The Best Online Drawing Courses for Realistic Pencil Portraits

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The best online drawing courses for realistic pencil portraits teach you to see values, shade smoothly and get the features in the right place, but they don’t all teach the same way. Some follow a complete drawing from start to finish; others build the head from simple shapes and anatomy. Picking the one that suits your goals saves you months of frustration.

We compared six real courses on the lessons they cover, their length, price model and refund terms, using each course’s official page as of November 2026. Prices change often, so treat the figures as a guide and check the course page before you buy.

How we compared the best online drawing courses

We looked only at courses that teach drawing realistic faces or the skills behind them, and we checked each one on its official page. For every course we noted:

• What it teaches: values, shading, features, hair, proportions and transfer methods.
• Approach: draw-along demonstrations of a complete drawing, or construction and anatomy.
• Length and structure: the number of lessons and total video time where the page lists them.
• Price model: one-off purchase or subscription.
• Refund terms, where they’re stated.

This is a comparison of published course content, not a report of personal results, and we don’t use invented ratings. DrawBySight earns a commission from Pencil Drawing Made Easy, our top pick; the other courses are included because they’re good options, and we don’t earn from them.

Comparison table

Course	Instructor	Length	Price model	Refund terms	Best for
Pencil Drawing Made Easy	Nolan Clark	42 hours (26 core + 16 bonus)	One-off, $47	60-day money-back guarantee	Realistic pencil portraits from photos
Portrait Drawing Fundamentals (Proko)	Stan Prokopenko	35 lessons, 8h 10m	One-off, $65 list	30-day guarantee, with conditions	Construction and anatomy of the head
Realistic Portrait with Graphite Pencil (Domestika)	Diego Catalán Amilivia	35 lessons, 9h 30m	One-off, regional pricing	See Domestika’s terms	Hyper-realistic graphite technique
The Ultimate Drawing Course (Udemy)	Jaysen and Quinton Batchelor	64 lectures, 11h 8m	One-off, price varies	30-day money-back guarantee	Broad drawing fundamentals
Drawing Photo Realistic Portraits With Pencils (Skillshare)	Shayne Wise	24 lessons, about 2h 30m	Subscription	See Skillshare’s terms	Subscribers who want a portrait class
Simple Techniques for Better Portraits (Craftsy)	Alisha Dall’Osto	7 lessons, 2h 27m	Subscription	See Craftsy’s terms	A short introduction to portrait structure

1. Pencil Drawing Made Easy: best for realistic pencil portraits

Instructor: Nolan Clark · Length: 42 hours · Price: $47 one-off at the time of writing · Guarantee: 60 days

Pencil Drawing Made Easy is the most complete option here if your goal is realistic graphite portraits from photos. It starts with equipment and a lesson on seeing tonal values, then works through shading, texture, negative drawing and reflections before the portrait modules: eyes, noses, mouths (including making teeth look “sparkly and white”), ears, cheeks, chins, foreheads and necks, hair and beards.

Each lesson is about two hours, filmed in real time so you can draw along. The bonuses include lessons on fabric, hands and common student problems, a four-part birds course, and downloadable outline templates with exact-size reference photos for each lesson. It’s a one-off payment with lifetime access, and ClickBank processes the orders.

Why it stands out: it covers every part of a realistic portrait, including hair, beards and the neck, which shorter courses skip. At 42 hours for $47, it’s also the most video per dollar among the one-off courses here.

Keep in mind: it’s graphite only and focused on drawing from photos, and there’s no personal feedback on your work.

Read our full Pencil Drawing Made Easy review for the module-by-module breakdown.

2. Proko Portrait Drawing Fundamentals: best for construction

Instructor: Stan Prokopenko · Length: 35 lessons, 8h 10m · Level: beginner to intermediate · Price: $65 list (it was on sale for $52 when we checked)

Proko’s Portrait Drawing Fundamentals teaches the head as a structure. You learn the Loomis method for proportions and angles, then the eyes, nose, lips, ears and hair, with two real-time demonstrations, 3D models and assignments. 16 of the lessons are free to watch, so you can try the teaching style before paying.

Why it stands out: if you want to draw faces from any angle, or eventually from imagination, construction is the skill to learn, and Proko teaches it clearly.

Keep in mind: the course is less about long, photo-realistic rendering. The 30-day guarantee is reviewed case by case if you’ve downloaded more than 25% of the course.

3. Domestika Realistic Portrait with Graphite Pencil: best value single course

Instructor: Diego Catalán Amilivia · Length: 35 lessons, 9h 30m · Price: about $32.99, varying by region

Diego Catalán Amilivia’s course on Domestika covers materials, choosing the photo, proportions, anatomy, light, modelling and texturing: hair, wrinkles and skin pores. The course page listed about 156,000 students and 99% positive reviews from around 5,200 reviews listed when we checked.

Why it stands out: detailed hyper-realistic graphite technique at a low price.

Keep in mind: it’s listed as a beginner course, but the page says basic drawing knowledge is needed. Complete beginners may want a gentler start first.

4. Udemy The Ultimate Drawing Course: best broad foundation

Instructors: Jaysen and Quinton Batchelor · Length: 64 lectures, 11h 8m · Price: varies with Udemy’s frequent sales

The Ultimate Drawing Course – Beginner to Advanced is a general drawing course rather than a portrait course. It covers line, shape and form, value, perspective, still life, texture, the features of the face and the figure. It also includes a grid method for drawing from photos. The page lists over 450,000 students, a 30-day money-back guarantee and lifetime access.

Why it stands out: it gives you a wide foundation before you specialise in portraits.

Keep in mind: portraits are only one part of it, and the course was last updated in March 2022.

5. Skillshare Drawing Photo Realistic Portraits With Pencils

Instructor: Shayne Wise, professional portrait artist · Length: 24 lessons, about 2h 30m · Price: included with a Skillshare membership

Shayne Wise’s Skillshare class works through a value scale chart, transferring the outline, blending practice, and studies of a sphere, a champagne flute and a water drop. It then covers hair, eyes and nose, mouth and chin, and final adjustments. It’s listed for all levels. The materials list is detailed and includes smooth Bristol paper, graphite pencils from 4H to 8B, blending stumps, a precision eraser and a kneaded eraser.

Why it stands out: a structured portrait class that costs nothing extra if you already have Skillshare.

Keep in mind: you need an active membership to keep watching.

6. Craftsy Simple Techniques for Better Portraits

Instructor: Alisha Dall’Osto · Length: 7 lessons, 2h 27m · Price: included with a Craftsy subscription

Simple Techniques for Better Portraits is a short class covering reference photos, proportion, gesture, block-in, form and cast shadows with a value scale, and finishing. It includes bonus PDFs.

Why it stands out: a compact overview of how to structure a portrait.

Keep in mind: at under two and a half hours it’s an introduction, not a complete course.

Best free option

If you’re not ready to pay, start with the free lessons in Proko’s Portrait Drawing Fundamentals and our own step-by-step tutorials:

• How to draw a realistic eye
• How to shade a face
• Grid method drawing for accurate proportions from photos

Free lessons are a good way to test whether you enjoy realistic drawing, but a structured course saves you from piecing together techniques from scattered videos.

How to choose the right course

• You want photo-realistic portraits in graphite: choose Pencil Drawing Made Easy, or Domestika if you already have some drawing experience.
• You want to draw heads from any angle or from imagination: choose Proko.
• You’re a complete beginner and want general drawing skills first: choose the Udemy course, then add a portrait course.
• You already pay for Skillshare or Craftsy: try the class that’s included before buying anything.

Whichever you choose, the course only works if you draw along. Plan on finishing one complete drawing per lesson rather than watching several lessons in a row.

Our verdict

For most people searching for the best online drawing courses for realistic pencil portraits, Pencil Drawing Made Easy is the best fit. It’s beginner-friendly, covers every feature including hair and teeth, includes templates and reference photos, and costs less than most single courses for far more video. Proko is the better choice if you care more about construction than realistic rendering.

Start Pencil Drawing Made Easy with the 60-day guarantee

Frequently asked questions

What is the best online drawing course for beginners?

For realistic pencil drawing, Pencil Drawing Made Easy is a strong choice for complete beginners because it starts with equipment and tonal values before moving to portraits. For general drawing skills, the Udemy Ultimate Drawing Course covers a wide range of fundamentals.

Are online drawing courses worth it?

Yes, if you draw along with the lessons. A structured course teaches skills in a sensible order, which is hard to get from scattered free videos. A refund guarantee lets you try one with less risk.

Can you really learn to draw realistic portraits online?

Yes. Realistic portrait drawing is mostly about seeing values, shading smoothly and placing features accurately, and all of those can be taught clearly on video. Regular practice matters more than where you learn.

Are there free online drawing courses?

Proko offers 16 free lessons in Portrait Drawing Fundamentals, and many artists publish free tutorials. DrawBySight’s step-by-step guides cover eyes, lips, teeth, hair and face shading.

Which is better, Proko or Pencil Drawing Made Easy?

It depends on your goal. Proko teaches construction and anatomy so you understand the head’s structure; Pencil Drawing Made Easy teaches realistic pencil rendering from photos through long draw-along lessons. Many artists benefit from both.