The Open Sketchbook

This course approaches portrait drawing from beneath the surface, examining the skull, anatomical landmarks, proportional systems, and spatial relationships that organize the human head. Rather than copying features or relying on simple formulas alone, we’ll work toward a deeper understanding of how forms relate to each other, and how structure supports likeness, clarity, and expression.

Through demonstrations, guided studies, and focused assignments, you’ll learn to construct the head with intention, whether working from observation, reference, or imagination. The emphasis throughout is on understanding form in space, not rendering tricks or stylistic shortcuts.

This course is ideal for artists who feel their portraits fall apart as soon as the head turns, proportions shift, or complexity increases- and who want a more reliable, anatomical framework to build from.

This course is for you if you want to:

• Understand the underlying structure of the head, not just surface features
• Improve proportional accuracy and spatial clarity
• Draw portraits that feel solid, intentional, and cohesive
• Replace guesswork with anatomical understanding

Studying portraiture from the inside-out is less about memorizing rules, and more about learning the logic of how portrait anatomy is organized, so you can apply it confidently across your own practice.