Learn How to Draw Your Favorite People in This Beginner-Friendly Online Class

Melissa de Nobrega Portrait Drawing

There are some types of art that feel impossible to do, and portrait drawing is certainly one of them. The subject matter requires you to consider a lot of factors, from facial expressions to anatomical proportions. Plus, everything has to work together to capture a person's likeness. If you’ve always wanted to draw your favorite people (or your self-portrait), get a crash course in it with the help of illustrator Melissa de Nobrega.

De Nobrega teaches the online class Portrait Drawing for Beginners: Learn How to Draw Anyone You’d Like. It's a comprehensive look at how to draw one of the most complex subjects—the human face. Over nearly two hours, she will break down general facial structure through bite-size lessons. De Nobrega will also show how to plot facial guidelines, sketch using contour lines, and then complete the portrait. Best of all, her instructions are universal to portrait drawing and can be applied to anyone.

Students love the class structure. “The anatomy part was very instructive,” one reviewer writes. “I like how simple it remained, while giving a good understanding of the human’s face features. Another excellent part was to be able to follow along with the teacher. I was trying on my own at first, and then comparing with what the teacher was doing. It helped me pinpoint what I was doing wrong.”

Enroll in Portrait Drawing for Beginners: Learn How to Draw Anyone You’d Like only on My Modern Met Academy, our e-learning platform.

Have you ever wanted to learn portrait drawing?

Melissa de Nobrega Portrait Drawing

Portrait Drawing by Melissa de Nobrega

Melissa de Nobrega will teach her process so you can draw all of your favorite people. (Or yourself!)

Portrait Drawing Class on My Modern Met Academy

She does it through her online class, Portrait Drawing for Beginners: Learn How to Draw Anyone You’d Like.

Portrait Drawing Class on My Modern Met Academy

It's a complex subject matter, but de Nobrega breaks it down so that it isn’t so overwhelming.

Portrait Drawing Class on My Modern Met Academy

You will go over anatomy and plot facial structure.

Portrait Drawing Class on My Modern Met Academy

You'll then watch de Nobrega start a drawing from start to finish.

Portrait Drawing Class on My Modern Met Academy

Portrait Drawing Class on My Modern Met Academy

Get a peek into the class here:

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Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of My Modern Met Store. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art where she earned her BFA in Illustration and MFA in Illustration Practice. Sara is also an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, a studio where she stitches pet portraits and other beloved creatures. She chronicles the creativity of others through her website Brown Paper Bag and newsletter, Orts. Her latest book is Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread, published in 2014. Sara’s work has been recognized in Be Creative With Workbox, Embroidery Magazine, American Illustration, on Iron and Wine’s album Beast Epic, among others. When she’s not stitching or writing, Sara enjoys planning things that bring together the craft community. She is the co-founder of Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults with hands-on workshops in the Seattle area.
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