Fine Art

Portrait Drawing & Likeness

Draw Faces People Actually Recognize

12 lessons4 modules10h 35m durationbeginner level

Instructor: StretchLearn Faculty

About this course

Most beginner portraits fail not on rendering but on proportion and structure - the features are drawn well but in the wrong place, so the likeness collapses. This course fixes that by teaching the head as a 3D form using the Loomis and Reilly construction methods, the standard facial proportion canon, and value-based shading. By the end you will have completed a graphite self-portrait, a charcoal portrait from a photo, and an ink portrait, plus a repeatable proportion-checking process you can apply to any face.

Curriculum

Module 1: Materials and the Head as a 3D Form3 lessons

The Tools That Actually Matter for PortraitsPreview45m
Seeing the Head as a Ball and a Block🔒50m
Comparative Measurement and Sight-Sizing🔒45m

Module 2: Facial Proportions and the Construction Canon3 lessons

The Proportion Canon: Halves, Thirds, and Fifths🔒50m
Constructing the Front-View Head Step by Step🔒55m
Turning the Head: Three-Quarter and Profile🔒55m

Module 3: Rendering the Features and Building Value3 lessons

Eyes and Eyebrows: The Window of Likeness🔒55m
Nose, Mouth, and Ears in Three Dimensions🔒55m
Value, Light Logic, and Modeling the Form🔒55m

Module 4: Capturing Likeness and Finishing in Three Media3 lessons

The Secret of Likeness: Reading and Pushing the Differences🔒55m
Finishing in Graphite and Charcoal🔒1h 0m
Pen-and-Ink Portraits and Photographing Your Work🔒55m