$127.20
$159
You save $31.8
Bundle discount Each additional course part in your cart adds 3% off all courses, up to 15% off.
Full course
You will be given unexpiring access to watch the videos online .
$127.20
$159
Give a gift
Give a gift card for art students to use on anything in the Proko store.
Or gift this course:
About instructor
Founder of Proko, artist and teacher of drawing, painting, and anatomy. I try to make my lessons fun and ultra packed with information.
LESSON NOTES
In this project, we will practice measuring with a portrait drawing. Accurate proportions are essential for capturing a likeness. We'll break the process down into steps, starting with the biggest shapes and working our way down to the small details. I’ll also show you the various measurements and strategies I use when going through this process.
Join us in the premium course to get access to this lesson, full lesson notes, assignments, demonstrations and critiques!
DOWNLOADS
ASSIGNMENTS![]()
![Jose Anton]()
![]()
![Marco Sordi]()
![]()
![Diego Lira Cruz]()
![]()
![Rachel Dawn Owens]()
![]()
![Lucien W]()
![]()
![Paul]()
![]()
![Chuck Ludwig Reina]()
![]()
![Bill Gathen]()
![]()
![@nejc]()
![]()
![Mario Arroyo]()
![]()
![Marco Sordi]()
![]()
![Alessandra Kostolias]()
![]()
![Melanie Scearce]()
![]()
![@nelorin]()
![]()
![Tori Blade]()
![]()
![Melanie Scearce]()
![]()
![Lucky S]()
![]()
![Jeremy Fernando]()
![]()
![@dragonway]()
![]()
![Richard]()
![]()
![Monica]()
![]()
![Richard]()
![]()
![Adham Tallat]()
![]()
![Melanie Scearce]()
![]()
![Ronja B.]()
![]()
![Richard]()
Deadline: Submit your assignment by 07/25/2023 for a chance to be featured in the next critique video!
Use the reference photo and all the measuring methods you learned in the previous lesson to practice drawing a portrait with accurate proportion.
Keep in mind that your layin will get harder as you move from big shapes to smaller details. Don't draw too small, otherwise the shapes of the features will be too small and harder to draw accurate. Keep the photo next to or in front of your paper to avoid distortion.
Expect a careful layin to take about an hour. Don't rush. Worry about accuracy, not time.
Remember - big to small, use straight lines, measure units, double check, find plumb lines, judge angles. Try to have fun!
Level 2, you're doing the same thing for this one. This exercise doesn't change no matter what your experience level is.
The Musketeer photo reference is from the Musketeer Model Pack by Grafit Studio
Without a doubt, this is one of the most difficult lessons so far in the course (not counting drawing from imagination). Everything was going well when I was taking the vertical measurements, but when I tried to take any horizontal measurements, it was impossible. I'll rewatch the lesson and try to find information on how to measure with a pencil because I was completely lost during the exercise. I did most of the measurements by intuition, and I don't think that's the purpose of the exercise. I'll continue practicing this exercise for a few more days.
2025/11/23. Good morning everybody. Here's my second assignment for this section. Thanks for any comment or critique. Have a good Sunday.
To be honest, I didn't really like the results of my first two attempts at drawing this way.
•
3d
These look great and very carefully measured!
What bothers you about them?
You're exaggerating some areas a bit too much, primarily the cheek. Try to also round it out a small bit more. Some shading and/or lines telling apart the planes of the face would also help.
Again a pretty difficult assignment. But first try, for my capabilities, not bad. I am quite pleased with it. Never done this so well thanks to Proko's explanation before the assignment. I guess its now practice, practice and practice.
•
3d
Nice work! And yep, the secret is just getting in there and practicing.
This was quite a task! Good chance to pull out my old newsprint.
I tried to be patient and search for good measurements, and all in all I'm pleased with how it came out. I don't think the resemblance is there because the jaw is too short (which makes the ear look too far back when it's not), but the eyes and nose are all pointing in the same direction. LOL
Measuring does really feel anti-creative and it tries my patience, but if you don't practice the hard stuff, it'll never become easy!
First attempt at the musketeer. Could not do with straight lines, I get lost. I am either black or white...have to work on that. Additionally, the lines are not as cleaned as I would like them to be.
Tried adding values with Tombow markers. got my values mixed up. However, I used procreate to check my lines and proportions.
2025/11/17. Good evening everybody. Here’s my first attempt for this chapter.
I haven't used the pencil measuring system. I used to do it until a couple of years ago. Now I just use my eyes and measure with them. Measuring makes me feel caged. I prefer to start with primary forms and then sculpt them as if, instead of paper and pencil, I had a block of marble and a chisel. It's easier to make mistakes. But it's more fun. As Peter Han says, at a certain point, when you feel you have good fundamentals, you have to move away from sterile practice and rely on muscle memory and instinct. I call it my artistic autopilot. Obviously I haven't abandoned the routine (as you can see, I'm certainly not a master), and like any athlete, I do my exercises every day and study new courses constantly. Because of Proko and his teachers, I'm becoming poor 💰🚫Good night everyone.
My first ever attempt at sketching a portrait, it was really hard and rewarding! Loved working on the 14x17 inch paper for a change. Any feedback is appreciated!
•
8d
You got really close! I made a couple of notes below. This type of drawing is very tedious and is going to take some repetitions to get the hang of, but you're on the right track!
Here is my attempt. I struggled with getting the proportions down and tried to get big envelopes containing the maximum height and width of things and then break down the internal proportions like the lesson explained. Overall I am pretty happy at the first attempt, but I know I am going to need a lot of practice.
Here is my submission for this assignment!
I’m currently going through this course for the second time (not as in-depth, but focusing on the areas I feel I still need to improve). I completed this assignment about a year ago, and I can see that I’ve made noticeable progress since then. I’ve attached both my previous attempt and my new one for comparison.
I’m pretty happy with how this turned out, and I would really appreciate any critiques or advice. I’m trying to solidify my fundamentals before moving on to figure drawing. I’m a bit worried that if I move on too soon, I won’t have the foundational skills I need if that makes sense.
•
9d
Wow, this is awesome! Thanks for sharing your progress with us.
I totally understand not wanting to rush into a new topic, just don't let that hold you back from keeping a good pace with your learning. It's ok if you don't feel totally ready. In my personal experience, learning how to draw the figure led to improvements in other areas as well.
Keep up the good work :)
This one took maybe a bit more than an hour. Tried to make sure I didn't rush and tried to get acurate.
I think i did ok, although i am not too sure about my measuring. It looks too wide to me. Definitely need to practice measuring more. What do you guys think compared to the original photo? I don't know if i added all the details Stam wanted me to add, or if this is enough detail. Any critique is welcome!
I like the edges, it looks like it is chiseled. It looks good. In terms of proportions, the head and body should be more elongated. Nice work!
I did a first attempt and realised that I'd got the size of the hat way off. I'm not sure what happened, I then went back and corrected slightly. The overlay is of the final piece to see where I went wrong, still need to work on some of the angles and proportions.
Really not the best photo, but seem to have gone completely off whack with this one and an area I struggle with due to wanting to rush! Definitely one to practice
Don't rush! you're not too far off I don't think, like my own problem I'd check the relative size of the hat to the face. Also the angle of the eyes they are too straight which then you followed through on all the other features, he's slightly tilting his head so they are at more of an angle.
•
19d
Hey @Adham Tallat, this isn't far off at all. Try not to be too hard on yourself, this skill just requires lots of practice and iteration to really get the hang of :) I noticed two main points to correct. The first is the mouth placement, which is a very easy fix. It's a bit too low on his face and as a result, his chin is too thin. Moving his mouth up slightly will remedy that issue.
The second thing I noticed is a little more complicated. If we make our measurements from the top point of the hat and send a plumb line down vertically, the musketeer's left eye should be spaced further to the right of our plumb line; yours is close up on the plumb line. As a result, the face is stretched horizontally too wide in relationship to the vertical measurement.
Like I said, this skill is developed through practice, so checking your work, noticing what went wrong, and taking that into account for your next drawing is a the best process here. You're doing a great job, keep it up!
I really thought I would do better than I did xD I tried on paper at first and then digital and thought the digital one would turn out better because there wasn’t as much of a distortion but I was very wrong!
Feel free to leave advice on how I could do better
You're not far off I don't think. I'd say the pencil is slightly closer actually, though they both have slightly different problems. The pencil one, the mouth is a bit too low, he has such thin lips with a beard so it plays tricks I think, otherwise the width of the hat just needed fixing a bit. The digital one the ear is too high, you can see this in your plumb lines photo, it matches the eye line.
