Paint to Pixel: Digital Portrait Painting

Gallery artist & illustrator, Raymond Bonilla, shares the craft of capturing likeness, from analog to digital mediums in this hands-on online course.

Improve your skills as a portrait artist and learn the ins-and-outs of capturing likeness

This learn-by-doing digital portrait painting course covers the principles needed to draw and paint the human head. Instructed by world-renowned painter, Raymond Bonilla, this course is a hands-on journey guided by one of the most skilled professionals in the field. From start to finish, Raymond will provide detailed insights on the art of drawing the human head as well as provide detailed feedback to each student.

Tra-digital portrait painting methods

The class is perfect for both traditional and/or digital artists. Traditional artists will advance their ability to transition from traditional to digital. Ray will also present in-depth painting tutorials and demonstrations to help you transition from analog to digital methods.

Your step by step guide to traditional and digital portrait painting

This class delves into painting form, working from photo reference, as well as understanding the application of light and color. Through lectures, demonstrations, and personalized feedback on assignments, you will personally complete a digital portrait and establish an informed comprehension of creating a portrait that elicits mood, emotion, tone, and story, while capturing the essence of your subject.

Your instructor, Raymond Bonilla illustrates book jackets and magazines regularly, including The New Yorker. He has been awarded three Gold Medals from the Society of Illustrators as well as Awards of Excellence from Communication Arts’ Illustration Annual for his paintings.

Topics & resources covered in this course:

  • Controlling shape, light, and shadow
  • Depicting facial features
  • Digital and traditional process
  • Selecting a reference image
  • Using color
  • Digital and traditional brush selection
  • Transitioning from traditional to digital art

Classes are hosted weekly, live and online. Your mentor will lecture on technique, skill, and the history of illustration. Added to that, you’ll join in for demonstrations, critiques, and Q&A sessions, with weekly homework assignments.

Dates

Feb 28 – March 28

Length

5 weeks

Live Classes

Mondays
4 –  7pm PT

Price: $599 (limited offer)

Course Outline

  • Week 1

    1

    Monochromatic Head Painting

  • Week 2

    2

    The Zorn Palette

  • Week 3

    3

    Full Color Painting

  • Week 4

    4

    Digital Painting, Part 1

  • Week 5

    5

    Digital Painting, Part 2

Illustrator and gallery painter Raymond Bonilla

Meet the Class Mentor Raymond Bonilla

Raymond Bonilla is a nationally recognized illustrator and fine artist in Buffalo, NY. Raymond graduated from the State University in New York at Fredonia in 2005 with a degree in New Media and Illustration. He continued his studies at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco where he completed his Masters of Fine Art in 2009.

He was awarded Best in Show in the Great Lakes Emerging Artist Competition, was a finalist in the Artists Magazine Annual Art Competition, has been awarded Gold Medals in advertising from both Society of Illustrators of New York and Los Angeles, and juried into the Communication Arts Illustration Annual. He currently lives in Buffalo, New York where he spends his time painting and teaching part-time at the State University of New York at Fredonia. He is represented by Abend Gallery in Denver, CO and Meibohm Fine Arts Gallery in East Aurora, NY. You can view more of Raymond’s work and accomplishments here.

digital portrait painting capturing likeness and color
Digital portrait painting of man with white background
Digital portrait painting of Decker from Blade Runner
Digital portrait painting of man in long coat
Light and shadow for a digital portrait of man wearing glasses

Access to the best resources

Live Classes

Every class is delivered live and is fully interactive with lectures, demos, critiques, and guest speakers. Consider this your front row seat.

Office Hours

Students use Slack to connect with instructors and classmate between classes. You can ask questions, share work, and get inspired non-stop.

Study Hall

Meet weekly with Passage Mentors in between classes to ask questions, network, access bonus content, and supercharge your learning experience.

An Unbeatable Price

Frequently Asked Questions

Mini-courses are one-off, 5-week long classes that are topic-based. While many of the features and resources, such as personalized feedback and learn-by-doing assignments are similar, the Mentorship courses cover a broader range of topics and place students on a linear development track. Mini-courses take a deep-dive into all the details of a specific topic.

Guest Speakers are mentioned on course pages that feature guest speakers. Comics and Sequential Art does feature a guest speaker, but Foundations of Illustration, Color Theory, and Figure Drawing for Illustrators does not feature guest artists.

Yes! We highly encourage students add Mini-courses to their Mentorship program.

Mini-course class times vary depending on the course. Most of these courses are scheduled during weeknights or on Sundays, depending on your timezone. To view exact date and start times of each mini-course, be sure to visit the about page for the mini-course you are interested in attending.

Need Some Guidance?

We can help you with any questions related to enrollment, portfolio development, and the student experience.