Bold Strokes, Quiet Focus: Draw a Ballpoint Portrait with Alvin Chong

In a fast-paced, distracting world, drawing with a ballpoint pen offers a rare opportunity to slow down, focus, and build confidence in your artistic process.

In this lesson (77 mins), Malaysia-based tattoo artist Alvin Chong invites you to embrace the patience and precision that pen drawing requires. “With pen, you can’t erase mistakes, so just go slow and enjoy it,” he says, encouraging you to be present with each stroke and trust the process.

As a tattoo artist, Alvin works in the ultimate uneraseable art form, and he brings that same steady confidence to his pen drawings. He will guide you step by step through the creation of a portrait, showing you how to build form through cross-hatching, control your lines, and approach challenging angles with a thoughtful mindset.

Alvin’s use of a red pencil underdrawing provides a helpful roadmap, allowing you to refine proportions before committing to ink. His approach balances control and spontaneity, helping you embrace imperfections as part of the creative journey.

This lesson challenges you to tackle a complex portrait with an unusual perspective, offering valuable insights into managing proportions, shading, and layering with a simple ballpoint pen. While the medium presents challenges—such as ink blotting and the inability to erase—Alvin’s tips and techniques will help you develop a greater sense of control and adaptability. Whether you’re struggling with hatching techniques or building confidence in your lines, this lesson provides practical solutions and a supportive approach.

More than just a drawing exercise, this lesson is an opportunity to step away from the rush of everyday life and experience the meditative, rewarding nature of pen drawing. Whether you’re an experienced artist or just starting out, Alvin’s guidance will help you embrace the challenges, enjoy the process, and discover the expressive potential of an everyday tool.

Ready to draw? Let's get started!