Painting a Realistic Watercolor Portrait in Procreate: From Sketch to Final Piece

Painting a realistic portrait is much more than creating a well proportioned sketch and using a beautiful color palette. Our goal is to capture the likeness and character of a subject.

My name is Lettie, I studied Architecture and I’ve been an illustrator since 2012.

I’ve worked on a wide range of projects from architectural designs to video games, to children’s books, websites, I sell my illustrations on print-on-demand sites and, currently, I am combining my illustrator work with teaching digital art... I think it's worth the effort to take on new challenges and keep evolving. And today, is a good day for a new challenge! Yes, today we are going to paint a realistic watercolor portrait in Procreate. I know it can be intimidating, but I will walk you through all my process.

We will start learning how to choose a good reference image. We’ll talk about the importance of lighting and contrast. 

Afterwards, we will use the Loomis method to simplify the head into basic forms. We will learn how to make a value study in a traditional and in a digital way, understand the properties of color and several methods to create the perfect color palette.

Next, we will talk about digital watercolors. Since the techniques and process will be the same than with real watercolors, you will be able to do this digitally or traditionally. The choice is yours!

Finally, we will start painting our portrait. I’ll share with you tips on how to paint skin, eyes, hair, fabric folds, texture, and much more.

I’ve included in the Resources section reference images, custom brushes, color palettes, procreate files… everything you need to start painting your portrait. 

Basic knowledge of Procreate is recommended but not required to take this class. Having said that, let’s get started!

• Introduction
• Reference Image
• Sketching
• Value Study
• Color Palette
• Masking Fluid
• Glazing
• Aged Skin
• Layering Colors
• Adding Blue
• Painting Fabric
• Painting Hair
• Finishing Touches