{"id":9190,"date":"2014-09-01T21:36:47","date_gmt":"2014-09-01T21:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/?page_id=9190"},"modified":"2026-04-03T17:34:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T17:34:43","slug":"the-colored-pencil-course-portrait-drawing-part-5","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-portrait-drawing-part-5","title":{"rendered":"The Colored Pencil Course &#8211; Portrait Drawing Part 5"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"coursetitlecontainer\">\n<div class=\"coursetitle\">\n<h1><span>The Colored Pencil Course:<\/span> Portrait Drawing - Part 5<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"insertbackground\">\n<div class=\"removep\">\n<div class=\"videoflexwrapper\">\n<div class=\"videotop\">\n  <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/126867808?color=ffffff&title=0&byline=0&portrait=0\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sidebartop\">\n<div class=\"vertalign\">\n<div class=\"logoimage\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/logosmall75.png\"><\/div>\n<p>\n    <div class=\"sidebarcarddescriptiondark\">\n<span>JOIN THE VIRTUAL INSTRUCTOR<\/span><br>\n    Get ALL of our courses, ebooks, live lessons, critiques, lesson plans and more today.\n<\/div>\n    <\/p>\n<div class=\"sidebarbuttonholder\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sidebuttonsmem\">START FREE TRIAL<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<hr style=\"background-color:#ffffff;margin-top:1.5em;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/register-the-colored-pencil-course\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sidebuttons\">BUY COURSE $67<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"courseperkscontainer\">\n<div class=\"courseperks\"><span>This course features:<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"courseperks\"><i class=\"far fa-clock\" style=\"margin-right:10px;\"><\/I>5 Hours of Instruction<\/div>\n<div class=\"courseperks\"><i class=\"fas fa-film\" style=\"margin-right:10px;\"><\/I>22 Videos<\/div>\n<div class=\"courseperks\"><i class=\"fas fa-book\" style=\"margin-right:10px;\"><\/I>21 eBooks<\/div>\n<div class=\"courseperks\"><i class=\"fas fa-shield-alt\" style=\"margin-right:10px;\"><\/i>30 Day Money Back Guarantee<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<p>\n\n<div class=\"contentfix\">\n<div class=\"favorites\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tabs\">\n  <input name=\"tabs\" type=\"radio\" id=\"tab-1\" checked=\"checked\" class=\"input\"\/><br \/>\n  <label for=\"tab-1\" class=\"label\">Description<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"panel\">\n<h2>Lesson Description<\/h2>\n<p>In this lesson, we continue our portrait drawing series and focus on the final element that brings a portrait to life: hair. This is the fifth module in the portrait series, and it covers techniques for drawing realistic hair with colored pencils. By the end of this lesson, you will understand how to create texture, volume, and natural flow in hair, completing your portrait with confidence.<\/p>\n<h2>Understanding Hair Structure<\/h2>\n<p>Before drawing hair, it\u2019s important to understand its structure and behavior. Hair grows in sections, with strands flowing in specific directions and responding to light differently depending on the texture and thickness. In this section, Matt breaks down hair into basic forms and planes, showing how to observe the overall shape, movement, and flow. Understanding these fundamentals helps you avoid drawing hair as flat or stiff lines.<\/p>\n<h2>Layering and Building Hair with Colored Pencils<\/h2>\n<p>Hair is best created through careful layering of colored pencils. In this lesson, you will learn how to build depth and richness by gradually layering light and dark tones. Matt demonstrates how to begin with general shapes and values, then refine individual strands to create realistic texture. Emphasis is placed on patience and observation, showing how subtle layering can make hair appear soft, full, and lifelike.<\/p>\n<h2>Using Direction and Flow<\/h2>\n<p>Direction and flow are key to natural-looking hair. In this section, you will learn how to follow the natural curves of the head, ensuring that each stroke complements the overall movement of the hair. Techniques include drawing with short, controlled strokes for fine hair and longer, sweeping strokes for larger sections. Matt also explains how to avoid common mistakes, such as drawing hair in straight, uniform lines that appear unnatural.<\/p>\n<h2>Capturing Highlights and Shadows<\/h2>\n<p>Highlights and shadows give hair volume and dimension. In this lesson, you will learn how to observe the way light interacts with hair and replicate it using colored pencils. Matt shows how to preserve highlights by leaving areas of the paper untouched or lightly layering lighter tones, while deepening shadows with darker pencils. This balance of light and dark creates a sense of realism and depth, making the hair appear three-dimensional.<\/p>\n<h2>Step-by-Step Hair Demonstration<\/h2>\n<p>Matt provides a detailed, step-by-step demonstration for drawing hair in a portrait. You will follow along as he sketches the general shape, blocks in the base colors, layers midtones, and refines individual strands. The demonstration emphasizes blending, layering, and adding subtle details to achieve a polished and realistic finish. By working systematically, you can apply the same techniques to any hair type or style.<\/p>\n<h2>Practical Exercises and Tips<\/h2>\n<p>At the end of the lesson, practical exercises help reinforce the concepts learned. These exercises include practicing different hair textures, experimenting with highlights and shadows, and observing how hair interacts with light and surrounding facial features. Matt also provides tips for troubleshooting common issues, such as flatness, stiff lines, or overworked areas, ensuring your hair looks natural and dynamic.<\/p>\n<h2>Completing the Portrait<\/h2>\n<p>This lesson also focuses on integrating the hair with the rest of the portrait. You will learn how to balance hair with facial features, skin tones, and overall composition. By the end, your portrait will appear cohesive and complete, with realistic facial features and hair that adds expression, personality, and depth. Completing the hair is the final step in creating a polished, lifelike colored pencil portrait.<\/p>\n<p>Lesson 17 provides a comprehensive guide to drawing hair and finishing a portrait with colored pencils. By focusing on structure, layering, direction, and the interplay of light and shadow, you will gain the skills to create realistic, dynamic hair. Completing this module gives you the confidence to finish your portraits with professional-quality results, enhancing your overall colored pencil portrait drawing abilities and leaving you with a polished, lifelike work of art.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <input name=\"tabs\" type=\"radio\" id=\"tab-2\" class=\"input\"\/><br \/>\n  <label for=\"tab-2\" class=\"label\">Materials<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"panel\">\n<h2>Lesson Materials<\/h2>\n<p>Bristol paper, Prismacolor colored pencils, colorless blender.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <input name=\"tabs\" type=\"radio\" id=\"tab-3\" class=\"input\"\/><br \/>\n  <label for=\"tab-3\" class=\"label\">Resources<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"panel\">\n<h2>Lesson Resources<\/h2>\n<p><i class=\"fas fa-lock\" style=\"margin-right:10px;\"><\/I>Download eBook<\/p>\n<p><i class=\"fas fa-lock\" style=\"margin-right:10px;\"><\/I>Reference Image<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><input name=\"tabs\" type=\"radio\" id=\"tab-4\" class=\"input\"\/><br \/>\n  <label for=\"tab-4\" class=\"label\">Curriculum<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"panel\">\n<h2>Course Curriculum<\/h2>\n<div class=\"curriculumcontainer\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-introduction-and-materials\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 1: Introduction and Materials (4:12)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-colored-pencil-basics\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 2: Colored Pencil Basics (15:44)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-the-magic-of-burnishing\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 3: The Magic of Burnishing (19:20)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-value-and-the-underpainting\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 4: Value and Underpainting (17:11)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-using-color-theory-in-drawings\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 5: Color Theory (21:53)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-composition-and-still-life\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 6: Composition and Still Life (23:08)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-reflection-and-transparency\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 7: Reflection and Transparency (15:56)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-transferring-images\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 8: Transferring Images (9:03)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-creating-texture-part-1\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 9: Creating Texture - Part 1 (17:13)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-creating-texture-part-2\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 10: Creating Texture - Part 2 (15:55)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-landscape-drawing-part-1\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 11: Landscape Drawing - Part 1 (14:42)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-landscape-drawing-part-2\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 12: Landscape Drawing - Part 2 (16:05)<\/a\n\n><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-portrait-drawing-part-1\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 13: Portrait Drawing - Part 1 (15:55)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-portrait-drawing-part-2\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 14: Portrait Drawing - Part 2 (11:29)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-portrait-drawing-part-3\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 15: Portrait Drawing - Part 3 (12:13)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-portrait-drawing-part-4\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 16: Portrait Drawing - Part 4 (13:03)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-portrait-drawing-part-5\" class=\"curriculumselected\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 17: Portrait Drawing - Part 5 (9:37)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-watercolor-and-colored-pencils-part-1\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 18: Watercolor and Colored Pencils - Part 1 (15:03)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-watercolor-and-colored-pencils-part-2\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 19: Watercolor and Colored Pencils - Part 2 (10:48)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-watercolor-pencils-part-1\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 20: Watercolor Pencils - Part 1 (13:07)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-watercolor-pencils-part-2\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 21: Watercolor Pencils - Part 2 (11:07)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-colored-pencil-course-conclusion\" class=\"curriculum\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Lesson 22: Conclusion (4:32)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sidebarbottom\">\n<div class=\"relatedcourse\">Your Instructor<\/div>\n<div class=\"instructor\">\n<div class=\"instructorimage\">\n<div class=\"instructorpic\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/images\/mattauthor.jpg\" alt=\"Matt Fussell - Instructor\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"instructorname\">Matt Fussell<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"instructordes\">\n<p>Founder of The Virtual Instructor, artist and teacher. Matt makes learning art easy to understand and enjoyable.<\/p>\n<p><div style=\"padding-top:10px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/author\/admin\">Learn more about Matt<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relatedcoursescontainer\">\n<div class=\"relatedcourse\">Related Courses and Classes<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/3-little-birds-with-colored-pencils\" class=\"sidebarbottom-curriculum\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"leftlean\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>3 Little Birds with Colored Pencils<\/div>\n<div class=\"rightlean\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/3-little-birds-with-colored-pencils-course.jpg');\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/colored-pencils-plus\" class=\"sidebarbottom-curriculum\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"leftlean\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Colored Pencils PLUS<\/div>\n<div class=\"rightlean\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Colored-Pencils-Plus-Course.jpg');\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/peacock-with-colored-pencils\" class=\"sidebarbottom-curriculum\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"leftlean\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Peacock with Colored Pencils<\/div>\n<div class=\"rightlean\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Peacock-colored-pencils-lesson-series-400.jpg');\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Colored Pencil Course: Portrait Drawing &#8211; Part 5 Description Lesson Description In this lesson, we continue our portrait drawing series and focus on the final element that brings a portrait to life: hair. This is the fifth module in the portrait series, and it covers techniques for drawing realistic hair with colored pencils. By [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"paget-iframe.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9190","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9190"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46204,"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9190\/revisions\/46204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}