Naturalist Illustration with Ballpoint Pen by Ricardo Macia Lalinde (Ilustración naturalista con bolígrafo – Spanish, Multisub)

Discover the technique of pen inking and learn to master the stroke to create incredible lights, shadows, and textures.
Can you imagine creating illustrations full of details and textures with just a pen? Graphic designer and illustrator Ricardo Macía masters this inking technique in a way that by simply varying the pressure of the stroke, he is able to generate different patterns that become lights and shadows, achieving incredibly realistic results.

In this course, you will learn the basic concepts of the pen inking technique applied to naturalistic illustration. Throughout the units, you will perform different exercises to create gradients, volume, and contrasts, controlling the strength of your strokes. Then, you will create a composition with elements of flora and fauna and combine the realistic textures of the ink with digital color in Photoshop to achieve a unique result.

What will you learn in this online course?
To start, Ricardo Macía will talk about his beginnings in the world of illustration. He will also show you his favorite works and the graphic influences and references that inspire him to create.

Next, you will review some basic ideas about naturalistic illustration and familiarize yourself with the technique of using a pen. You will practice various exercises that will teach you how to generate gradients and volume by controlling the pressure in your strokes, before studying concepts such as line fluidity, repetition, spacing, layers, and direction. Then, you will prepare a mood board with references for your project and develop thumbnails to play with values and composition rules.

After learning the basics of working with the pen technique, you will move on to creating your final artwork. You will design a digital sketch in Photoshop and then transfer it to paper by simplifying the forms. Then, you will take your pen and proceed to ink your illustration, creating textures and chiaroscuro through strokes, from the head of your bird to the rest of the body and accompanying flora. To finish, you will touch up some areas to highlight details and achieve a realistic look.

In the last unit, you will digitize your illustration and edit it to bring out its full potential. Then, you will add color to your illustration in Photoshop, and finally, Ricardo will give you some tips on how to export it for digital media or printing.

What is the course project?
You will create an illustrated composition using the pen technique that integrates elements of flora and fauna, and then apply digital coloring to it.