifelike works.
Yes, the course is designed for intermediate students who already have basic drawing skills and want to refine academic techniques and develop a personal style.
You’ll need graphite, charcoal, white pencil, mechanical pencil, kneaded eraser, sharpening sandpaper, drawing paper, spray fixative, tabletop easel, painter’s tape, and objects for still lifes. Access to natural light and tools for photographing your work are also recommended.
The course is aimed at those who already know the basics of drawing. If you have foundational skills and motivation to improve, you can follow along, though prior experience is recommended to get the most out of it.
The course covers layout, proportions, constructing geometric shapes, straight and curved lines, shading, tonal transitions, volume representation, and light and shadow techniques, including the Cartesian method and drawing from life.
Yes, the course includes exercises and projects to create realistic charcoal portraits and oil self-portraits, focusing on expression, microexpressions, and soft volume modeling.
Yes, it covers academic drawing of the human figure and creating narrative still lifes, including composition, object arrangement, and studying light to enhance volume and expressiveness.
Recién lo empecé y me gusta
hola, bueno creo, que es un buen curso, me gusto, yo lo recomiendo no es aburrido, la profe explica bien es muy clara al explicar, le doy nota 7
Buen curso, muy disfrutable, con grandes aportes para los que andamos buscando aprender fundamentos académicos.
Muy buen curso!! explica de manera clara llendo paso a paso. Es sencillo seguirla. Tambien están muy bien los recursos que proporciona de otros bodegones para seguir practicando.
Me gustraía que creara un curso de retrato!!
I can highly recommend! It is very easy to follow and presented step by step with clear instructions. The reference pictures and extra study materials are well chosen.
The presentation videos are the perfect length-not too long—which makes it easy to follow the entire process without needing to skip. The English soundtrack and subtitles work very well. If you are interested in learning how to draw a still life with graphite pencil in the classical tradition, this course is definitely for you.