Welcome To The Portrait Guru!
Are you passionate about portrait drawing and looking to take your skills to the next level? You’ve come to the right place! Whether you're a beginner artist or an experienced artist, my channel is dedicated to helping you master portrait art through step-by-step tutorials, time-lapses, and professional tips.
I'm Haydn Symons, an illustrator and designer with over 15 years of experience, and I have a deep passion for capturing the human face through art. My goal is to provide you with the tools, techniques, and inspiration you need to create stunning portraits with confidence.
🎨 What You’ll Find on This Channel:
✅ Step-by-Step Portrait Tutorials
✅ Follow-Along Drawing Videos
✅ Time-Lapse Drawings
✅ Essential Art Tips & Hacks
✅ Beginner to Advanced Lessons
✅ Sketching, Inking & Painting Tips
✅ Creative Exercises
Ready to improve your portrait drawing skills and become a better artist? Hit that subscribe button and start your creative journey today!
The Portrait Guru
3 things we can learn from Edward Hopper (one of my favourite artists!):
🌅 Light creates mood: lighting can completely change the feeling of a scene.
🏙️ Simplicity is powerful: strong compositions > complexity
🚶 Tell a story: empty spaces and isolated figures create emotion and narrative
Anything I've missed? Let me know in the comments 👇
9 minutes ago | [YT] | 0
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The Portrait Guru
New video on my channel! 🔥 A simple step-by-step technique to help you slow down, improve observation, and draw more accurately 🎨 Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tqlc...
23 hours ago (edited) | [YT] | 12
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The Portrait Guru
Want to create more of a drawing habit? Try this 👇
✏️ Make it easy
Keep your tools visible and ready.
⏳ Carve out time
Schedule it: even 5–10 mins counts.
📓 Go portable
Carry a sketchbook everywhere.
⚖️ Make sacrifices
Less scrolling, more drawing.
⏱️ Start with 5 mins
Low effort = high consistency.
Learn more about these tips on my video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epRvh...
1 day ago | [YT] | 7
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The Portrait Guru
There aren’t many artists who master colour like Paul Signac. Here are 3 things we can learn from his work:
🌈 Colour mastery: pure, separate strokes of colour instead of smooth shading.
🌊 Broken brushwork creates energy: they make his art feel alive and vibrating.
🏞️ Simple but effective: built from clear shapes and strong compositional layers.
Anything I've missed? Let me know in the comments below 👇
1 week ago | [YT] | 22
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The Portrait Guru
If I started drawing again, these are the core fundamentals I’d focus on...
✏️ Concentrate on confident lines: build intentional strokes instead of sketchy ones
👁️ Train your observation: draw what you actually see, not what you think you see
📐 Break everything into simple shapes: boxes, spheres, cylinders before detail
🎯 Focus on proportions first: get the structure right before anything else
🌓 Study values early: light and shadow matter more than outlines
Anything I missed? Let me know in the comments 👇
1 week ago | [YT] | 6
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The Portrait Guru
Are you an aspiring Rembrandt? 🎨 Learn how to draw your own self-portrait that would make Van Gogh, Rembrandt or John Singer Sargent proud by following along with my step-by-step video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUfOX...
1 week ago | [YT] | 6
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The Portrait Guru
Whats your favourite way to learn how to draw? 👇
1 week ago | [YT] | 5
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The Portrait Guru
If you want to improve your drawing skills, drawing from observation and attending untutored or tutored life drawing sessions are some of the fastest ways to do just that 🚀
1 week ago | [YT] | 12
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The Portrait Guru
Drawing a portrait upside down… this simple technique forces you to focus on shapes, angles, and shadows instead of what your brain *thinks* it sees.
In this video I've just uploaded to my channel, I draw a full portrait upside down, then flip it and take you through the shading process to bring it to life.
You might be surprised how much better your drawings look 👀 > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kqVN...
1 week ago | [YT] | 5
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The Portrait Guru
Want to improve your drawings? I share 5 exercises to improve your skills. Let me know your favourite exercise below ⬇️💭 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlp1p...
1 week ago | [YT] | 7
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