Digital Portrait Online Course
Software: Photoshop, blender, Daz Studio, PureRef
Individual mentorship. Course Starts immediately after purchase
Want to paint expressive portraits from any angle?
Dreaming of capturing subtle emotions?
Master head anatomy?
You’re in the right place.
This is not just a portrait drawing course — it's a full, complex training in composition, lighting, form, color, and anatomy of the head and neck.
By the end of the course, you’ll be able to draw any person or favorite character, stylized or realistic.
Perfect for industry professionals as well as privately commissioned artists, freelancers, or hobbyists.
Meet Your Instructor
Alex Leskinen
Magic: The Gathering Artist
Over 10 years of experience in game development and professional illustration.
Worked on everything from texturing models and designing icons to environment concepts, illustrations, and promo art for numerous mobile and browser games.
Author of the Digital Illustration: Character course. The course was developed in collaboration with Lina Sidorova, head of CG LAB.
Course Structure
Artwork by course instructor
This course is designed for both beginners and more experienced artists looking to strengthen their fundamentals and learn new techniques.
You'll explore a classic academic approach to portrait drawing in a modern and engaging format — using tools like Photoshop, PureRef, Daz 3D, and Blender.
Instructor Alex Leskinen walks you through the full step-by-step process of creating three different portraits in various styles and workflows: start from silhouette · from line drawing · from grayscale to color · from color directly.
By the end of the course, you’ll complete:
✔ A finished stylized or realistic portrait
✔ Sketches exploring composition, anatomy, light, tone, and color
Artwork by course instructor
📅 Course Duration
9 weeks + 2 bonus weeks to finalize your project, with optional feedback from the instructor.
Each week, you’ll get access to a new lecture covering the knowledge needed to complete your assignment.
You’ll have a week to work on each task, and at the end of the week, we’ll hold a live feedback webinar with a detailed review of all students’ homework.
Instructor support is available 24/7 — feel free to message your mentor with any questions.
All students get lifetime access to CG LAB’s private forum and chat — packed with useful resources, organized topics, job opportunities, and a friendly community.
Course Program
Week 1: Composition
Choosing a character, gathering references, and building portrait compositions.
Perspective, likeness, stylization, and ethnic facial features.
Sketching three portraits in different styles: Ningguang (Genshin Impact), Grimgor Ironhide and Morathi (Warhammer).
Week 2: Skull
Understanding perspective and space using a skull.
How to use Daz Studio for accurate 3D references.
Drawing the skull based on your chosen character's proportions.
Week 3: Head & Neck Construction
Muscles, cartilage, and bone landmarks.
Simplified forms of the head and neck.
Drawing anatomical block-ins in correct perspective and your chosen character proportions.
Week 4: Light & Tone
Mood, lighting setup, tonal masses, tonal keys*.
Using Blender to set up custom light references.
Applying light and tone to previous sketches and block-ins.
*Some theory overlaps with the Digital Illustration: Character course.
Week 5: Facial Features
How to draw the nose, eyes, lips, and ears constructively.
Facial muscles, expressions, age-related changes. How to convey emotion effectively. How to draw hair.
Week 6: Color
Color theory, tone-color relationships, temperature, and stylization.
Brushes and workflows. How to paint over a grayscale drawing in Photoshop using blending modes: Difference, Soft Light, Overlay, Color.
Color sketching process using Morathi as an example.
Week 7: Different Pipelines*
Based on the knowledge gained in the previous weeks, draw a portrait from a ready-made base.
Processes for Ningguang, Grimgor, and Morathi: from silhouette · from line drawing · from grayscale to color · from color directly.
🎁 Bonus video: alternate full pipeline from sketch to polish.
Extras: drawing facial hair, freckles, scars, tattoos, wet skin, and glasses.
* Pipeline refers to a step-by-step workflow used in digital art.
Weeks 8–9: Rendering & Finalization
Features of drawing the skin of the face. Makeup.
Subsurface scattering, soft vs. hard edges, Lasso Tool use.
Final detailing for the three main portraits.
How to draw special effects, post-processing, and another example of rendering hair.
🎁 + 2 Extra Weeks of Feedback
You get 2 additional weeks to finalize your portfolio piece, with the option to request feedback in chat with the instructor.
⯁ All sessions include bonus materials: brush packs, inspiration folders, video extras, and more.
Testimonials
“Before the course, I struggled a lot with drawing faces — but as the lessons progressed, all those questions started to clear up. I really appreciated how the material was presented: clear, simple, and easy to absorb. Huge thanks to Alexander for the in-depth feedback and his thoughtful, individual approach to each student!”
“I really appreciate Alex’s thoughtful approach to designing portrait compositions — especially when it comes to lighting, color, and matching everything to the character’s personality, which I find incredibly important. His method of working with references feels like an art form in itself, and I’m grateful he teaches how to use them effectively. Also, I discovered a great new way to work with textured brushes that really clicked with me — now I just need to keep practicing and building on it!”
“What I appreciated most was the course structure — a solid portion was dedicated to fundamentals: the skull, head construction, and facial muscles. That focus really helped me understand what to pay attention to when drawing portraits, which was my main goal.
Alex provides incredibly clear feedback in every review and was always available to answer extra questions.
Now, thanks to the lectures and practice, I catch myself analyzing people’s facial features in real life — how things connect, where the masses are, and how I might capture it more effectively on canvas.”
Course Enrollment
Course Fee: $435
Individual mentorship. Course Starts immediately after purchase
🎥 Recorded feedback from Alex Leskinen once per week on Saturdays until 9 am PT / 12 pm ET.
+ 💸 Exclusive Offers for Our Students
Bundle Discount: Save 15% when you buy 2 courses at once, and an extra 5% for each additional course — up to 30% off total!
Feedback Bonus: Leave a course review and get 5% off your next enrollment.
Returning Student Discount:
- 10% off your second course
- 15% off your third and beyond
👉 All discounts stack — save up to 30%!
You can pay the full fee or in two parts:
– First half before the course begins
– Second half by the end of the second week
Please fill out the form to enroll, make a payment, or ask a question.
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