Intro: Setting Yourself Up For Success

Before we jump into the drawing, we need to first make sure you have the right mindset for success.

You’ll also learn how to setup your ideal workspace environment, so that whenever you’re ready to draw it’s an exciting and fun experience instead of a chore.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn:

•  The Perfection Problem: One of the fastest paths to overwhelm is trying to master every drawing skill at once! I’ll show you how to baby step your way to success as you build confidence and momentum levelling up your skills
• Coloured Pencil Buyer’s Guide: Buying the most expensive pencil set can actually do more harm than good when you’re starting out – I’ll walk you through the Dos and Don’ts for buying supplies based on your skills, budget, and goals
• Beyond The Basics: From blending solvents, sharpening tools, and even tape – Get a list of some of my favorite “extra” supplies that will speed up the drawing process and make your drawings look more pro

We’ll finish the Introduction section by making sure your workspace is setup for success, with proper lighting, desk choice, and even where to place your supplies.

And finally, I’ll have you submit your latest drawing before you start the course so we can see how much better and realistic your drawings are by the end of the program!

Level 1: Mastering Sketches With Black And White Drawings

In Level 1 we’ll tackle two of the most important concepts for creating realistic drawings:  Proportions and Values! 

And because we are just getting started with coloured pencils, we are going to start out nice and easy by drawing a human eye. No complex colours or techniques. 

Here’s some of what you’ll learn along the way:

• Value Fundamentals: Learn how to use the “value scale” to create more contrast in your drawings – PLUS: How to identify accurate values in ANY reference (With secret photoshop tips to make it even easier)
• Sketching Secrets: I’ll show you my favorite tactics for drawing accurate sketches EVERY time – And a sneaky trick many top artists use to draw perfect proportions when sketching their references
• Shading Made Easy: From how to hold your pencil, to pressure points and layering – Learn the most important shading techniques that will help you master black and white drawings and prepare you for adding colour
• Mastering Shadows: Get a step by step demonstration of how I layer each value (Shadows, Mid-tones, Highlights, etc.) and the best way to render your shadows to match the reference 

By the end of Level 1, you’ll already have a much better understanding of why some drawings look realistic, and others don’t…

Level 2: Mastering Colour Selection

Now that you’ve got a feel for the medium, it’s time to take on colour! From picking the perfect colours to match your reference, blending and layering techniques, this Level will help you master colour theory and layering.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn:

• Picking Perfect Colours: You don’t need a 100 pencil set to perfectly match the colours of your reference – I’ll show you how to use colour theory to accurately blend your colours no matter how complex the reference
• Layering Colours: Learn a simple set of rules for blending colours that ALWAYS leads to your top layer matching the reference colour (And how to beautifully transition between colours without making things messy)
• Layering Mistakes: I’ll also show you the most common mistakes beginners make during the layering and blending process – With simple techniques to fix any problem you run into
• All About Burnishing: To burnish or not to burnish? That’s a question you’ll never have after watching these 3 lessons! I’ll show you what colours are best for burnishing plus 6 mistakes you MUST avoid

By the end of Level 2, you’ll finally be able to match ANY colour to your reference, and know exactly what steps you need to take as you move from a blank piece of paper to finished drawing…

Next it’s time to learn how to smooth out your drawings and truly take them to the next level by learning…

Level 3: From Grainy To Gorgeous

When it comes to amping up the vibrancy and realism in your drawings, proper blending and adding details are KEY tools to taking your art to the next level.

Which is why Level 3 is devoted to helping you beautifully blend your colours, as well as creating the perfect “underpainting” for adding more detail and texture to your drawings.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn:

• Next Level Blending: Not fully blending your drawings is what makes them look grainy and “childish” – Learn my 2 favorite techniques for blending like a pro (And how to make sure you don’t OVER do it!)
• Simple Solvents: Solvent can be intimidating if you haven’t used it before – I’ll show you how to control this vital element to make sure you don’t use too much (or too little) and how easy it is to create super smooth layers in your drawings
• Beautiful Blurry Backgrounds: This is one of my favorite techniques for landscapes and portraits – I’ll show you the “Dos and Don’ts” for drawing beautiful blurry masterpieces
• Understanding Underpaintings: Foreground or Background… Which do you draw first? The answer is “It depends!” I’ll tell you why and teach you the best way to preserve the highlights so it’s easier to add in the details

Then, to finish Level 3, I’ll have you choose a piece of fruit as your reference and apply the new blending and detail strategies you just learned in a new drawing… 

And I guarantee you’ll see an entirely new level of vibrancy and realism in your finished artwork! 

But of course, we won’t stop there!  Next, it’s time to add even more detail and realism to your drawings by learning…

Level 4: Advanced Drawing Strategies

As we move onto Level 4, it’s time to bring it all together by adding even more realistic texture and details to a landscape project of your choice.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn:

• Lighting Fundamentals: Learn how to get your drawings to really shine (pun intended) by understanding light sources and how to convey a dramatic lighting effect in your drawings
• Advanced Art Supplies: I’ll give you a list of my favorite “pro” tools for drawing super realistic fur, hair, and wrinkles – Plus new pens and erasers for adding extra highlights
• Realistic Reflections: Many artists run into problems trying to get their reflections to look realistic – I’ll show you how to “soften” your transitions to increase the realism and why LESS detail is actually better for reflections
• Tackling Texture: And to finish up your drawing, it’s time to start playing with texture! – I’ll share my favorite techniques for drawing ultra realistic grass, leaves and trees!

By the end of Level 4, you’ll now be able to render some of the most challenging textures and details in ANY reference and draw them with near “Photo quality” realism.

Now it’s time to move on to even more challenging references…

Level 5: Drawing Amazing Animals

Up until this point, we’ve mainly focused on drawing inanimate objects and nature.

But in Level 5, it’s time to up your game and learn how to draw one of the most challenging subject matters:  Animals!

Here’s some of what you’ll learn to make your drawings appear more “alive”:

• Approaching Animals: Learn the key rules I use every time when starting animal drawings – And the best techniques for adding each layer as you build up to adding more texture and detail
• Furry Fundamentals: Short fur, long fur, whiskers and every colour you can imagine! We’ll cover it all and I’ll show you how to draw super realistic fur (And not get overwhelmed when creating drawings with a LOT of fur)
• Feathers & Scales Oh My!: Of course we can’t forget about these cute creatures! I’ll show you my favorite techniques for drawing scales and feathers so you’ll be able to realistically draw birds and fish as well

After Level 5 you’ll now understand why some animal drawings look dull and drab, and know exactly how to make sure yours come to life!

Plus you’ll have a bunch of new texture and detail techniques you can use as we move onto the most challenging type of references in…

Level 6: Drawing Perfect Portraits

Now it’s time to get serious!

In Level 6, we’ll integrate all the techniques we’ve learned so far and apply them to drawing super realistic portraits.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn:

• 5 Step Portraits: Follow along with me as we go through my “5 Steps for Portraits” – Giving you a gameplan for drawing ANY portrait reference you want to draw
• Portrait Problems: Learn the most common mistakes artists make when drawing portraits – And easy solutions to prevent them from happening
• Hair and Skin Colour Recipes: Whether it’s brown, blonde, or ginger hair… Light, medium, or dark skin tones… Get my simple recipe checklist that helps you easily match any skin type or coloured hair to the reference
• All About The Details: This is the secret to getting your drawings to look as realistic as possible! I’ll show you the best way to add freckles, eyebrows, eye lashes, and even wrinkles to add even more realism to your drawings

By the end of Level 6, you’ll now be able to incorporate all the techniques you’ve learned throughout the course to confidently draw any portrait reference – even if it has lots of complex details and textures! 

In the final level we’ll show you how to apply everything that you’ve learned so you can…

Conclusion: Draw ANY Reference Realistically

You now have the skills to create drawings that are as realistic as anything you’ll find on YouTube or Instagram – Making the drawing process much more enjoyable and rewarding.

This final level will help you bring it all together and help you break-free from ever needing an art tutorial again.  

Here’s some of what you’ll learn:

• Roadmap Review: I’ll walk you step by step through our entire drawing roadmap one last time – And give some final take-aways so you can use it on any future drawings you do after the course
• Keys To Great References: There are 4 factors that any good reference MUST have – I’ll show you what they are so you’ll always pick the right reference
• Troubleshooting Tips: For those times when your drawing seems a little “off”, I’ll give you a bunch of tips and tricks you can use to know where you went wrong – And how to continually improve your skills with every finished drawing!

By the time you finish Level 7, you’ll now have the confidence and ability to pick any reference you want and know exactly how to draw it!

You’ll no longer have to waste hours searching online for an art tutorial that resembles your reference or feel stuck drawing images you’re not excited about. Instead, you’ll have the skillset to turn whatever you want into a realistic masterpiece.

The "Where To Start" Flow Chart ($47 Value)

To make this course as comprehensive as possible, I’m also including these special bonuses, yours free when you join today!

First you’ll get my “Where to Start” Flow Chart, which gives you a step by step breakdown of how to start ANY new drawing.

Helping you pick the right colours, choose which layer to draw first, and even when to add the details! So that whenever you start a new drawing, instead of thinking “Where do I start?!”…

All you’ll need to do is quickly scan through this flow chart and immediately know where to begin. (With “shownotes” connecting each layer to videos inside the course)

But the only way to get this FREE Flow Chart is by joining The Coloured Pencil Academy today!

The Advanced Animal Training ($97 Value)

One of the most common requests I get from friends and family is asking me to draw a picture of their pets. Which is why I’m also including The Advanced Animal Video Training as a special bonus training.

Showing you how to draw more complicated animal references with loads of details…

And making sure the environment and the animal flow beautifully together. But the only way to gain access to this bonus FREE training is when you join The Coloured Pencil Academy today.

The Advanced Portrait Training ($97 Value)

If you’ve ever tried to draw a human portrait, you know it’s THE MOST challenging thing to draw realistically with coloured pencils! 

It’s even more challenging when your reference has complex details like freckles, wrinkles, salt and pepper hair, and covers the full body with clothing.

Which is why I created The Advanced Portrait Video Training, where I’ll show you how to apply all the techniques you learned in The Coloured Pencil Academy with a more challenging reference image. 

I could easily sell this Video Training as a stand-alone course, but when you join The Coloured Pencil Academy today, you’ll get it for FREE!