Artistic Portrait Drawing: Capture Authentic Expressions

A course by Sam Brisley , Portrait Artist

Portrait Artist. Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom.
Joined February 2021

Draw striking pencil portraits by learning how to apply shadow mapping techniques to capture realistic facial structures

98% positive reviews (189)
4,919 students
Audio: English
English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Draw striking pencil portraits by learning how to apply shadow mapping techniques to capture realistic facial structures

The challenges of capturing likeness and interesting facial expressions are what artist Sam Brisley loves most about drawing portraits. The human figure is complex and intricate, which provides an endless source of learning and exploring for those who choose to represent it.

In this course, Sam guides you through his entire process of creating impactful pencil portraits. Learn about the basics of light and shadows, facial structure and proportions, right down to the final details. Are you ready to grab your pencils and start drawing?

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What will you learn in this online course?

16 lessons & 17 downloads

Behaviour of Light
20 minutes, 38 seconds
Limited Value Drawing 1
19 minutes, 56 seconds
Limited Value Drawing 2
17 minutes, 18 seconds
Lay In Proportions and Structure
18 minutes, 20 seconds
Eyes and Nose
17 minutes, 52 seconds
Shadow Mapping
20 minutes, 45 seconds
  • 98% positive reviews (189)
  • 4,919 students
  • 16 lessons (3h 45m)
  • 17 additional resources (3 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: English
  • English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Draw a portrait with pencils using a reference photograph.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

This course is for drawing enthusiasts of all levels, as Sam starts with the basics and works up to more advanced techniques.

Requirements and materials

No previous experience is required.

As for materials, you’ll need paper with a grain, pencils in a range of hardness (either graphite, carbon, charcoal, or all three), erasers, blending stumps, and brushes.


Reviews

4,919 Students
189 Reviews
98% Positive ratings

Sam Brisley

A course by Sam Brisley

Teacher Plus
Portrait Artist

Sam Brisley relates his passion for portraiture and history to his hometown Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare was born. Incorporating historical elements into his portraits such as costumes and hair styles is his way of bringing his two passions together to create unique works of art. As a structural engineer from nine to five, and a portrait artist in his free time, Sam has been learning about portraiture, figure drawing, anatomy, and gesture drawing from a young age, always finding time to keep developing his abilities.

Sam has taught a number of drawing workshops, ranging from portraiture, figure drawing, and more. He also shares his work in progress drawings with his followers on Instagram to help others improve.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    Portrait Fundamentals

    • Materials
    • Behaviour of Light
    • Limited Value Drawing 1
    • Limited Value Drawing 2
  • U3

    Drawing Proportions and Structure

    • Choosing a Reference Image
    • Lay In Proportions and Structure
    • Eyes and Nose
    • Mouth and Ears
  • U4

    Rendering Your Drawing

    • Shadow Mapping
    • Five Value Drawing
    • Hair
    • Edges
  • U5

    Taking Your Drawings Further

    • Details and Finishing Touches
    • Sharing Your Work and Continuing Your Studies
  • FP

    Final project

    • Artistic Portrait Drawing: Capture Authentic Expressions

What to expect from a Domestika course

  • 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.

  • Learn from the best professionals

    Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

  • Meet expert teachers

    Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

  • Certificates
    Plus

    If 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
Artistic Portrait Drawing: Capture Authentic Expressions. Illustration course by Sam Brisley

Artistic Portrait Drawing: Capture Authentic Expressions

A course by Sam Brisley
Portrait Artist. Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom.
Joined February 2021
  • 98% positive reviews (189)
  • 4,919 students