Facial Expressions and Emotion

A face with perfect proportions but no expression feels like a mannequin. Expressions bring characters to life and tell stories without words. The good news: a handful of features do almost all the work.

The tools of expression

• Eyebrows: the most expressive feature. Raised = surprise or worry; lowered and pulled together = anger or concentration; inner ends raised = sadness.
• Eyelids: wide open = surprise or fear; half-closed = boredom, suspicion or relaxation; squeezed = laughter or pain.
• Mouth: corners up = happiness; corners down = sadness; open = surprise, shouting or laughter; tight = anger or determination.
• Cheeks and wrinkles: a real smile pushes the cheeks up and creates creases at the corners of the eyes.

Play with the controls and build your own expressions:

Basic emotions

Expression involves the whole body

Emotion isn't only in the face. Shoulders rise with fear, the head drops with sadness, the chest opens with pride. Combine facial expression with gesture (see gesture drawing) for maximum impact.

Subtlety vs. exaggeration

• For realistic portraits, expressions are subtle: tiny shifts in the corners of the mouth and eyes.
• For cartoons and comics, exaggerate: bigger eyebrows, wider mouths, squash and stretch of the whole head.
• Mixed emotions (a sad smile, nervous laughter) come from combining features of different emotions.