> [!email]+   > > > [!note] From > > corvuscircus > > > [!note] To > > Turtle-Brownie > > > [!note|sep] Subject > > Drawing Expressions > >*Sent* _22/11/2025_ > > HIIII, so I just stumbled upon the treasure trove that is your account/art and I want to say it looks INCREDIBLE. It scratches the itch in my brain. The shading, the anatomy, the EXPRESSIONS?? It all is so good!! > > I have to ask, how do you get the expressions done so well?? It's like the perfect mix between realistic and cartoony and I LOVE it! --- >[!hint|noicon]   > >## Introduction > >### Sections of the Face >>[!grid|col-3] >>>[!question] (1) Brow >>>![[Character Expressions-1766213125350.webp|center]] >> >>>[!summary] (2) Cheeks >>>![[Character Expressions-1766213144440.webp|center]] >> >>>[!important] (3) Jaw >>>![[Character Expressions-1766213163601.webp|center]] > >There are 3 main parts of the face; Each part of the face squashes or stretches to convey particular expressions or emotions. > >Combining 2 or 3 sections of the face can further push an expression, further refining the emotion. Each section has its own series of 'mini' sections that encapsulate what parts of the face in those areas are used to indicate different emotions, and can be utilised to further refine and create more 'nuanced' and subtle emotions, such as indicating the difference between a real and a forced smile. > >#### Body Language >To further enhance the emotions in a character, body language plays an important role in emphasising certain expressions. This part I'll focus less on because the question pertains more to specifically *facial* expression, but this is something to keep in mind as you improve your expressions and character design. > >--- > >## Features of the Face > >>[!question]- ##### (1) Brow >>#### Eyebrows >>Similarly to the eyes, the eyebrows play a very important role in conveying emotion, where even the slightest change can completely alter the expression. >> >>>[!grid|col-2] >>>>[!caption] **Brushes used:** _[[Artemus Pencil]]_ (Lineart) >>>>![[Character Expressions-1766221013756.webp]] >>> >>>>[!cite]   >>>>There are two main things you can do when drawing eyebrows; change the **curve** and the _head_ of the eyebrow. >> >>>[!caption] **Brushes used:** _[[Artemus Pencil]]_ (Lineart) >>>![[Character Expressions-1766220830223.webp]] >> >>There are a multitude of variations each with different degrees of intensity when it comes to how you choose to draw the eyebrows. >> >>More intense expressions would create furrows or wrinkles between the brows as well as around the eyes; look at references and pictures of real people, or sit in front of a mirror and pull different expressions to get a better idea. _Wrinkles are one of the best ways to show a strong emotion._ >> >>>[!seealso]- Examples of eyebrow shapes >>>>[!grid|col-2] >>>>>[!caption] Screencap of _Nicholas Hoult_ from **The Menu** (2022) >>>>>![[Character Expressions-1766222287339.webp|banner+medium p+ccl]] >>>> >>>>>[!caption] Screencap of _Steven Williams_ from **Jason Goes To Hell** (1993) >>>>>![[Character Expressions-1766222637452.webp|banner+medium p+ccr]] >>>> >>>>>[!caption] Screencap of _John Boyega_ from **Red, White & Blue** (2020) >>>>>![[Character Expressions-1766223240676.webp|banner+medium]] >>>> >>>>>[!caption] Screencap of _Mike Myers_ from **The Cat in the Hate** (2003) >>>>>![[Character Expressions-1766223371902.webp|banner+medium]] >>> >>>A good idea is to look at photos or stills of real people, and try to discern what emotion you think they're feeling based on their facial expression alone. Then, try to figure out _why_ you believe that; Is it the way their eyebrows are curved? The shape of their eyes? the curl of their lips? etc. >> >>--- >> >>#### Forehead >>Relating to the eyebrows, intense expressions can cause wrinkles to form in the forehead and between the brows. >> >>>[!seealso]- Examples of wrinkles in expressions >>>>[!grid|col-2] >>>>>[!caption] Screencap of _Victoria Pedretti_ from **You** S2E10 (2019) >>>>>![[Character Expressions-1766221572476.webp|banner+medium p+ccr]] >>>> >>>>>[!caption] Screencap of _Philip Seymour Hoffman_ from **Happiness** (1998) >>>>>![[Character Expressions-1766222755329.webp|banner+medium]] >>>> >>>>>[!caption] Screencap of _Angelina Jolie_ from **Wanted** (2008) >>>>>![[Character Expressions-1766221963513.webp|banner+medium]] >>>> >>>>>[!caption] Screencap of _Leonardo DiCaprio_ from **The Great Gatsby** (2013) >>>>>![[Character Expressions-1766222134309.webp|banner+medium]] >>>> >>>>>[!caption] Screencap of _Dana Andrews_ from **The Ox-Bow Incident** (1942) >>>>>![[Character Expressions-1766222874152.webp|banner+medium]] >>>> >>>>>[!caption] Screencap of _Tom Hardy_ from **Mad Max: Fury Road** (2015) >>>>>![[Character Expressions-1766223636560.webp|banner+medium]] > >>[!summary]- ##### (2) Cheeks >>#### Eyes >>Arguably the most important one to consider when drawing the expression of a character; The eyes are where the typical person are drawn to first, eye contact being an important aspect of most social interactions. >> >>>[!cite]- Fun Fact >>>Humans have developed visible sclera (the whites of our eyes) for the purpose of communication[^1], being able to convey social messages and cues with just our eyes and where we look. Babies also have an innate draw to faces, specifically the region of the eyes[^2], leading to eye-contact being an integral part of processing social information and developing social skills into and during adulthood[^3] >> >>It's important to take into account several factors; from the eyelids, the position of the irises, the pupil sizes, etc. >> >>Eyes to a facial expression are like what bananas are to smoothies; Whatever you do with the rest of the face, the eyes are going to dominate most of the expression. >> >>>[!seealso]- Example of using eyes to change an expression >>>>[!caption] **Brushes used:** _[[Paint's Brush (No Pen Pressure)]]_ (Lineart) >>>>![[Character Expressions-1766217073521.webp]] >>> >>>In this example, I've taken a neutral expression and added a smile; one with unchanged, neutral eyes, and one with more squinted eyes. >>> >>>You can tell pretty quickly the difference between the two expressions, the _smile + neutral eyes_ feeling more disingenuous than the _smile + squinted eyes_. The first gives more a 'forced' smile feel, while the second seems more like the character is actually happy to be there. >>> >>>You'll notice a person who is smiling and happy, that the eyes move along with the corners of the mouth; when the corners of the mouth go up into a smile, it pushes the cheeks up and therefore pushes into the eyes. >> >>The position of the eyelids also tells a lot with even the most minor adjustments. >> >>Generally speaking, the wider or more open an eye is (or, how visible the pupil/iris is), the more 'awake' and aware an expression will feel. >> >>Characters who are **surprised, scared, or ecstatic**, tend to have _wider, larger eyes_ to show how actively a part of the situation they are. >> >>Characters who are **sleepy, relaxed, or bored**, tend to have _'droopier' eyelids_ that cover more of the iris, looking less aware of the present moment. >> >>>[!seealso]- Example of using eyelids to change an expression >>>>[!caption] **Brushes used:** _[[RC Side Pencil]]_ (Lineart) >>>>![[Character Expressions-1766217783513.webp]] >>> >>>In this example, both characters are **happy**, but show two varying degrees of the same emotion. The more relaxed, half-open eyelids give a more relaxed, pleasant sort of 'happy', while the wide eyes give a more ecstatic and euphoric sort of 'happy'. >>> >>>Also note the other parts of the face contributing to the expressions, from _the placement of the eyebrows, and the size & shape of the mouths_. >> >>--- >> >>#### Nose >>The nose is one of the lesser expressive features of a face, typically only really changing with certain emotions. For example, nostrils tend to flare when someone is angry, crying, or disgusted, and the nose might wrinkle in anger and/or disgust. > >>[!important]- ##### (3) Jaw >>#### Mouth >>The mouth I would say is the _second most important_ feature of the face when it comes to expressions and emoting. >> >>Similar to eyebrows and eyes as well, there are a few general shapes for your basic, more broad emotions (happy, sad, surprised etc), however there are _hundreds of ways you can further push more subtlety and detail_ through slight changes and adjustments. >> >>Generally speaking, mouths that **curve upwards** are associated with _positive emotions_, while mouths that **curve downwards** are associated with _negative emotions_. >> >>>[!caption] **Brushes used:** _[[Artemus Pencil]]_ (Lineart) >>>![[Character Expressions-1766224501210.webp]] >> > >--- > >## How to Practice >>[!cite]+ 1. Find a reference >>Just like drawing anything else, finding a good reference is very helpful. Photo references are the best choice for this. >> >>To find references, you can find some good sources on the [[Improving Your Art#Finding References|Improving Your Art]] page. >> >>This will be my reference: >> >>>[!caption] Screencap of _Joan Cusack_ from **Addams Family Values** (1993) >>>![[Character Expressions-1766226842109.webp|center]] > >>[!cite]+ 2. Make A Loose Sketch >> >>>[!caption] **Brushes used:** _[[Artemus Pencil]]_ (Lineart) >>>![[Character Expressions-1766227051460.webp]] >> >>I am just roughing out the large, basic forms and shapes, with some guide lines on the head to help me position the feature of the face. Don't overthink it and don't over-complicate it, just get something down using loose, broad strokes. > >>[!cite]+ 3. Refine The Sketch >> >>>[!caption] **Brushes used:** _[[Artemus Pencil]]_ (Lineart) >>>![[Character Expressions-1766227558166.webp]] >> >>Here I pretty much just copied the expression one to one; I've got down the most prominent and important details that build the expression. At this stage, I pretty much just mostly traced over the photo for reference, to get a good feel of the face's structure and roughly where things are placed. >> >>I recommend tracing photos and other art as practice to get a feel of things, and get a sense of (for lack of a better words) a 'vibe' of how the face moulds, stretches, and squashes to create varying expressions. >> >>From the photo, the expression to me reads as 'mischievous' or 'meddlesome', the sort of expression of someone who, in a social scenario, has 'won' or revealed to be 'one step ahead.' (I have never watched this movie so I have absolutely no idea of the context of the scene lmao). >>- She has a _deep, wide smile_. >>- Her _cheeks push upwards_ (from the smile in question), causing the wrinkles beside the corners of the mouth, and stretching down to the jaw. >>- Her _eyes are slightly squinted_ from the bottom, again caused by her smile pushing upwards into her eyes, and causing that slight wrinkle beneath the eyes. >>- Her eyebrows have a _neutral head and raised curve_, > >>[!cite]+ 4. Exaggerate & Simplify >> >>>[!caption] **Brushes used:** _[[Artemus Pencil]]_ (Lineart) >>>![[Character Expressions-1766228543066.webp]] >> >>Drawing as an artform allows us to sort of 'push' reality, creating caricatures of people and things to emphasise their most important or prominent traits. >> >>Here, I took the original sketch, removed the reference picture, and tried to redraw what I had, keeping in mind the features I dot-pointed, and aimed to push those further. >> >>I **Exaggerated** the original sketch by _pushing the cheeks out_ further, _squinting the eyes more_ and almost 'pushed' them upwards, I _pushed the eyebrow curve_ further up, and finally I _widened and enlarged the smile_, since I think that is the most important feature of this expression. >> >>I **Simplified** the original sketch by _refining the corners of the mouth_, sort of define all the smile wrinkles with just one, bold swoop to indicate both the push up into the cheek, as well as the deep wrinkle/dimple from the smile. >> >>It's important when drawing expressions (especially from photo references) to _not draw every little line and wrinkle_, as this muddles up the face and makes it harder to read. Instead, _draw in only the important features that make the expression_, simplifying where you can to the face's most core details. >> >>If you are rendering the sketch, you can simplify the sketch even further to then imply a lot of the wrinkles and creases through shading (you can see my tutorial for [[Hard vs Soft Edges - Guide to Shadows]] for more on that). > >>[!cite]+ 5. Bonus Rendering!! >> >>>[!caption] **Brushes used:** _[[Artemus Pencil]]_ (Lineart), _[[KolorMarc]]_ (Rendering), _[[T-marker Wind Brush Set (Tマーカー風ブラシセット)]]_ (Texture Overlay) >>>![[Character Expressions-1766229737751.webp]] >> >>Very quick rendering to sort of show off the previous point of pushing expressions further using rendering and shading! >> >>Here is the time-lapse video for the entire process, start to finish (including the rendering): >> >>![[Illustration21.mp4]] > >--- > >## More Resources > >- [25 Essential Expressions Challenge](https://www.deviantart.com/napalmnacey/art/25-Essential-Expressions-55523083) by [napalmnacey](https://www.deviantart.com/napalmnacey/gallery) >- [How To Draw Facial Expressions](https://www.howtodrawcomicsacademy.com/post/how-to-draw-facial-expressions) by Clayton Barton >- [What I Keep In Mind For Expressions](https://x.com/melonami/status/947277690058477570?s=20) by [Melonami](https://x.com/melonami) >- [A Emga Post About Drawing Expression And Heads](https://x.com/MitchLeeuwe/status/1675888890605969408?s=20) by [Mitch Leeuwe](https://x.com/MitchLeeuwe) >- [Face Tutorial](https://www.tumblr.com/art-tutorials-collection-blog/140884439492/face-tutorial-by-phobs?source=share) by Phobs >- [Human Anatomy Fundamentals: Mastering Facial Expressions](https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/human-anatomy-fundamentals-mastering-facial-expressions--cms-21140) by Joumana Medlej --- >[!todo|noicon] Have a question to ask? Check out the [[Contact Me]] page to see where you can ask :) [^1]: Aeria, G. (2016). _[Why we show the whites of our eyes](https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/why-we-show-the-whites-of-our-eyes)_. University of Melbourne. [^2]: Goren CC, Sarty M, Wu PYK. _[Visual following and pattern discrimination of face-like stimuli by newborn infants](https://europepmc.org/article/med/1165958)_. Pediatrics. 1975;56(4):544–549. doi: 10.1542/peds.56.4.544. [^3]: Cherulnik PD, Neely WT, Flanagan M, Zachau M. _[Social skill and visual interaction](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00224545.1978.9924068)_. The Journal of Social Psychology. 1978;104(2):263–270. doi: 10.1080/00224545.1978.9924068.