Practice Makes Playful: Draw a Pen Portrait with Tommy Lipkins
"The mission is to stay loose"
This lesson (68 mins) from artist Tommy Lipkins is an exercise in staying loose, embracing playfulness, and letting simple tools do the heavy lifting.
You’ll discover how to tackle tricky accessories—like structured hats and bold glasses—without losing the lively, youthful spirit of your subject.
What You'll Explore in This Lesson
- Embracing Everyday Tools: See how accessible supplies—like standard ballpoint pens, graphic liners, white gel pens, and toned paper—can create rich, expressive portraits without breaking the bank.
- Capturing Character & Mood: Learn to tackle challenging portrait elements (hats, glasses, and expressive expressions) by breaking them down into quick, playful gesture lines.
- Working With Your Canvas: Discover how toned paper allows your art to breathe, letting the surface act as a mid-tone so you can focus on building subtle depth with simple directional strokes and pops of color.
- The Joy of the Process: Follow along as Tommy shares his personal philosophy on keeping a warm, kid-like curiosity in your practice, letting go of the pressure to control every mark.
Artistic Insight: "The mission is to stay loose. When we play, who's trying to stay clean? We're out here having a good time." — Tommy Lipkins
Ready to get playful with this pen portrait? Let's get started!
