Services
Intensive Online Workshop
Capturing Likeness: Realistic Portrait Drawing & Painting

This course demystifies the ins-and-outs of capturing likeness in your portraiture, led by one of the best working portrait artists.

A course taught by Dale Stephanos

Live & Online
Fully Interactive
5 Weeks (10 classes)
All Skill Levels
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Realism isn’t guesswork—master the mechanics and process of capturing likeness in your portrait drawings or paintings.

A true likeness is more than accurate features—it’s structure, value, rhythm, and presence. This course breaks down what really makes a portrait feel alive and believable.

Led by award-winning illustrator Dale Stephanos—best known for his official USPS Betty White stamp—you’ll dive deep into the mechanics of portrait drawing: understanding form, locking in proportion, and controlling value to create clarity and depth.

Built for intermediate to advanced artists, this class offers focused demos, expert critique, learn-by-doin assignments, and the tools to level up your portraits with confidence.

Topics Covered:

  • Structure of the Head
    Learn to break down the head into simple, reliable forms that guide proportion and perspective.
  • Proportion & Placement
    Develop a system for accurately mapping facial features and maintaining consistency across angles.
  • Value & Lighting
    Understand how light defines form, and how to use value relationships to create clarity and depth.
  • Capturing Expression
    Study subtle shifts in anatomy and gesture that bring a portrait to life and convey personality.
  • Simplifying Complexity
    Train your eye to reduce visual information into digestible shapes, edges, and tonal zones.
  • Working from Reference
    Build strategies for using photo reference without becoming overly rigid or losing vitality.
  • Professional Critique & Workflow
    Receive structured, actionable feedback to improve your portraits.

Live Class Meetings
Tuesdays, 5:30-7:30 pm PT (8:30-10:30 pm ET)

Difficulty
All Skill Levels

Mediums
Digital or Traditional

Course Dates
Aug. 12 – Sept. 9

Price
$499

Guidance from a world-class portrait artist

Dale Stephanos is an award-winning illustrator known for his bold, expressive portrait work. Since 1982, his art has appeared in Rolling Stone, Time, Sports Illustrated, MAD Magazine, The New York Times, and for clients like the U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Open. His 2024 Betty White stamp brought national attention, with coverage from NBC, NPR, CNN, and more.

Dale’s portraits have earned recognition from Communication Arts, American Illustration, The Society of Illustrators, and 3×3, among others—establishing him as one of the top portrait illustrators working today.

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