Draw your own simple self portrait!

To start, pick whatever medium you’re comfortable with to draw along. Karla is using Procreate on her iPad, but you’re welcome to use any digital drawing program, or any traditional, analog medium that allows you to work quickly and freely.

Then, make sure to take the time to do the warm up exercises Karla walks through. These are important for getting your drawing muscles going and identifying your unique characteristics that you want to incorporate into the final self portrait.

Next, take what you learned in the warmup and start to sketch your final portrait. While it’s okay to erase and revise during this step, challenge yourself not to be too fussy in order to keep that hand-drawn look.

Then, choose just three colors to fill in your portrait with. Karla suggests starting with a triad on the color wheel, and then tweaking the tone and saturation to match your personal style. If you’re feeling stuck, use some of the triads that Karla created as inspiration—you can find them in the resources section if you want to sample them directly in Procreate.

Add in any final details and don’t forget to sign your work before sharing it with the world! We’d love to see your final creation in the project gallery of this class.

Resources

Connect with Karla on Instagram and on her website.
Check out Karla’s other classes on her Skillshare profile.
If you want to use the Watercolor Detail brush that Karla used during the class, you can buy the set here.
You can find Karla’s suggested color palettes here.

Explore More Classes on Skillshare

Mixed Media Illustration: Create a Self-Portrait with Watercolor, Gouache & More — Maria-Ines Gul
Intuitive Illustration: 4 Quick, Fun Exercises to Unlock Creativity — Amber Vittoria
Digital Illustration for All: Discover, Cultivate and Share Your Unique Personal Style — Laci Jordan

Karen Cook

Illustrator and Designer

5

14