How to Draw Faces Like a Pro by Proko

How to Draw Faces Like a Pro is a self-paced online course on Proko taught by Lucas Peinador, a concept artist and illustrator. It takes you from the skull and the basic head lay-in through the features, hair and likeness to expressions, light, colour and a finished portrait. There are 91 video lessons in 11 modules, about 21 hours in total, with a few free lessons. The course costs $229 as a one-time purchase and includes a portrait reference pack and a year of access to the Facely3D app.

Proko's other head courses focus on construction in pencil. This one is aimed at digital artists and goes further, into stylisation, character consistency, emotion and colour. It is the most complete course on faces in the Proko catalogue.

What You Will Learn

Based on the official course page, the main topics are:

• Laying in the head and understanding the skull
• Drawing the eyes, nose, mouth and ears
• Avoiding "same face syndrome" by designing varied faces
• Drawing and stylising hair
• Capturing likeness and keeping a character consistent
• Personality and facial expressions
• Light, value and colour for faces
• Taking a portrait to a finished piece

Who Should Take How to Draw Faces Like a Pro?

Proko lists it as suitable for beginners and intermediate artists. It suits illustrators, concept artists, comic artists and character designers who work digitally and want to draw expressive, consistent faces. It also helps if your faces all look the same, a problem the course tackles directly.

Proko notes that it is not recommended for purely traditional artists, as some of the techniques depend on layers and blending modes, although much of the drawing content applies to any medium. If you want a simpler pencil-based start, Portrait Drawing Fundamentals is cheaper and shorter.

Course Structure

The course is divided into 11 modules:

• Welcome and Introduction (including setting goals, tracking progress and a head lay-in drill)
• The Skull
• The Head
• Facial Features
• Avoiding Same Face Syndrome
• The Hair
• Likeness and Character Consistency
• Personality and Facial Expressions
• Light and Value
• The Colour
• Full Portrait

Modules end with a wrap-up and an assignment, supported by demonstrations and step-by-step process videos.

Price and Access

The course costs $229. Proko describes access as permanent. Split payments are available, and adding more Proko courses to the cart gives a bundle discount of up to 15%.

The price includes two bonuses: a reference pack of more than 860 portrait and expression photos, and one year of access to Facely3D, a 3D head-drawing companion app. You also get a timer file for use with the Proko Timer, assignments with demonstrations, and downloads for offline personal use. Refund requests go to Proko support within 30 days and may be reviewed if more than a quarter of the content has been downloaded.

About the Instructor

Lucas Peinador has more than ten years of professional experience across concept art, illustration, university teaching and art direction for video games. He grew up in Costa Rica and has worked as an art director for mobile games in Slovenia. He also teaches Storytelling Portraits on Proko.

Things to Consider

• Software: You need a painting app with layers and layer modes. Clip Studio Paint, Photoshop, Procreate and Krita are all suggested.
• Time: Around 21 hours of video across 11 modules, plus drills and assignments.
• Facely3D: The included access lasts one year, so make the most of it while you work through the course.
• Feedback: You can post assignments in the Proko community. Instructor critiques are not listed for this course.
• What next: Storytelling Portraits, also by Peinador, applies these skills to character archetypes and portrait design.

Start the Course

Interested in learning with Proko?

Start How to Draw Faces Like a Pro

For the full syllabus and pricing, visit the official Proko website.

Looking for more ways to learn? Browse all courses and learning resources on Good Stuff Weekly.

Last verified: October 16, 2026