Learn all the skills necessary to create highly realistic portrait drawings using pencil and charcoal from artist Matheus Macedo.
Artist Matheus Macedo makes things easy by breaking down his entire creative process, from finding inspiration to tracing methods to how to expertly create remarkable detail in your next portrait.
Matheus Macedo is a Brazilian artist specializing in realistic drawings using graphite, charcoal, and colored pencil. He has a degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from the University of Brasilia and complemented his studies in Turin, Italy, though he never practiced the profession. However, Matheus never gave up on drawing and enrolled in many art courses after graduating, learning from world-class realistic drawing artists. Also interested in education, he took the plunge into sharing the knowledge he acquired through the years in his home city. From 2020 on, he’s been focusing on recording online classes, reaching thousands of students from all over the world. He is one of the winners of the American Art Awards 2022 for his piece ‘Denzel Washington as Macbeth’ in graphite and charcoal.
Organized in a series of actionable tips, the lessons allow you to draw along with me and immediately put into practice what you’ve learned.
The process shown in this course is the same one I follow for all my black-and-white drawings, so you’ll have the foundation you need to practice and achieve the best version of yourself as an artist.
You’ll realize how rewarding it is to tackle a project like this, so challenge yourself and be proud of your drawings!
The course was very well laid out, and by replaying sections several times, I was able to take my graphite drawing to the next level. Highly recommended! -Jim
The course was very well laid out, and by replaying sections several times, I was able to take my graphite drawing to the next level. Highly recommended! -Jim
Read LessDuring the class, Matheus will go over all the tools you need and you will be able to download a supplies list. However, here are some of the essentials that he recommends:
Strathmore Series 300 Bristol Pads
Graphite pencils- HB, B, 2B, 4B, 6B, and 8B grades (Staedtler brand or similar)
Carbon pencils - 2B, 4B, 6B, and 8B grades (Matheus prefers Staedtler Mars Lumograph Black)
Tombow Mono Zero 2.3 mm round tip eraser
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Yes, Matheus's reference photo is included in a PDF format. This will allow students to follow along and complete the same drawing. However, you are also welcome to use your own reference material and complete a different project using the techniques that he outlines.
While Matheus breaks down the entire project step-by-step, students will want to have some familiarity with concepts of contrast, light, shade, and the proportions of the human face. We would suggest enrolling in our Portrait Drawing for Beginners course to gain familiarity in those areas before attempting this course.
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