Join artist Arafa Hosen in this immersive Portrait Sketching with Pen and Ink course, where artistic expression meets technical precision. With fifteen years of experience in portrait drawing across various mediums, Arafa finds pen and ink especially powerful in capturing the human form with emotion and depth. This workshop offers a structured journey from the fundamentals of portrait construction—focusing on proportion, structure, and gesture—to more advanced techniques such as shadow rendering, black-and-white ink wash, and enhancing realism with gel pen detailing.

Whether you’re a beginner or looking to refine your skills, you will gain hands-on experience and personalized guidance to bring expressive character and life to your portraits. By exploring the unique textures and tones of ink, will learn to create compelling, stylized portraits that reflect both technical skill and artistic intuition. Discover how simplicity in materials can yield profound creative impact through Arafa’s engaging and insightful teaching approach.

Course Outline:

• Introduction to Portrait Fundamentals: Learn basic facial proportions, structure, and gesture drawing techniques to build a strong foundation.
• Pen and Ink Techniques: Explore line quality, texture, and shading methods specific to pen and ink sketching.
• Black & White Wash with Japanese Ink: Understand tonal values and depth using traditional ink wash techniques for dramatic effects.
• Detailing and Realism with Gel Pen: Apply finishing touches and highlights to enhance realism and expression in your portraits.
• Final Project and Creative Exploration: Create a complete portrait artwork, applying all techniques learned, with individual feedback and artistic development guidance.

Learning Outcomes:

• Apply various pen and ink techniques, including hatching, cross-hatching, and stippling, to create detailed and expressive portraits.
• Utilize Japanese ink wash methods to develop tonal values and depth in portrait sketches.
• Incorporate gel pen highlights to enhance realism and contrast in black-and-white portrait artworks.
• Produce a completed portrait that integrates all learned techniques, showcasing individual style and technical skill.

What to bring:

• What to Bring:
• Sketchbook or loose drawing paper (A4 or A3 size, suitable for ink)
• Black fine-liner pens (various nib sizes recommended)
• Japanese ink or black India ink
• Watercolour plate
• Small to medium-sized brushes for ink wash
• Black & White gel pens for highlights and detailing
• Pencil and eraser for initial sketches
• Water container and paper towels or cloth for cleaning brushes
• Apron or old clothes (optional, for ink work)

About the Tutor:

'Arafat Hosen is an artist and educator with over fifteen years of teaching experience in the Department of Fine Art and Graphic Design at Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology in Dhaka, Bangladesh. As an art practitioner, watercolour painting has become a personal and meditative journey of self-inquiry, where the blending of colours reflects movement and uncertainty, revealing new dimensions in visual narratives. Teaching has always been Arafat’s passion, especially the opportunity to meet new people and share stories. These interactions enrich his understanding of social and cultural ideologies, deepening the human experience through art. His work bridges traditional and contemporary practices, grounded in observation and a thoughtful exploration of form, colour, and meaning.'

Other Information:

• To ensure resources are ready for you at the start of your course, we ask you ideally enrol at least one week before the course commences.
• All courses need a minimum number of students to run ("we try our hardest to get those") . If your course does not have enough students it will be cancelled before the commencement and you will be informed.