Hi, I'm Pedro Loureiro

...and I believe everyone can become an artist.

I am Pedro, a professional artist and art teacher from Lisbon, Portugal. 

I'm an urban sketcher by heart. My art connects me to places, people and allows me to see the world differently. By sketching, we see the world in a novel way, and each sketch we do is a story that we tell back to the world.


I believe everyone can learn how to draw. It's more about learning how to see than anything else, and I can teach you - no matter your level or experience.

Art is essential to humans.

Art is a way to connect us. We tell stories through art; throughout history, humans survived because we kept passing down stories. Because we stayed connected.


Aside from my way of telling stories, art is a way to keep memories alive. I sketch and paint the world how I see it, and every time I look at a sketch I made, I remember that day much more vividly.


...and at the end of the day, what is life if not a collection of memories and experiences?

It started with comics.

I've been making art since I can remember, but I put it aside for a long time. I kept the art flame alive by reading comics.


It was in college, while studying architecture, that I started taking art seriously again. I focused on realism drawing at the time, which worked wonders to build my foundations alongside blind contour drawing.


As art found its way back to me (and I to it), I connected with the Urban Sketchers group in Portugal. Community is something essential when you're an artist. Having a peer group with a common goal helps you get to the next level - and opens a whole world of possibilities.

And so I became an Architect.

I graduated and started working at a local firm. It was all going well until a big financial crisis hit my country, and the firm closed.


Without many options, my girlfriend and I decided to move to Sweden to try our luck. We served tables and washed dishes for two years. Since work wrapped up around 4 pm, we were able to use the rest of the time to travel and meet new people.

Sweden marked the transition from hobbyist to professional artist.

Art is my way of connecting with people. As an introvert, striking up a conversation from thin air does not come naturally to me. Instead, I prefer to pull out my sketchbook when I'm out and about, and conversation flows.


We went to parties, and I started sketching people. This brought me art gigs. And art became a real thing.


After two years in Sweden, we returned to Portugal. As my connection with the Urban Sketchers stayed strong, they helped me find my next job.

And then, I officially became a professional Artist (at an Architecture firm).


A full circle. I started spending my days drawing the architecture designs so that the Architects could better communicate their ideas to our clients. 


When I'm not working, I'm making more art (did I tell you I took up travel sketching, so I could register the places I travel to?) - or teaching others how to draw.

As I developed my Art career, I started focusing on learning how to teach Art.

People often asked me for advice as I made Art and connected with others. I took pride and joy in helping them grow.


Teaching Art is an entirely different skill from making it. Teaching requires understanding why you do what you do and vocalising that while supporting and encouraging your students.


That said, I took an intensive course to understand how I could become a teacher after returning to Portugal - and I've been doing it ever since.


Teaching makes me a better artist, and as I grow as an artist, I become a better teacher.


- Pedro Loureiro

How can you support me?

I'm passionate about what I do. If you'd like to support me, there are plenty of ways to go about it:

What's coming up next?

I'm super excited to introduce you to my new courses with Etchr: Figure Drawing Fundamentals, Part 1 and 2!

Both courses will be live. You can enrol for any part (or both), anytime, since we will record and publish everything as we go.

price option <div class="editor-content"><p>Part 1: Bare Basics</p></div>

Part 1: Bare Basics

$75

Fit for beginners. This course will teach you how to go from stick figures to fully drawn people. Pedro will cover multiple themes, such as proportion, body, facial and hand gestures and expressions, and how to depict people with different body types from different angles.

price option <div class="editor-content"><p style="text-align: left">Part 2: Bringing Your <br>Figure to Life</p></div>

Part 2: Bringing Your
Figure to Life

$82

Learn how to use watercolour to add shape and dimension, conveying clothes and believable fabric movement, hairstyles and textures, as well as posing from different angles.

price option <div class="editor-content"><p>Part 1 + Part 2</p></div>

Part 1 + Part 2

U$95

Enrol for both courses at a discounted price.

Dates and Time:

Part 1

5 Classes: Sep. 6, 13, 20, 27 and Oct. 3.

1 Live Feedback Session: Oct. 10

Time: 2pm EST


Part 2

4 Classes: Oct. 17, 24, 31, Nov. 7

1 Live Feedback Session: Nov. 14

Time: 2pm EST (Class on Oct 31 will be at 3pm EST)


Note: Everything will be recorded and available for you to watch later.

What are others saying


Pedro has a gift for teaching. I've learned a lot over his sketching course and love that he's given us tools to approach sketching in our own styles.

R

RG

Student

Pedro is the best of a wonderful stable of teachers. And that is really saying a lot.

G

GU

Student

Pedro's feedback was unlike any teacher I've ever worked with. Not just how and what, but also a way of seeing. Not just intellectually, but somatically.

J

JD

Student

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to buy both Courses? Can I buy just Part 1 or just Part 2?

You can enrol in any course. You can choose to take only Part 1, Part 2, or get both at a discounted price.


Aside from purchasing this course, you can choose to subscribe to our platform and access both courses, other courses and over 450 hours of recorded classes, as well as any upcoming new live classes and courses!

I'm a subscriber. Do I have to purchase this course separately?

This course is free for all Subscribers.

Please email us at hello@etchrstudio.com to indicate your interest in participating, and you are all set.


If you'd like to subscribe, please go to this page.


*Program participation is withdrawn once the subscription is no longer active.

Can I get my money back if I don't like the course?

We offer a no-questions-asked 7 day money back guarantee, counting from the purchase date.

We only ask that you request a refund before spending two hours or more on the course. We will then, proceed with the refund and cancelation.

The guarantee extends to all classes or courses that are purchased individually but not to our subscriptions.

What will I learn in each class?

Great question! Here is a short description for every single class:


Part 1: Bare Basics


Session 1: Proportions of the human body

Learn how to visualise and sketch a human figure, starting with stick figures. By using simple sketching tools - paper, pencil, pen and ink- you will grasp the basic proportions and structure of the human body. By the end of this class, you'll be able to sketch simple figures and casual postures.


Session 2: Fleshing out the Body

Learn how to place body mass around your skeleton sketches. Discover the strong and weak spots of the body, their functions, and how that matters when sketching the shape of the human figure so that you learn by observing people around you. By the end of this class, you'll be able to confidently sketch a dynamic human figure of any size or proportion in different postures and actions, regardless of body type.


Session 3: Head and Expressions

Learn how to sketch human heads from different angles and with different expressions. By the end of this class, you'll be able to grasp and draw the shape of a head regardless of its angle while making it look alive and interactive with just a few quick lines.


Session 4: Hands and Gestural Expressions

Learn how to lay human hands on paper in different positions and actions. You will get familiar with a human hand's basic elements and articulations, filling them with volume and sketching them in any posture and at different distances/scales. By the end of this class, you'll be able to understand the connections and articulations within a human hand and represent them in different actions and postures.


Session 5: Bringing it All Together 

Progress from the initial skeletons to sketching a full human figure with volume and expression. Practice different speeds of execution to challenge your comfort zone while tackling both resting and moving figures. In your sketches, you will experiment with simple shading for extra volume and expression. By the end of this workshop, you'll be able to integrate body, head and hand expressions to create a lively human figure in a real-life setting.


Part 2: Bringing Your Figure to Life


Session 1: Creating Shape & Dimension with Watercolour  

Learn how to create volume and shading in human figures with ink and watercolour. Bring out the essentials of a human figure by simplifying detail and investing in shape, volume and body expression. At the end of this workshop, you will be able to apply shading with hard edges and gradient watercolour washes effectively to create dynamic human figures.


Session 2: Clothing

Learn how to capture the shapes and shades of fabric in different clothing items, helping to convey movement and dynamism to your human figures. Familiarize yourself with simple but effective techniques, both with ink and with watercolour, that will level up your people sketching. By the end of this class, you will be able to draw and paint believable clothing items that will grant expression to your human figures.


Session 3: Hair

Learn how to portray the intricate details, textures and shading of hair using ink sketching and watercolor techniques. Build on your previously acquired knowledge of sketching heads and shading, and add hair variation and flow to your sketching toolkit. At the end of this class, you will be able to skillfully capture a variety of hairstyles and textures with different shapes, volumes and shading, using ink outlines and watercolour washes, creating a simplified yet believable portrayal of hair in your sketches.


Session 4: Making a Scene

Combine all the techniques and skills that you have learned throughout the course, and apply them to a single final exercise. Learn how to deal with many interacting characters in the same sketch, detailing them adequately according to scale, distance, and body posture and expression. At the end of this class, you will be able to create an ink and watercolour scene with people interacting with each other and their environment, break down details to the strictly necessary, and convey human emotions and expressivity to the scene.



How long is each class?

We're planning for each class to go for about one to two hours.

Will this course be completely live?

Pretty much, yes. The teacher will do a live stream for every class. All audio will be live, but the art-making portion is pre-recorded to ensure the best quality with minimum technical issues. 


You will be able to participate live through the chat function. The teacher and the host will address all your questions and pause the video if needed.


After each live session, the recording will be available for replay.


During the course, the teacher will also address questions from participants on the Etchr website.


At the end of the courses (end of Part 1 and Part 2), we will do a fully live Feedback session with the teacher. You'll be able to participate via chat, ask all your questions, and get feedback on your final assignment.

What if I can't attend all the Live classes?

No Problem! Each week has an assigned class. You are welcome to join the Live class and watch the class with other participants or watch the recording of the class at your own time during the week.


We also have a recorded video for each homework that we will upload right after the Live Class takes place.

How much will I be able to interact with the teacher?

The teacher will be present for every single class, available to answer any questions.

How detailed would the feedback be?

Each class will present you with a new challenge assignment. If you submit it on the Etchr website asking for critique, you will get feedback from the teacher and other group members.


At the end of the course, the teacher will also provide feedback on your final piece in a Live Feedback Session.


However, it is worth noting that this feedback will be at a high level; something to guide your next steps. This is also reflective of the price being charged for the course, plus the support and feedback provided along the way.

What art supplies will I need?

Here's the complete list of supplies:


PART 1: Bare Basics

  • Pencil (preferably 2B)

  • Pigment fineliner, fountain pen or rollerball pen

  • Sketchbook or sketchpad (suggested: 120-180g)


Find everything you need for this course in this PDF.


PART 2: Bringing Your Figure to Life

  • Pencil (preferably 2B)

  • Pigment fineliner, fountain pen or rollerball pen

  • Watercolour sketchbook or sketchpad (suggested: 180-300g)

  • Water cup

  • Paper tissue

  • A set of watercolors, although we'll only use one color (recommended colors: indigo, payne's gray, neutral tint, sepia)

  • A couple of round brushes (medium sized - size 8-12 is good)


Find everything you need for this course in this PDF.

I still have questions!

We're here to help. Please shoot us an email at hello@etchrstudio.com and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.

Art makes us Human. Come Alive

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