Realistic illustration with coloured pens (Spanish, Multisub)

Discover new techniques to create great figurative drawings Javi al Cuadrado -painter, illustrator and graphic designer with an impeccable technique, who knows how to fuse the best of traditional art with modern themes and styles- has adopted a material as everyday as pens and has developed, with them, an impressive style of illustration realistic.

In this course you will learn to use colored pens to make incredible drawings with strokes that could be compared to a classic engraving. To do this, you will start from a photograph and using analog and digital techniques, you will discover, in an intuitive and simple way, how to turn it into an illustration that, later, you will transform into a final editorial art.

What will you learn in this online course? You will start knowing more about Javi’s work and he will tell you which artists and which works serve as inspiration.

Then, before you start to draw, you will learn some basic concepts that you must take into account when illustrating with a pen: direction of the lines, how to superimpose colors, the density of the stroke, types of paper, etc.

It will be then when you immerse yourself fully in the project. You will work with a photographic image, which will help you to create the initial sketch and that will begin to come to life as you work on it with the pens.

The process of drawing with a ballpoint pen will be divided into three stages. The first will consist of staining with tone all the areas of the drawing; then, you will give a second layer, to raise the halftones and intensify the chromatic range; and a final stage of final touches, which will help you to unify the textures.

Once your illustration is finished, Javi will show you how to digitize your work: scanning, color retouching and the correct way to prepare the file to send your work to the press. In addition, you will make a layout proposal that will allow you to see how your illustration will be published in a magazine.

What is this course’s project? You will make a figurative drawing with a ballpoint pen, learning to overcome the drawbacks of the chromatic range limitation thanks to the screening work that will bring lights and shadows to your illustration.

Who is this online course for? Illustrators, designers and anyone interested in learning simple techniques to draw with everyday materials such as colored pens.

Requirements and materials It is not essential to have previous knowledge of drawing, since to make the illustration you will start from a photograph.

With regard to materials, you will need colored pens and paper. It is also advisable to have a computer with Photoshop, a graphic tablet and scanner for the process of digitizing the project.