Best seller

Drawing from Observation for Beginners

A course by Alvaro Arteaga , Graphic Designer and Illustrator

Graphic Designer and Illustrator. Tulsa, Chile.
Joined July 2020

Learn different techniques to overcome the blank page and create a sketchbook filled with light, volume, and detail

Best seller
100% positive reviews (253)
9,918 students
Audio: Spanish, English
Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Learn different techniques to overcome the blank page and create a sketchbook filled with light, volume, and detail

Drawing is the art of observation, and for graphic designer and illustrator Alvaro Arteaga, better known as Alvarejo, it's also the best way to understand the shapes that surround us. In this online course, learn how to overcome the blank page and train your hand to recreate on paper what you see in the world around you.

Alvaro teaches you how to draw with confidence and embrace your mistakes knowing you can redo your sketches as many times as needed. Discover the hatching technique and how to transform parallel and crossed lines into light, shadows, and textures in a sketchbook.

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What will you learn in this online course?

18 lessons & 23 downloads

Let's talk about sketchbooks
10 minutes, 57 seconds
Hand release exercises
11 minutes, 50 seconds
Outline drawing 1
9 minutes, 35 seconds
Outline drawing 2
11 minutes, 39 seconds
  • 100% positive reviews (253)
  • 9,918 students
  • 18 lessons (4h 0m)
  • 23 additional resources (5 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: Spanish, English
  • Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Fill a sketchbook with drawings centered around the hatching technique using tools like pens, pencils, and ink.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

Anyone who wants to broaden and improve their drawing skills, as well as sharpen their eye.

Requirements and materials

No previous drawing experience is necessary to take this course.

All you need is a sketchbook, graphite pencils, pens, India ink, and brushes.


Reviews

9,918 Students
253 Reviews
100% Positive ratings

Alvaro Arteaga

A course by Alvaro Arteaga

Teacher Plus
Graphic Designer and Illustrator

Alvaro Arteaga, better known as Alvarejo, is a graphic designer with a passion for illustration. After studying graphic design at the University of Chile, he began to professionally promote his illustrations on Threadless, which provided him with a platform to showcase his art and quickly led to commissioned work. Since then, he's been collaborating with brands in advertising, publishing, and other similar fields.

Over a decade ago, Alvaro discovered that he was also passionate about helping others overcome their fear of the blank page and started teaching illustration, drawing, and design at the University of Santiago, Chile. Throughout his career, he has worked on packaging, publishing, and advertising projects for companies like Puma, Converse, Jeep, and Nestlé.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    We start drawing

    • Recognizing the tools
    • Let's talk about sketchbooks
    • Hand release exercises
  • U3

    Train the eye and the hand

    • Outline drawing 1
    • Outline drawing 2
    • Applying textures to your drawings
  • U4

    The ink and hatching

    • Shading exercises
    • Copying the hatching of the teachers
    • Application of the techniques on the hand
    • A photo for reference
  • U5

    Graphite, gouache and mixed media

    • Working with graphite pencil 1
    • Working with graphite pencil 2
    • Using pen
    • Ink and a little water
    • Composition and mixed media 1
    • Composition and mixed techniques 2
  • FP

    Final project

    • Drawing from Observation for Beginners

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.
Drawing from Observation for Beginners. Illustration course by Alvaro Arteaga Best seller

Drawing from Observation for Beginners

A course by Alvaro Arteaga
Graphic Designer and Illustrator. Tulsa, Chile.
Joined July 2020
  • 100% positive reviews (253)
  • 9,918 students