Realistic Drawing Techniques with JD Hillberry

Transform your drawings into high contrast,eye catching, works of art!
BEARDED MAN WITH DRAMATIC LIGHTING
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Watch the video below to learn more about this tutorial

This portrait is drawn on white paper. The background is rendered with charcoal.
In this tutorial, you'll learn how and when to add the dark background.




Using a contrasting background can make your subject pop off the page. I show you exactly how I create the smooth, jet black background that makes this portrait pop! 

The white beard is one of the main features of this portrait.



You'll learn the techniques I use to keep the beard lines thin, crisp, and white. You also need to know how to give the beard depth and fullness. These techniques will easily transfer to all your future drawings where you need high contrast against a darker background.

You'll follow along from start to finish!

I'll show you several different methods to get the proportions down on your paper correctly, and take you step by step all the way to the final touches to make this subject pop off the page with depth and realism.

A Few Testimonials From Previous Students

I have all of JD’s tutorials and just got this one too!  I’ve watched each one over and over and the techniques I’ve learned are invaluable. Thank you JD!!!
Alan W

"If any of you have ever considered wanting to learn how to draw there is no one out there that is as good as JD. He is so easy to follow. His teaching style is phenomenal. You don’t have to know how to draw a thing. He’ll teach you everything you need to know and even show you different ways to trace your work so you can learn how to do the proper shading to make something come to life if you are not comfortable learning to create your own sketch. He is not on YouTube or Patreon or any of the other teaching sites. Once you buy lessons from him, you can go back as many times as you want to for years no monthly fee like the other teaching platforms. You will learn what he teaches in all his very popular live workshops."
Kathy S

The comment below was sent to me after the student took the live drawing workshop of this same subject:
"The workshop in Arizona with the bearded man and dark background really was the "ah ha", "Shazam" class for me. I really appreciate all you have taught me and I Can't wait to keep learning more! I can't say enough positive things about JD Hillberry!!
Mary Ann
Learning from you has been such a blessing to me. Thank you!
Carol M.

"I recently gave a presentation for a women's group speaking about my drawings and how the power of encouragement helped me want to learn and do my best. It takes a great teacher with a lot of patience and encouragement to show the student how to improve. I will always be so grateful."
Mary A.

JD is the best mentor and instructor I have ever worked with. Hands down!
Marie B.

"I have taken numerous art classes and lessons as a hobbyist - never a serious vocational student - and I have also held a job where I had to review thousands of applications for employment in a large number of work areas, beginner to senior level employment. It may sound like an odd comparison, but those experiences - exposure to different efforts at teaching and exposure to a huge array of talents at expression where only an extremely small number in either field exhibit rare genius - only heightens my admiration of the work you have produced in your tutorials, your in-person instruction and especially this tutorial."
Kudos. Keep it up.
Rod S.

Lesson Content

This tutorial contains 9 lessons and nearly 3 hours of content.
Plus, you'll get all the reference photo variations I use and a photo of my finished drawing.

    LESSONS:

    1) Choosing the Best Paper and Drawing Tools:
    If you use the wrong paper for this project, I can guarantee you will NOT be successful. I will take you through my tests using different papers and show you why one works better than all the others. This knowledge will allow you to choose the right paper when you use these techniques on your own high contrast subjects. In this lesson, you'll also practice all the techniques you'll be using on your final project so you won't have a fear of making mistakes when you start the project. 

    2) Basic Outline Options: There are many ways to get the proportions on your paper down correctly. If you want a good likeness of your subject, it really doesn't matter which one you use - as long as the results are accurate. I'll demonstrate the methods many professional artists use, and let you know which ones I find to be the simplest and most useful.

    3) Simplifying the Reference Photo: The beard in this project can appear overwhelming at first. You'll learn how to simplify the reference photo so it all fits together like a puzzle. You'll also learn about creating reference points so you'll never get lost during the drawing process.

    4) Indenting the Beard: This method of producing crisp, white lines against a darker background is the best way I've found to create realistic looking beard, hair, and fur. I'll take you step by step and show you the best tools to use for this as well as where to start this process to create overlapping hairs that create depth and realism. 

    5) Adding Value to the Beard: This is where the "magic" starts to happen. When you go over these indentations with charcoal, the beard seems to start drawing itself. You also get important tips to ensure these lines look like a full beard instead of just a bunch of white lines on your paper.

    6) Features and Skin Texture PART 1: You'll follow along as begin to render the eyes, nose, and wrinkles on for the portrait. Before you start darkening values and adding texture, you'll need to make sure everything will be drawn in exactly the right place. Many pencil artists have the issue of having perfectly rendered features but their placement is slightly off. 

    7) Features and Skin Texture PART 2: This lesson shows you how to create the textures needed for realistic looking skin and wrinkles. One of the most important aspects of this step is make sure the initial values are correct before you start adding these details. Too many artists move on to texture and details too soon which results in drawings that lack contrast and depth. 

    8) Background, Hair, and Clothing: Adding the dark background at the right time is necessary to help you judge all the other values in your drawing. I'll explain and demonstrate why this is so important. Once you understand the concept here, you'll know if you should consider a background in all your future drawings, and when it should be done. You'll also see how and why I decided to alter the clothing from the reference photo. 

    9) Finishing Touches: Knowing when a drawing is finished is a problem for many artists. I'll show you the steps I take to double check everything, and what to do if you find some things are slightly "off". 

    What you learn in this tutorial will have a major impact on your future drawings.

    Here are some drawings students have produced after learning these techniques.

    Student Drawing After Learning These Techniques
    Student Drawing Animal Fur After Learning These Techniques
    Student Drawing After Learning These Techniques
    Student Drawing Animal Fur After Learning These Techniques
    Student Drawing After Learning These Techniques
    Student Drawing of the Bearded Man Subject

    Your Purchase Also Includes:

    • Forever Access to this tutorial from any device with an internet connection.
      Internet too slow... no problem. Shoot me an email and I'll arrange another way for you to access the lessons.
    • Membership to my Tutorial Website (NO MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP FEE)
    • Access to my Members Only Drawing Forum to upload your drawings for helpful critiques from me and over 4,500 other members.
    • In the Membership Area, you will be the first to be notified of sale prices for future tutorials and drawing supplies.
    • And Much, Much More!

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