Overview

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In Start Painting Colorful Portraits in Procreate, artist Riso Chan will guide you through a fun and approachable process for creating vibrant digital portraits full of color, realism, and personality. By the end of this course, you will be able to apply core color theory concepts, choose effective reference images, simplify facial forms into planes, block in colors confidently, and blend colors to create a polished portrait painting in Procreate. What makes this course unique is its playful approach to color. Rather than simply copying what you see, you'll learn how to push and interpret colors in creative ways that make your artwork more dynamic and expressive. Along the way, you'll develop valuable observation skills that can be applied to painting subjects far beyond portraits. This course is designed for beginner and intermediate artists who want to build confidence with digital portrait painting and color. To be successful in this course, you should have prior experience using Procreate and access to an iPad, Apple Pencil, and the Procreate app. Through hands-on exercises and a complete portrait project, you'll gain practical skills that will help you see, understand, and paint the colorful world around you with greater confidence.

Syllabus

Preparing References and Understanding Color in Portrait Painting

This opening module introduces learners to the portrait painting process and focuses on developing stronger color observation skills. Learners will explore how to choose useful references and begin recognizing the subtle color shifts that bring expressive digital portraits to life.

Constructing Portraits with Drawing and Facial Planes

In this module, learners build the structural foundation of a portrait by combining sketching techniques with an understanding of facial planes. Through guided drawing exercises, learners will improve their ability to simplify complex facial forms and prepare their artwork for painting.

Painting and Blending Dynamic Color Planes

This module focuses on transforming structural drawings into colorful painted portraits. Learners will build confidence applying color to facial planes, blending transitions, and creating a more dimensional and expressive portrait painting in Procreate.

Finalizing and Refining a Colorful Portrait

In the final module, learners bring together drawing, color, and blending techniques to complete a finished portrait illustration. The lessons focus on refinement, finishing touches, and reinforcing a repeatable workflow for creating vibrant digital portraits in Procreate.