StretchLearn Course

Draw Faces People Actually Recognize

Build a real likeness from the skull out - proportion systems, the Loomis method, and finished portraits in graphite, charcoal, and ink.

Preview Curriculum Back to Catalog

Beginner10 hr 35 minSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

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.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Construct the head in any angle using the Loomis ball-and-plane method and standard proportion landmarks

Place and measure facial features accurately using comparative measurement and the facial thirds and fifths

Render the five features - eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and hair - with correct structure and believable value

Capture a specific person's likeness by reading and exaggerating the angles and proportions unique to their face

Build full tonal range and form using graphite and charcoal value scales and controlled edges

Complete finished portraits in graphite, charcoal, and pen-and-ink, and photograph them for a portfolio

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: Materials and the Head as a 3D Form

Set up a small, capable drawing kit and learn to see the head as a constructed solid - a ball and an attached block - rather than a flat outline of features.

3 lessons

The Tools That Actually Matter for PortraitsContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

Seeing the Head as a Ball and a BlockContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Comparative Measurement and Sight-SizingContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Facial Proportions and the Construction Canon

Learn the standard proportion map of the average adult face and how to construct it reliably from the front and in three-quarter view.

3 lessons

The Proportion Canon: Halves, Thirds, and FifthsContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Constructing the Front-View Head Step by StepContent · 55 min

LMS Access

Turning the Head: Three-Quarter and ProfileContent · 55 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Rendering the Features and Building Value

Render each facial feature with correct structure and learn to shade the head with a full, controlled value range that creates the illusion of form.

3 lessons

Eyes and Eyebrows: The Window of LikenessContent · 55 min

LMS Access

Nose, Mouth, and Ears in Three DimensionsContent · 55 min

LMS Access

Value, Light Logic, and Modeling the FormContent · 55 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Capturing Likeness and Finishing in Three Media

Move beyond a generic correct head to a specific person's likeness, then complete finished portraits in graphite, charcoal, and ink.

3 lessons

The Secret of Likeness: Reading and Pushing the DifferencesContent · 55 min

LMS Access

Finishing in Graphite and CharcoalContent · 60 min

LMS Access

Pen-and-Ink Portraits and Photographing Your WorkContent · 55 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

portrait drawingfacial proportionsLoomis methodgraphitecharcoalfacial anatomylikenesspen and ink