Portrait Drawing Fundamentals by Proko

Proko Portrait Drawing Fundamentals is a self-paced online course by Stan Prokopenko that teaches you to draw the human head from any angle. It starts with the Loomis method for constructing the head, then works through the eyes, nose, lips, ears and hair, and ends with full portrait demonstrations. There are 35 video lessons, around 8 hours and 10 minutes in total, and several are free. The full course costs $65 as a one-time purchase.

It is one of the most affordable courses in Proko's catalogue and one of its most watched. Where the figure and anatomy courses deal with the whole body, this one focuses on a single, demanding subject, so it is a good fit if faces are what you want to improve first.

What You Will Learn

Based on the official course page, the course covers:

• The Loomis method for building the head from a ball and a plane
• Drawing the head from front, side, tilted, upward and bird's-eye views
• Adapting the construction to different head types
• The eyes
• The nose
• The lips
• The ears
• Hair, including realistic rendering

Who Is Proko Portrait Drawing Fundamentals For?

Proko lists the course as suitable for beginners and intermediate artists. It works well for people who can draw simple forms but find that heads come out flat, lopsided or always facing forward. Illustrators and comic artists who need to draw characters from many angles will get a lot from the construction lessons.

It is not an in-depth course on the skull and facial muscles, nor a painting course. If you have no drawing experience at all, Proko's Drawing Basics will help you get more from this one.

Course Structure

The course is divided into three sections:

• The Loomis Method: an introduction to drawing the head from any angle, a rotating 3D model, and a series of real-time demonstrations covering front, side, tilted, up-tilted and bird's-eye views, plus quick head-drawing exercises
• The Features: lessons on the eyes, nose, lips, ears and hair
• Full Drawing Demos: two real-time demonstrations from start to finish

The shorter mini-lessons match the free versions published by Proko, while the premium course adds the extended lessons, demonstrations and assignment material.

Price and Access

The full course costs $65 as a single payment. Proko states that this is not a subscription and that buyers keep access to the videos and 3D models permanently. Split payments are offered at checkout, and the course can be bought as a gift.

Premium students get practice assignments with instructor demonstrations, browser-based 3D models for some lessons, downloadable 720p videos and transcripts, and English and Chinese captions. Refund requests go to Proko support within 30 days; they may be reviewed if more than a quarter of the content has been downloaded.

About the Instructor

Stan Prokopenko is the founder of Proko and an artist who teaches drawing, painting and anatomy. He also teaches Drawing Basics, Figure Drawing Fundamentals and Anatomy of the Human Body, and the approach in this course connects directly to those.

Things to Consider

• Time: The video is around eight hours long, but you will want to fill several sketchbook pages with heads between lessons.
• Reference: The 3D head models help, but you will also need photo reference to practise different faces.
• Materials: Any pencil and paper work. No software is needed.
• Free lessons: Several lessons are free, so you can try the Loomis approach before buying.
• Feedback: You can post assignments in the Proko community. Personal critiques are not part of the listed features.
• What next: Lucas Peinador's How to Draw Faces Like a Pro goes further into stylised faces, likeness and colour, and Steven Michael Hampton's Head Drawing and Construction offers a different construction method.

Start the Course

Interested in learning with Proko?

Start Portrait Drawing Fundamentals

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