How to draw human emotions step by step with a pencil. Playing with common stereotypes and context. Eyebrows drawn together, nose wrinkled, upper lip raised, corners of lips downward: disgust

In today's post, I will give you some tips to help you portray emotions on your face.

Observation

Let's make the most important thing clear. Best advice on this issue - or on any issue related to drawing - there is one small but powerful word: observation. Yes! It always comes down to observation.

Forget about what you think you see and focus on what is actually in front of you. And don't just observe while you draw and then throw the drawing out the window at the end of the day. Even when you're not drawing, get into the habit of paying close attention to the details, as if you were drawing what's in front of you. Think about the lines and shadows you would use to draw what you are looking at.

Start looking at people's faces and notice how their features distort depending on how they feel. I like to look at people's faces and expressions when I'm standing in line at a store or anywhere else. Make notes in your head about how someone's eyes look when they're tired, or how they squint a little when they smile genuinely. Muscles clench, stretch, and twist in the face every time we show emotion, so pay attention to these movements and learn how they interact as a whole to express something.

Sketches from life

Sit in a crowded place, with a sketchbook and pencil in your hands, and sketch, drawing people and their expressions. Try to figure out what they are feeling through the way their faces contort and draw it.

This method is better than drawing from someone specific because it allows you to see genuine and revealing facial expressions. But despite this, it is very useful to have someone pose for you and express different emotions on demand. If there is no model nearby, the mirror will be your best friend!

Sketches from photographs

There are great websites that offer photographs of gestures and poses for artists to teach their own drawing lessons and practice in the comfort of their own home. A great resource is the website Figure and Gesture Drawing’s expression practice (lessons for drawing gestures and emotions). You can choose the type of expression, gender and duration of the lesson.

Practice

No matter which drawing method you prefer, the key is practice. Keep a sketchbook nearby, take it out and practice drawing the facial expressions of the faces around you whenever you have at least five minutes.

There are millions of eyes, mouths, noses, ears, chins in the world, and they are all different from each other. However, to create a cartoon character's face, you need to know the basic rules. Once you do this, pay attention to the depth, make sure your characters head looks three-dimensional, and you will have a realistic character. If you succeed, great! But if you really want to attract attention to your creation, it is worth learning the technique of creating emotions and facial expressions.

Almost anyone can draw a face. You just need to draw a circle with dots for eyes and lines for lips and eyebrows. Everyone recognizes a face in this image, but not everything is so simple, in fact.

It takes a lot of effort to make a character's face look realistic. If you don't know how to draw a face, check out the previous article. If you are wondering how emotions are created, then you will find the answer in this educational article written by Nastassja Peters.

Facial expression

The infection of a person's face changes involuntarily, and is the result of contraction and relaxation of the opposing facial muscles. This, for example, happens when smiling and laughing; the same muscles work. but with different intensity.

Try to describe what feelings you associate with the image below.

Most likely, you will answer that the character makes you feel calm. Perhaps he is thinking about something. Nothing like this! This is an image that conveys a complete lack of expression as none of the facial muscles are used. We look at the absence of emotion, so the picture gives us a feeling of calm.

It's normal to use this kind of facial expression on a character, in fact, it's the expression we walk around with more than 80% of the day. A calm facial expression, without the absence of facial expressions, is present when we do not react to others. but immersed in themselves. When we communicate or look at another person, emotions are not present and facial expressions change. In animation, the characters' facial expressions should be exaggerated and brighter in order to attract attention and convey the character's experiences to the audience.

Basic emotions

Basic emotions are those that we do not control intentionally. This means that this species has no emotions the right direction. For example, they appear suddenly, as a reaction to some action.

These basic emotions are expressed on our face arbitrarily, regardless of skin color, age or nationality.

Below are the basic human emotions:

Happiness (1): the corners of the lips are raised up, the eyebrows are raised, the eyes are wide open,
Anger (2): The lip line is curved down, the eyebrows are slightly lowered, wide open,
Fright (3): the lip line is curved randomly, the eyebrows are raised, have a curved shape, and the eyes are wide open.
Sadness (4): the corners of the lips are lowered down, the eyebrows at the edges are raised slightly upward, the eyes are lowered

Surprise (5): The man's mouth is slightly open, his eyebrows are raised, irregular shape, eyes wide open,
Offended (6): The lip line is lowered down, the eyebrows are frowned, the eyes are closed.

“Then why do you separate the latter from the main group of emotions?” The answer is simple: if you notice. then the last two emotions are a variation of the first four.

Now that you are familiar with the main types of expression of emotions, the question arises: why are there so few of them?

The answer is simple: Just as there are primary colors that can be mixed to create others, primary emotions can be mixed to create new ones.

Here's an example:

Note that to create a sleepy expression, we took the eyebrows from the expression of happiness and mixed them with almost closed eyes of sadness. Agree, this is great!

Family emotions

But we won't stop there! Family emotions are those that differ from each other only by replacing one component of the face, creating a new emotion!

Notice that only the position of the mouth has been changed in these two drawings. We can express two different feelings of disgust just by changing a single element of the face!

Here's another example:

Once again we simply changed the position of the lips to convey the emotion we want.

This time we use the lips and eyes to create another variation of the same basic emotion.

Not only do primary expressions give rise to other emotions, we can create a third emotion from a secondary emotion.

For example:

As we did above, the lips were fixed.

Fantastic, isn't it? Using this method, you can create dozens and hundreds of faces.

Emotions of physical state

Emotions of physical states are very close to basic emotions, but, unlike them, they can take somewhat unpredictable forms.

Note that physical emotions are also derived from basic emotions, fatigue is derived from sadness.

We can enhance the emotion simply by adding an additional element such as tears, for example:

Let's look at another example of a reaction over which we have no control. This time we will shock our character. In short: control over emotions will be completely lost.

Since we cannot control shock reactions, this is a plus for a cartoon, since we can exaggerate the character's facial expression to get the desired result. In this case, we exaggerate the facial expressions of the mouth.

Also notice how the underlying emotions dominate. Shock, even if uncontrollable, is a variant of fear. The interesting thing about physical emotions is that real life we receive these expressions without knowing how we receive them, since we are exposed to external factors and conditions.

Intensity and additional elements

A character's facial expression in a cartoon is limited to a certain degree of intensity. Depending on the intensity we can get very interesting results:

Vegeta? (Hero Dragon, if you don't know).

Besides intensity, we can also insert additional elements to enhance emotions. In the first image we added a few beads of sweat flying off the face to enhance the feeling of fear. In the second image we show a little of the hero's tongue to enhance the desired effect.

Getting back to the fear, let's change the image to make the hero look like he's panicking!

By enlarging the character's eyes and covering his face, we achieved a breathtaking effect for the cartoon! Congratulations!

Change your angle

To create a more vivid and emotional scene, various changes in the character's position, called camera angles, are used. Thus, showing the viewer the hero from an angle that is not typical for him, you put him in an “uncomfortable” situation, and makes the scene more dynamic.

An example of how the angle of position changes the intensity of an expression.

By changing the angle of the scene from the top down, the effect is automatically created that the hero shrinks, becomes more fragile and defenseless. On the contrary, placing the camera from below creates the effect that the hero can boldly confront fear. The character's chin becomes visible, a mockery appears, and the bright light helps create a wonderful atmosphere of threat!

In cartoon style negative heroes often large chins and small eyes. However, weaker characters have large and expressive eyes, but their jaw is much smaller, the mouth is always very close to the chin. Try to apply these techniques in your drawings and you will notice it!

Playing with familiar stereotypes and context

To create greater stereotypes for our characters, we can add subtle elements that enhance the context of the scene. Some methods can create this effect immediately due to their meaning. This happens due to several reasons such as the influence of movies, television and characters in our lives.

Please note: dirty hair, unshaven, heavy eyelids, visible teeth - depict a sloppy drunkard. We grow up to recognize such stereotypical traits in a certain type, such as a drunkard.

While a sick middle-aged man with a big nose and closed eyes is associated with a sick person.

Here's another example. The picture below can be viewed in several contexts. I could tell that the person on top was very sick, while the person on the bottom was angry!

Let's add some additional elements to completely change this perception.

Did you understand what we did?

By adding tears and small pieces of fabric to both characters, we can of course tell that both are crying.

Adding elements to change the context of the scene.

Facial signals

When we add details to send certain signals to other people, our face also changes to various directions. This is because, just like physical emotions, we cannot control these “signs” that cause us to react in unexpected ways, most often controlled by the heart.

Below we have an obvious example of signal exchange. The heartthrob directs his fatal gaze towards the girl, making every effort to gain her attention. She answers him with an interested look. Do you think she fell in love with him?

Let's look at another example. The image below is a very common scene in the cartoon: a cute girl, making a sweet and pitiful look, always gets what she wants with dexterity.

Who can say no to such a cute look?

Let's change the context.

We only changed the direction of the eyes, which now look away from the person in front of her. This little detail makes her more shy. Great, isn't it?

Conclusion

If you have difficulty creating emotions, use our tips.

This way you can create your own perception of the character and expand your knowledge.

Facial expressions are a very broad topic that goes far beyond the study of the face to express emotions and feelings in a cartoon style. As stated above, we have complete control over our emotions, just as we completely lose control when, for example, a dog bites us.

Do you want to create interesting cartoon? Invite your family. take a photo and see how each of their faces changes when they smile, how they manage their emotions, what changes occur in their facial expressions. Scare them and look at the changes in their faces, you will see that everyone's expression is different, it is uncontrollable, and there are no similar features.

Hope, this material was useful for you and will help you create expressive and vivid emotions of the characters. Having understood the basic principles, you can easily convey to the viewer the state of the hero and his feelings.

Who has never used the power of a seducer to win someone's heart with just a glance??

How to draw emotions? - Reviews and Comments

Similar works:

What will you create

For all the artists and illustrators who have ever worked with facial expressions, those same expressions are like a computer monitor: if it doesn't work correctly, then all the effort put into designing the hard drive has been wasted.

In the ranking of what we pay attention to first when we look at a person, the face will be somewhere at the very top. If we notice a face in a composition, we will immediately pay attention to its expression. The body shows us movements, but the face is a window into inner world a person, and the ability to correctly show this very inner world is what distinguishes a good, observant illustrator (or, for example, a writer) from a bad one. That is why we must work hard on this topic. Live expression Faces can distract attention from some errors in proportions (partly due to the fact that we will unconsciously linger on the face), however, it does not work the other way around - a character with a mask-like face is terrible.

In drawing facial expressions, the artist faces the dichotomy of reality and representation. Actors, for example, have to gesticulate excessively and speak more expressively - also a “normal” facial expression will not always be easy to recognize, and therefore we should think not about what a sad expression looks like, but about what the face tells us about sadness. In other words, the illustration must somehow make up for certain signs from real life that cannot be conveyed on paper.

In this tutorial, I'll talk about the parts of the face that change to convey emotion, and then move directly into how to portray a wide range of emotions. I tried to include as many emotions as possible, which are not so simple, but are depicted quite often, but this does not mean that I will show you everything that a face can express.

Here we should remember color wheel: You can mix any two colors, but if you mix too many colors it will look weird gray shade. Likewise, we can experience several emotions at the same time, but the more there are and the more contradictory these emotions are, the bigger face becomes like a mask, as emotions seem to overlap each other.

There is no clear recipe for how to learn to portray facial expressions well, there is only one rule - the rule thumb: How well you draw an emotion is directly related to how well you can portray it yourself, in other words, try to feel the emotion while drawing, like a real actor.

Further in the lesson you will meet the so-called Tree of Emotions, which is my own classification of them, which I consider the most convenient, but this, naturally, is not a scientific classification and their arrangement may be different.

It is best to consider these emotions in relation to each other, rather than as something absolute, since different people Not only do they express emotions differently, but they can also interpret them differently, depending on their own experiences and background. The emotion I've labeled "angry" might look like "furious" to you, or maybe your character is so averse to emotional displays that if he gets angry, my chart says it's more like "upset." " But what’s really important is that “angry” is a brighter emotion than “sad,” but less vivid than “furious.”

Well, here you go interesting fact: Research shows that facial expressions of happiness, sadness, rage, fear, surprise, disgust and interest are identical across cultures.

How facial features tell us about our feelings

Eyes

Much can be depicted only with the help of the eyes. The interaction of the eyelids, the position of the iris, and the size of the pupil can create subtle but still noticeable changes in facial expression, since the eyes are the focal point of the face. They are the most important thing in a facial expression, so before working on other features, make sure the eyes are depicted correctly. The description in bold in the screenshot below will correspond to the emotions on the Emotion Tree.

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Sleepy eyes: the eye is partially covered by the eyelid, Semi-closed iris and pupil, only a semicircle is visible; Relaxed eyes: open as usual, eyelid visible, Touching pupil: it barely touches the edge of the eyelid; Alive eyes: open as usual, but eyelids are not visible; Wide open eyes: opening large and round, Free pupil: does not touch the edges of the eyelids

Under Alive I mean the eyes in theirs natural state when we are active. They should not be more open than relaxed eyes, but if the drawing style is not very detailed, then there is no need to draw eyelids, since the observer may perceive them as a sign of some other emotion.

Also, the pupil can be of three sizes:

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Normal, Expanded, Narrowed

A dilated pupil does not occur in a lively or wide-open state of the eyes (except in a state of terror). A constricted pupil does not occur when the eyes are relaxed or sleepy.

Please note that light eyes (gray, blue) always seem to be opened wider than dark ones, and vice versa, dark eyes always look more relaxed than light ones. It is necessary to remember all these factors when working on facial expressions, because only you will be able to create the right expression. My diagrams show light eyes throughout because I need to show the pupil.

Brows

Eyebrows are a very subtle indicator of emotions. I have noticed that even the slightest change in the arch of the eyebrow can completely change the expression on one's face. For our purposes, we can divide the eyebrow into two parts that move semi-independently: the base and the arch. Semi-independent, since with the movement of one part the other always moves a little. Both parts can be relaxed, raised or lowered, and the combination of these two movements gives us a new facial expression, as you can see in the table below:

Translator's note: in the screenshot: Parts of the eyebrow from left to right: base, bend; Table header from left to right horizontally: Relaxed, Raised, Lowered (frowns), table header from top to bottom vertically: Relaxed, Raised, Lowered.

Each movement has a certain gradation of intensity, which also affects the shape of the eyebrow as a whole (and can also form wrinkles above the nose and on the forehead), so in the end we will end up with many, many options with small differences that will be difficult to place in one table . Listen to your intuition, experience and observations. The Tree of Emotions will show you many examples.

Mouth

The mouth is in second place in terms of influence on facial expression after the eyes. You will find details of the position of the lips (and additional expressive characteristics, such as dimples, teeth...) on the Emotion Tree, and below you will find a reminder about the shape of the mouth, which is influenced by the curve of both lips.

Both lips are curved: grin, happy (open) mouth shape
The lower lip is curved down, the upper is curved up: a very happy shape of the mouth - it is open more than usual - perhaps to scream.
Both lips are curved upward: fright, fear (the corners of the lips are relaxed, but the lower lip is raised painfully)
The upper lip is curved up, the lower lip is curved down, but this time the upper lip is curved more: the jaw drops. Overall the mouth is relaxed.
The lips look as if they are trying to connect in the center: the reason for this is the corners, which are raised as if to growl: this is an angry open mouth.

Nose

The nose, to put it mildly, is not the best expressive part face, however, it still changes with certain emotions (anger, crying, disgust, awakening) and wrinkles even appear on it if a person experiences very strong anger or disgust.

Tree of Emotions

I present to you my classification of 58 facial expressions, most of which can be combined if necessary. In the middle you see Absence of Expression, from there the tree grows into 5 generalized expressions - Relaxed(blue), Surprised(green), Smiling(Yellow), Wicked(red) and Sad(violet). Below are the characteristics of each expression.

Translator's note: in the screenshot, top to bottom, left to right (first row, category Sad(purple)): Pain, Cry, Stress, Horror, Confusion, (second row Sad(purple)) Depression, Suffering, Frustration, Fear, Guilt, (third row Sad(purple)) Longing, Sadness, Disappointment, Experience, Shyness, (fourth row, Relaxed(blue)) Enjoyment, ( Sad(purple)) So-so, ( Wicked(red)) Skepticism, Revenge, Pouting, Grouchiness, (fifth row Relaxed(blue)) Revitalization, Peace, Relaxation, (center) Lack of emotions, ( Wicked(red)) Frowning, Sadness, Anger, Anger, Fury, (sixth row, Relaxed(blue)) Exhaustion, Fatigue, Laziness, ( Surprised(green)) Curiosity, ( Smiling(Yellow)) Smile, Innocence, ( Wicked(red)) Contempt, Disgust, (seventh row, Relaxed(blue)) Drowsiness, Boredom, ( Surprised(green)) Surprise, ( Smiling(Yellow) Hope, True Smile, Pride, ( Wicked(red)) Arrogance, Arrogance, (eighth row, Relaxed(blue)) Weakness, ( Surprised(green)) Impressed, Puzzled, ( Smiling(Yellow)) Tenderness, Grin, Satisfaction, Fun, Laughter, (ninth row, Surprised(green)) Shock, ( Smiling(Yellow)) Seductiveness, Excitement, Ecstasy

Relaxed facial expressions

Characterized by horizontal features and the absence of extremes - there will be no facial distortions.

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: No facial expression, Relaxed

Lack of expression

A face that lacks any expression is the starting point for all emotions, but it is given here so that you can distinguish it from a relaxed face. In real life, a face that has no expression/a face with a neutral expression is a relaxed face, however, it does not always look like that. And it turns out this way because individual characteristics faces - some people look gloomy even when completely relaxed, while others appear to be smiling. So, in order to depict the lack of facial expression on paper, you need to pay attention to the following details:

There is no expression on the face, however, it is not relaxed
Eyebrows in a neutral position
The eyes are lively, but can be relaxed if you're going for a blank expression.
The pupil barely touches the edge of the eyelid
Lips closed and neutral (straight horizontal line)

Relaxed expression

To separate this facial expression from its absence on paper, it is necessary to emphasize the feeling of relaxation:

Slightly lift the corners of your mouth. A smile is almost imperceptible, but thanks to this it becomes clear that the person is experiencing rather pleasant emotions.
Eyebrows are also neutral
The eyes are relaxed, the pupil is closed and slightly dilated

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Peace, Revitalization, Enjoyment

Pacification

Inner calm and serenity are expressed externally in the absence of tension in facial features:

The only real difference from a relaxed facial expression is that the eyes are closed, as if the person is completely trusting and surrendering.
Due to the fact that the eyes are closed, the eyebrows bend slightly downwards
The eyelid area in relaxed closed eyes is smooth, the lower eyelid is slightly curved upward.

Revival

"Aaaaahhh..." is a face selling cleansers and pleasant scents.

The only real difference from "Pacification" is that the smile widens and the lips part in an instinctive reaction to something pleasant. Please note that if the emotion intensifies, “Revival” will develop into “Enjoyment”.

Pleasure

“Mmmm...” - true pleasure!

The smile becomes wider, the corners are compressed, dimples may appear
Eyes still closed for the same reason
The head moves back, the chin rises, as if fencing off worldly worries, in order to feel the beauty of the moment

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Laziness, Fatigue, Exhaustion

Laziness

Heavy eyelids and a smile tell us that the person is not only relaxed, but also idle.

The eyes are sleepy, the pupils are at least half hidden, the eyelids are less toned than in their normal state
Even the eyebrows are flatter than usual
A weak smile means less effort!

Fatigue

Loss of tone is no longer pleasing due to loss of energy:

The head leans forward slightly
Sleepy eyes
Eyebrows look pitiful
There are bags under the eyes

Exhaustion

There is no energy left at all, the person is weakened.

The head bows noticeably
Eyebrows look even more pitiful, even painful
I can barely keep my eyes open
Bags under the eyes stand out
The jaw is so relaxed that it drops slightly

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Drowsiness, Weakness, Boredom

Drowsiness

The man nods off. This is a slightly different fatigue, in this case, it is not associated with overexertion, and, accordingly, it is not expressed on the face (unless the person is tired and sleepy at the same time).

The eyebrows seem to be stretched over the eye that the person is trying to keep open.
The head leans forward, and may also lean to the left or right
The other eye and eyebrow are completely relaxed, like on the face of a sleeping person
Mouth is neutral

Weakness

"A? What?...Where's my coffee? - this is the same state of “Monday morning” when we try with great difficulty not to fall asleep.

Eyes are unfocused and cloudy
Eyebrows appear puzzled
The mouth indicates that the person is confused

Boredom

“Dying of boredom” is a suitable phrase to describe this facial expression: all the features are horizontal, and as if they are trying to outdo the complete lack of facial expression.

Eyebrows are flatter and lower than usual
The corners of the mouth turn down slightly (boredom is unpleasant), but not so much as to indicate effort
Sleepy eyes

Surprised facial expressions

This category is a little smaller than the others, since surprise is usually closely associated with other emotions, but here we are dealing with pure surprise, neither positive nor negative. This facial expression is characterized by wide opening and roundness: first of all, the eyes, and then other features.

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Curiosity, Surprise, Puzzle

Curiosity

The only difference from the lack of facial expression is the interest expressed in the eye area.

The eyebrows are raised; to create an accent, one eyebrow can be raised more strongly
Eyes alive and focused
You can open your mouth slightly to enhance expression.

Astonishment

A typical reaction to something unexpected. The head will usually tilt back unconsciously.

The lips are compressed - this reaction is more stylistic than life-like - by making the mouth smaller, we can increase the emphasis on the eyes
Wide, rounded eyes (the iris almost does not touch the eyelids) and eyebrows
The mouth may be slightly open

Puzzled

“I don’t understand a thing...”

The eyes are slightly squinted, and seem to be staring at the source of the problem, gaze directed downwards
Brows furrowed in an attempt to focus.
Lips pursed
One eyebrow can be raised to enhance the questioning expression on the face (“Am I going to figure this out or not?”)
Behavioral scientists note the following differences between the sexes: When men are confused, they tend to rub their chin, twitch their earlobes, or scratch their forehead/cheeks/back of neck. Women, on the other hand, tend to touch their finger to the bottom of their incisors with their mouth slightly open, or place it under their chin.

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Impressed, Shocked

Impressed

This is a reaction not just to something unexpected, but to something that a person did not consider possible at all. Usually this expression is accompanied by a tilt of the head forward so that the eyes have to be raised in order to see what actually impressed the person.

The eyes are wide open, but the eyebrows are neither rounded nor raised (the opposite of Curiosity), as if the whole face has not yet fully believed in what is happening
Jaw drops slightly

A more intense version of "Wonder" - something completely unimaginable happens: aliens land on earth, a dog asks what time it is, or something like that.

The jaw drops, but although this signifies relaxation, the mouth remains narrow. Opening wide, as if in fear, would require muscular efforts that are not available at the moment of shock.
Eyebrows are very raised
The eyes are open to the maximum, the iris does not touch the eyelids
Lips are not curled and teeth are not visible

Smiling facial expressions

Characterized by upward elevation of facial features.

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Smile, True Smile, Grin

Smile

This type of smile is called polite, intentional, weak, or “fake.” Two signs give it away (just do not confuse such a smile with a light but sincere one, as, for example, in “Pacification”):

The lower eyelids do not shrink, and, accordingly, crow's feet do not appear in the corners of the eyes.
The corners of the lips stretch horizontally instead of curling upward

This kind of smile can often be seen in photographs, as it does not distort facial features. In some cultures, e.g. South-East Asia, such a smile can mean shame or even polite refusal.

True smile

A true smile (also known as a cheekbone smile) is a reflex that cannot be faked.

The lower eyelids contract, often creating wrinkles called crow's feet.
The corners of the mouth rise upward, and because of this, the entire smile line seems to rise on the face

Grin

A “true smile” of such intensity that the lips involuntarily part, exposing the teeth.

The eyes are the same, or even more wrinkled
The corners of the mouth are clearer, and lines are visible that connect them to the wings of the nose.
The sudden appearance of teeth is a very strong signal of happiness

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Excitement, Ecstasy

Excitement

This emotion rushes out, so that the facial features, although tense, become more open.

The eyes are wide open, but you can still see the tension in the lower eyelid
Eyebrows raised
Very wide open smile

Ecstasy

Emotions have finally broken through, and the face radiates joy and excitement.

Eyebrows are rounded and raised high
The eyes are rounded, the iris may not touch the eyelids
An open smile is accompanied by an open mouth - it is difficult to remain silent in such a state

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Pride, Satisfaction

Pride

In this case, it is considered as a neutral emotion; for an emotion with a negative connotation, see Arrogance and Arrogance.

The eyes are closed and relaxed, as if contemplating some achievement
The smile is, in a sense, self-satisfied
Chin high, head tilted back

Satisfaction

When everything turns out the way we want, but we need to restrain our emotions out of politeness or harm.

Eyes closed, as if hiding satisfaction
The lower eyelid is pressed against the upper eyelid, adding wrinkles
A wide smile is sincere, but at the same time the mouth is compressed in order to hide gloating - this also adds wrinkles

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Fun, Laughter 1, Laughter 2

Fun

"Oops! It turned out funny."

Eyebrows raised
The eyes are partially alive - the pupil is slightly constricted
A strong smile, however, a little compressed - perhaps so as not to offend the subject being made fun of

Laughter

1. Burst into laughter: the head suddenly tilts back. All tension is located in the lower part of the face, the eye area is still relaxed

Eyes are closed and can be relaxed
The mouth is wide open, the upper lip is almost flat, and the lower lip forms a parabolic curve
Eyebrows are rounded and set high
Nostrils flare
Teeth and tongue visible

2. Laughter is a rude reaction: over time, stress (and even pain) becomes noticeable with tension in the rest of the facial features.

The head and body move back and forth
Eyebrows frown
The eyes become strained and may begin to water
The mouth is still wide open, but the effort to close it is noticeable
The nose wrinkles and the nostrils flare

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Tenderness, Seductiveness

Tenderness

When looking at a loved one, a child, or something cute.

The head leans to the side and slightly forward
The eyes are full of tenderness: they are relaxed, the lower eyelid is slightly raised upward, the pupils are closed
A gentle smile appears on the lips

Seductiveness

This facial expression depends on the person. In this example they mix possible options changes in facial features.

The head leaning forward is a signal of obedience, indicating availability
Sexual attraction dilates pupils and causes blush
The eyes are tightly closed, the so-called “bedroom gaze”
Lips slightly turned outward, indicating safety and accessibility (for both sexes)
Please note that couples often tilt their heads down when talking, and both men and women bow their heads as a hint of flirting.

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Innocence, Nadezhda

Innocence

"Who am I? I have no idea what you're talking about." This is a comical facial expression, as someone who really wanted you to look innocent would maintain a relaxed expression and a straight gaze.

Eyebrows are rounded and raised high, as if the person is surprised
Eyes staring upward or to the side with exaggeration
The mouth can take the most different shapes, from bow to grin

Hope

This facial expression simultaneously recognizes today's hardships and a bright future.

Eyes look upward, as if imagining the future, or asking for better
Sad eyebrows: “poor, unhappy me”
A slight smile indicates hope: without it it would just be a sad face

Angry facial expressions

Characterized by tension, particularly in the area between the eyebrows, which reaches a maximum in some expressions.

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Frowning, Sadness, Angry

frown

A slightly frowning expression may mean that someone is getting angry, but it doesn't have to be; Frowning can also mean doubt, trying to focus, or trying to remember something. On a smiling face, a frown makes the expression more severe.

Apart from frowning eyes, the facial features express nothing. This is the face of the person who receives information (listens/watches/thinks): “I gather information before I make a verdict.”

The eyes are alive and receive information.

Chagrin

There is no ambiguity here: this emotion is weaker than Angry, but it clearly indicates irritation.

The base of the eyebrows moves downwards and a wrinkle may appear where they end
A vertical wrinkle appears between the eyebrows
The jaw is tense, which moves the lower lip forward and lowers the corners of the mouth
Eyes are alive

Angry

An angry person stares very intently - this behavior is very typical, and causes the enemy to give up without a fight.

Eyebrows are low and tense, which creates wrinkles
The nostrils are flared, which makes the lines of the wings of the nose appear - all this indicates hatred towards the object of anger.
The mouth is compressed into a line with hard, downward wrinkles at the corners
One of the first signs of anger is uncontrollable redness of the ears.
Other signs: tense body, dominant bye (hands on hips or clenched into fists, palm down striking gestures)

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Anger, Rage

Anger

It becomes impossible to restrain emotions, and the mouth opens to scream:

The head leans forward like a bull ready to attack
Eyebrows go as low as possible, casting a shadow on the eyes
The area around the eyes is tense
The mouth is twisted, as if to growl, the corners are stretched, but the lower lip tends upward
Wrinkles appear on the nose, now there are not only vertical grooves, but also horizontal ones
The nostrils flare even more, lines running from the wings of the nose to the corners of the mouth are clearly visible
The lower fangs may be visible at the corners of the mouth

Fury

Complete transition to blind animal anger. What happens to human face in this state, can be compared to an angry lion or wolf.

The eyebrows are both tense and arched, creating wrinkles on the forehead.
Wide-open eyes with tiny pupils as if blinded by anger
Wrinkles appear on the upper part of the nose
It is quite possible that the person will splutter!
Due to the fact that blood pressure rises, veins on the temples become visible
The nose and mouth area goes into an extreme state of “Anger”, teeth and tongue become more visible

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Contempt, Arrogance, Arrogance

Contempt

A response to something disgusting, in a physical (bad smell...) or moral (cheating...) sense.

The head tilts back, the gaze is directed downwards
The nostrils rise, the wings of the nose become visible, and the lip curves on one or both sides
The lower lip presses against the upper, curving the mouth
The eyes are alive, but narrowed
The corners of the mouth are stretched to the sides, making it wider

Arrogance

The expression on Lucius Malfoy's face. It is contempt, but with zero intensity: cold contempt. Here the object of contempt is not worthy of an emotional reaction.

Eyes relaxed, pupils closed
Eyebrows raised contemptuously and slightly frowned
Mouth curved down
Eyes may roll in disdain

Arrogance

A person is not only confident that he is better than everyone else, he is also smug.

The head is tilted back, the gaze is directed downwards
Eyebrows lowered and more furrowed
Smug smile: a fake smile with the lower lip pressed against the upper lip in the center
One or both corners of the mouth are raised in mockery, indicating cunning and superiority

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Disgust, Skepticism

Disgust

A universal reflex reaction, mainly to food, but can also extend to intangible objects. All facial features reject the subject of disgust, shrinking (eyes, nose) or protruding forward (mouth).

The eyebrows are quite wrinkled
Eyes narrowed or half-closed
The head is tilted forward, the gaze is from under the brows
Nose wrinkled
The nostrils rise so high that the nose becomes distorted
The lines of the wings of the nose are clearly visible and stretched the most
The tongue depicts the urge to gag, takes most mouth
The selection is wrinkled
The upper lip is relaxed, the lower lip is turned out and protrudes forward - this is how this shape of the mouth is formed
The face lengthens due to the open mouth

Skepticism

“And you expect me to believe this?”

A vacant gaze (sleepy eyes with straight horizontal eyelids, pupil half-closed) indicates boredom and disbelief (see Curiosity for a comparison with an animated gaze)
One eyebrow raised is a universal sign of skepticism.
The mouth is lowered so much that it does not appear satisfied (raise the corners of the mouth upward and the facial expression turns cynical)

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Revenge, Pouting lips, Grouchiness

Revenge

“You wait with me... you will get it from me...”

The lower eyelid is closed more than the upper eyelid, creating a visible bag and drooping the corners of the eyes
The eyes are narrowed, as if to take aim!
The look is gloomy, the eyebrows are lowered, but no more - saving anger for a more opportune moment.
The mouth is compressed and wrinkled so that it is almost the same width as the nose

Pout

“I don’t like it at all, but I can’t/won’t mind.” Most often, this facial expression occurs in children, but slightly pouting lips is an involuntary reflex when disagreeing.

An accusatory glance from under frowned eyebrows
The lower lip is pressed against the upper and appears thicker, the corners of the mouth are drooping, the chin is wrinkled
The head bends forward in involuntary submission

Grouchiness

Distressed with mockery, this expression often indicates comical relief.

The eyebrows are furrowed, but this is not so noticeable due to the sleepy eyes and half-closed pupils: “ In fact I’m not angry and I’m not suffering.”
The corners of the lips are downturned, but the line of the mouth is not straight, which also indicates that this grimace should not be taken seriously.

Sad facial expressions

Characterized by downward inclination of facial features. All facial expressions of this branch will also include drooping shoulders.

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: So-so, Melancholy, Depression

So-so

"Pfft." The expression is almost neutral, with a slight hint that not everything is so good.

One corner of the mouth is clenched, as if it were a failed attempt to smile.
Eyebrows are neutral
The eyes are relaxed, the pupil touches the eyelids

Yearning

The main difference from "Sorrow" is the eyes, which are comparatively relaxed in humility. This is what sadness turns into over time, as the pain subsides but does not disappear.

As a result, the iris is larger and almost does not touch the eyelids
Eyebrows may droop slightly or strongly

Depression

The next stage after “Tosca” - I didn’t even have the strength left to be sad. Humility turned into hopelessness and indifference.

The look is depressed and sleepy, the iris is barely visible, the pupil is dilated. The eyes may be closed as an attempt to shut out the world.
The head is lowered or even hung.
The eyebrows can be almost neutral, as if it takes too much energy to keep them in a “sad” position.

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Sadness, Suffering, Crying

Sadness

A look full of pain, the reason for sadness is still fresh in memory. All facial features slope downwards.

The bases of the eyebrows rise and come closer, but there is still no visible tension: this is pure sadness, without anger or fear
The eyes are alive (due to pain), but the lower eyelids slope downwards and can form a fold, which emphasizes this. Pupils do not touch eyelids
The corners of the lips are downturned
"Silent tears" can roll down your cheeks

Suffering

Pain and confusion at the same time, there is no humility, but there is a desperate desire to eliminate the cause of suffering.

The bases of the eyebrows are raised so high that tension is created
Possible tears
The lips are parted, as if the pain is so strong that it is impossible to contain it
The corners of the lips are turned down, the lower lip is pressed upward in an unconscious but inevitable muscle reaction that occurs before crying.
The pupil does not touch the eyelids, as the eyes are wide open in fear (the person is afraid that he will not be able to eliminate the pain)

Cry

The man is crushed and sobs uncontrollably; this facial expression shows the maximum distortion of facial features in this branch.

The eyes are almost closed, as the eyebrows press on the upper eyelid, and the lower eyelid is pressed upward
Tension creates horizontal folds on the forehead
There are so many tears that they flow from both corners of the eyes
Muscle spasm of the lower lip intensifies
Face turns red
Nostrils flare
The chin is shaking

Translator's note: in the screenshot: Pain

Pain

This picture depicts an adult experiencing physical pain; to see the child’s reaction to pain, see “Crying.” The features are contracted as much as possible - tension can distract from the pain.

The eyebrows are pressed to the eyes, the bases of the eyebrows rise to the top, depicting pain
The lower lip is pressed upward, while the corners of the mouth are strongly drawn down, exposing clenched teeth and even the lower gum
Eyes closed or narrowed
Nose wrinkled
Upper lip raised
Characteristic folds resembling parentheses appear around the mouth, which also indicate tension.

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Frustration, Frustration, Stress

Disappointment

In children, disappointment would look like sadness, but in adults, sadness is shaded by reproach.

The lips are pursed (to hold back a reproach), the mouth may be moved to the side in an attempt to hide the clenching
Eyebrows can take on various combined expressions of sadness and frowning
The eyes are alive, the pupils touch the eyelids

Disorder

A combination of anger and the desire to cry.

The bases of the eyebrows try to frown and at the same time rise, wrinkling and turning the eyebrows into almost straight lines
The lips are slightly pouting, but the main tension is concentrated in the eyebrows, as the brain is working hard, trying to find a solution to the problem.

Stress

When there is too much going on in the head, the whole face shrinks, as if in an attempt to contain all the thoughts, or perhaps to shut out the world in order to deal with all these thoughts.

The eyebrows are pressed to the eyes, frowning, but their bases curl upward slightly, indicating pain.
The eyes are frowned and squinted, the inner corners are downcast
The lips are compressed, causing the mouth to rise
The nose is wrinkled, the face seems to crunch, even the tip of the nose rises slightly
The shape of the mouth resembles a wave, and seems to say, “Where to start? How to deal with this?

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Experience, Fright, Horror

Experience

An expression close to "Suffering", but with less anger and more fear.

The base of the eyebrows is as in "Suffering", but the arch also rises, forming folds on the forehead

Fright

"Deer in Headlights."

The eyes are wide open and look at the threat, constricted pupils are the main feature
The bases of the eyebrows are raised
Mouth clenched nervously
The hand squeezes objects in fear, and because of this the tendons stand out

Horror

All facial features are open, the skin turns pale, and the hair stands on end.

The eyes are very rounded, the pupil is tiny. This facial expression shows the very first seconds when a person is overcome by horror; Subsequently, the pupils dilate to see better, even though the eyes are wide open. The expression of extreme panic is creepy and completely unlike human
The lines of the wings of the nose are visible
Eyebrows raised high and tense
A scream of horror bends the lower lip downwards, exposing the lower teeth

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Timidity, Guilt, Embarrassment

Timidity

The face also expresses mild embarrassment, as opposed to the strong "Embarrassment" emotion. Children express shyness by bowing their head to their shoulder and at the same time raising their shoulders.

The head is bowed forward and pulled into the shoulders in an attempt to hide, like a turtle
The cheeks, ears and neck are flushed
A tense smile of embarrassment: the corners are pulled out to the sides, not up.

Guilt

It is expressed in an attempt not to show one’s guilt, in other words, a person tries to give his face an absent expression.

The gaze falls down and to the side, as if eye contact will reveal all the secrets. The head will most likely be turned away
The face is not expressive, as the person is trying to divert attention from himself
It seems that the facial features have shrunk

Embarrassment

“Oh God, it would be better if I fell into the ground now!” - this emotion is most strongly expressed through the eyes, while other facial features tend to become less noticeable.

The rounded, bulging eyes stared down and to the side; the head is ready to turn, quite possibly to hide the face completely
The lower lip presses upward, feigning fear.

Pose

We rarely express our feelings with just our face: the whole body contains a whole set of unconscious gestures. If you use them, your character will look more alive and natural. The hands in particular are quite expressive, and I've mentioned their position under some of the facial expressions. Below are some common and noticeable poses used by illustrators:

Translator's note: in the screenshot from left to right: Hands on hips, Hands crossed, Hands touching body

Hands on hips

Palms on hips, fingers forward, elbows out:

A classic sign of confidence
Shows that the body is ready to get to work, perform some action, etc.
Increases top part body, which makes the person appear more dominant and threatening in an argument (or when disciplining children)
Also means "Stay away from me, I'm in an antisocial mood"
Please note that if thumbs from the front, the pose looks more feminine, and shows uncertainty rather than aggression

Arms crossed

Classic defense pose
Disagreement, a person is closed to contact, arrogance, hostility. Women don't cross their arms around men they like.
Self-soothing pose to alleviate anxiety and social stress
If the arms and elbows are pressed tightly to the body, this indicates acute nervousness.

Hands touch the body

We unconsciously touch ourselves to calm ourselves down or relieve stress. Confusion, disagreement, disappointment, uncertainty are expressed by touching the lips with fingers, scratching the head, touching the neck, earlobe, other hand, rubbing the cheek, etc. This type of touching increases as stress and disapproval levels increase.

In particular, it can be effective to show repressed anger through such cues, since people tend to convey anger by gesticulating.

Please note that in children, the hand behind the head can express jealousy.

Practice time

It's surprising how many people don't know how to portray an emotion, even if they've experienced it many times. The solution is to observe yourself from within. If you can awaken emotions in yourself in any way (a sad or funny movie, thinking about something that makes you angry, watching a video with kittens, whatever), look carefully, both from the inside and in the mirror, to see how your personality changes. face (and pose). It's better to observe from the inside once you get used to it, as looking in the mirror can distract you from your feelings. Alternatively, you may observe yourself and/or others in emotional situations in life. We see many such situations every day; The main thing is to remain observant.

This exercise has already become a meme, but it's still cool for both fun and practical purposes: create a sheet of your favorite character (your own or any existing one), and then add a certain number of facial expressions to it. Instead of choosing based on convenience, choose them randomly(for example, point with your finger with your eyes closed). You can even go further and try mixed facial expressions or ones that weren't mentioned in this tutorial.

Translator's note: in the screenshot in rows from left to right: smile, peace, arrogance, rage, fear, horror

Translator's note: in the screenshot, in rows from left to right: blushing, terrified, uncertainty, daydreaming, pain, anger

A successful portrait can be considered a work that seems to come to life. What makes a person’s portrait come alive is the emotions displayed on it. In fact, it is not as difficult to draw a person’s emotions as it seems at first glance. If you do not draw from life or from a photograph, then before work you can go to the mirror. You need to take the necessary form and study the changes in your face. The emotions you draw on paper will reflect the state of mind of the person whose portrait you are depicting.

Sketch

You can draw different emotions only if you have the necessary base, so the first stage in your work is a sketch. When creating a portrait, it is important to consider the angle in order to maintain the correct proportions of the face. Draw the basics you need: the oval of the head, the neck and, if desired, the contours of the shoulders. Draw a vertical line - the axis of symmetry of the face. Divide it with a horizontal line, approximately in a ratio of 1:2, counting from the top edge. The eyes will be located at the height of this line. Draw eyebrows in small arcs. In the middle of the lower, longer, vertical part of the face is the nose. The distance between the eyes and the vertical will be equal to the size of the wings of the nose. Show the mouth with a slightly downward horizontal line. Don't forget to outline the ears and chin, and you can start exploring facial expressions. Emotions drawn in pencil are convenient because, unlike working with other materials, it will be more profitable to generalize forms without drawing everything thoroughly.

Happiness

First let's try to draw emotions happy person. In an enthusiastic state, people's eyes usually do not change, but you can show slight wrinkles that appear around them when you smile. For added effect, you can display slightly dilated pupils. The arches of the eyebrows are slightly raised. A smile can be depicted by curving the line of the mouth and lifting the outer corners of the lips. Don't forget about folds or, if the person you're drawing has them, dimples. Also, when a person smiles, their cheeks rise slightly and appear plumper; to do this, make small downward curved lines under the eyes. If the smile is “open”, then show the teeth with several vertical lines.

Anger

An angry expression on the face is mostly given by eyebrows shifted towards the bridge of the nose. The inner corners of the eyebrows drop strongly, almost pressing against the eyes, while the outer corners, on the contrary, fly up. Because of this, a wrinkle forms on the bridge of the nose, which can be shown with small vertical strokes. The eyes narrow greatly in anger, wrinkles appear under them and near the outer corners, show them with horizontal strokes. The mouth is also important: you can depict an evil grin by drawing teeth and showing the nasolabial fold with lines - from the wings of the nose to the corners of the lips. The shape of the mouth resembles a perfect circle: the upper lip seems to curl down at the corners, while the lower lip forms an upward arch. Due to the fact that the mouth of a screaming person is open, the lower jaw and chin need to be lowered, prolonging the oval of the face. The wings of the nose widen greatly. When creating a portrait evil man You can slightly sharpen your facial features, this will give it a little aggressiveness.

Mockery

The shape of the eyebrows and mouth gives a mocking expression to the face. Raise one eyebrow with an arch, draw the other like a wave, lowering the inner corner. From the side of the raised eyebrow, pull up the wing of the nose. Create a grin by lifting one corner of your lips. Due to this, the entire line of the mouth shifts slightly towards the raised corner. Lower your lower lip, leaving your teeth slightly visible. A fold also forms on the cheek on the side where the smile is extended. Narrow your eyes a little and show small strokes of wrinkles around the outer corners, just like when you smile.

Astonishment

The next emotion we will try to draw is surprise. All elements of the face of a surprised person seem wider and rounder than in a calm state. Let's start with the eyebrows. The arches of the eyebrows are strongly curved, due to this, horizontal folds are formed on the forehead. Or you can raise just one eyebrow, this will give your portrait even more surprise. When the eyebrows rise, the nose rises with them, so extend it upward a little. The eyes are often round and wide. The mouth is slightly open, the shape becomes like an oval, and do not forget to draw the teeth inside it.

Sadness

In sadness, people often lower their heads, and to show this, you need to make the frontal lobe of the oval of the head a little larger, and trim the lower jaw and chin. The eyes do not change their shape, but the gaze tends to be downward (show this by moving the pupil at the bottom of the eye), so the upper eyelids will cover the eyes a little more and appear larger. The inner tips of the eyebrows are raised, and the remaining part follows the shape of the eye, going down in an arc - this can be shown with a curve, a wave-like line. The lips will be tightly closed, and their corners will go down. If the person in your portrait is crying, the shape of his eyes will be narrowed. Tears can be shown with a simple line. The trails of tears, leaving the outer corners of the eyes, follow the lines of the oval of the face and go down to the chin, bending around the cheeks.

Disgust

When expressing disgust, the face seems to wrinkle, so horizontal folds will form on the forehead, a vertical wrinkle will appear between the eyebrows, and a slightly noticeable nasolabial fold will appear near the mouth. Draw the eyebrows as straight as possible and lower them lower towards the eyes, but raise the inner corners up. The eyes will not differ much from the neutral expression, except that they will be slightly narrowed. Disdain is also expressed by raising the upper lip on one side and exposing the teeth.

thoughtfulness

Thoughtfulness - last state, which we will try to draw. The emotions of a thoughtful person are poorly expressed. People usually relax their facial muscles when lost in thought, but the eyebrows may be drawn together in this expression, causing a crease to appear between them. Draw them in a straight line, but slightly raise the upper corners. The eyes do not change shape, but if you draw them a little narrower or completely closed, this will give the portrait even more thoughtfulness. You can look away or down, just draw circles of the iris and pupil not directly in the center of the eye. The lips will be slightly parted, so be sure to show your teeth.

Anxiety

In an anxious person, the facial muscles are uncontrollably tense, so you need to show the folds on the forehead and under the eyes. The eyebrows, as in the expression of sadness, form a wave, while the eyes are wide and round. In addition, a person experiencing anxiety may have slightly dilated pupils. The lips are compressed, so draw the lower lip a little narrower than usual; some people bite it, so you can add a strip of teeth.

We hope this article helped you understand how to draw emotions step by step, and your portrait turned out alive.

Example? Please.

Bruce Willis - sidelong glance, asymmetrical grin. Marilyn Monroe - chin raised, eyes narrowed, mouth slightly open. Try to mentally imagine that the faces of these people will take on each other’s expressions; they will seem strange and completely unfamiliar.

Facial expressions truly express a person's character. There are many books about how different emotions affect facial muscles. For example, “Body Language” by Allan and Barbara Pease or Paul Ekman is the first thing that comes to mind (not counting anatomy for artists, of course). If you want to draw emotional portraits, information about the work of the facial muscles will not be superfluous.

And for those who would like to try their hand at drawing emotions already now, I would advise starting with sketches and quick sketches. And to begin with, I suggest you watch one lesson on this topic:

The lesson was prepared by the artist Tatyana Olenchinkova.

Emotions attract attention, it’s hard to disagree with that!

Here are some more image examples for inspiration: emotions in the paintings of great masters: