How to Draw Facial Expressions
By Kelly | July 27, 2007
One key to conveying your characters mood and personality is in the face. In this tutorial, you’ll find out the elements that convey emotion, and discover which cartoon ’shorthand’ drawing methods are used to convey them. I recommend you read through How to Draw Eyes before you continue, if you haven’t read it already.
1. Elements of Expression
The key elements of facial expressions are the eyes, eyebrows, and mouth. In furry characters, the ears are also important.
Take a look at these examples:
Which parts change the most?
The shape of the eyes, the angle of the eyebrows, and the mouth.
Notice that ears are ‘pinned’, or pointed back, when the character is angry or distressed.
Both the upper and lower eyelids affect the shape of the eye, and even the eyebrows have some effect too if they are strongly furrowed, as in the angry expression.
A genuinely happy expression should show the effect of the lower eyelid, flattening the shape of the bottom of the eye- fake smiles lack this effect in real life!
In cases where the pupil is ‘floating’, not touching the top or bottom edge of the eye, the character appears surprised. Without raised eyebrows and lowered jaw, the floating pupil just makes a character look deranged.
In other words, the combination of all 3 elements is key to conveying the right expression.
2. Focus on the Eye
Here’s an eye in several poses, depicting some different possibilities for showing emotion.
The first shows a little of the bottom eyelid, as well as the top. This expression is relaxed, or just plain normal. The high and slightly arched eyebrow makes the character alert. They’re engaged or interested, and thinking.
The second example eye is surprised, or shocked. The eyebrow arches way up, and we see the floating pupil again. The upper eyelid is pulled back, making the eye seem larger. You can change the angle of the eyebrow to add more subtle effects to the expression – angle it up and toward the center of the face for a concerned or unhappy surprise, and angle it down toward the center of the face to show anger.
The third eye is definitely not happy. We have the angry, down-angled eyebrow, which touches the eye itself it’s so low. Making the angle of the eyebrow even sharper, and covering more of the eyeball, will make a more intensely angry expression.
Eye #4 is concerned, sad, or fearful. The up-angled eyebrow is pulling at the flesh around the eye, distorting it. The lower eyelid is also making a strong appearance.
An even more angry, menacing expression in the next eye. Like I mentioned before, the angle of the eyebrow has intensified the emotion. The addition of the lower eyelid narrowing the eye adds to the effect.
The last eye is bored, tired, or otherwise disengaged. Most of the eye is covered by the upper lid, and there’s not much action in the eyebrow.
3. Learn by Example
My final advice to you, is to study the right models. Don’t just copy expressions you see in cartoons or manga. Get a mirror, study your own expressions. Watch how the muscles of the face move and bunch. Pay attention to the shape of the eye, and how much of the teeth you see when the mouth is open. Animators often act out the poses and expressions they need to draw, and I think this technique will serve you well. Don’t be afraid of looking like a goofball!
Here are some examples of facial expressions from my webcomic Good Cheese. Analyze the shape of the eye, angle of the eyebrow, and the mouth. What emotion does it convey? And, can you think of a better way to draw it?
Happy Drawing! 
Topics: Drawing tutorials | 54 Comments »
July 28th, 2007 at 11:27 pm
These tutorials are helping me out a lot. Thanks!
July 30th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Thanks for the great tutorials. And for the updates.
Just love this website thanks a lot
July 30th, 2007 at 10:09 pm
these tutorails are really helping me with certain parts of my anthro art. Thanks!
July 31st, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Thank you so much. Your site and these tutorials are great!
August 8th, 2007 at 10:06 am
Heh, these are great!
September 5th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Thanks!
This help me a lot!
September 8th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
This helps alot, that’s indeed a really good tutorial, to answer the question: No! I don’t think at all that there is a way to draw them better :P. Keep up the good tutorial, it’s really well done.
September 10th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
wow this helps.
at least it means i can draw a face before getting to depressed with its rubishness and stopping
great website i ve been looking for a site like this for ages ^-^
September 11th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
you know what out of all the drawing tutorials i think this is the best and i took me lots of time trying to find it but i believe that you guys should add more picz so that we can learn more but other then that i agree with what david said!
October 1st, 2007 at 2:19 pm
I really enjoyed doing these. I have been waiting for friends to help me come up with some drawings for a couple of characters I have made up. I finally got tired of waiting ! So I’m here learning how to draw them myself.
October 8th, 2007 at 2:48 am
[...] Ansigtsudtryk [...]
October 27th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Wow, this tutorials are really amazing!
Thank you very much for taking the time to show us this!
December 27th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
thank you very much for posting this tutorial it really helped me out with my art and i am grateful
ps. these tutorials are really amazing and in depth.
January 29th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
The bit you said about don’t be afraid looking like a goofball. I make the face as I’m drawing it without knowing and people say “What are doing?”. Haha, I get so embarrassed. I just tell them why.
April 6th, 2008 at 2:50 am
Helps alot.Still working on the mouthe and face shapes though…
April 10th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
it helps alot know i just need to keep my hand steady
April 10th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
i mean now i just need to keep my hand steady
April 10th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
this is sooooooooooo easy!!
and i’m 9 im awsome at this already!
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:00 am
I love your website.
I cannot stress enough how much this has helped me with my furry art.
May 8th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
wow these are great tutorials i love them thx (^0^)
May 10th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Thanks for the tutorial, it really helps! However, what about characters with longer, more pronounced muzzles, like horses?
May 24th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
wow cute
June 11th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I LUV THIS WEB IM GONNNA SAVE THIS IN MY COMP….
June 16th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
these have helped me alot and now i can draw expressions really good ^0^
June 16th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
oh and good cheese is awesome i love it
June 18th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
These really helped thanks xD it takes my awhile to draw them how i like though xD i have very high standards with my drwing =3
June 22nd, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Thanks allot for the tutorials!
really helping me out, keep up the good work! =)
June 28th, 2008 at 9:59 am
THANK YOU SOMUCH YOU REALLY HELPED ME .JUST KEEP UP THE GREAT DRAWINGS
July 8th, 2008 at 12:24 am
helped alot, but i need more on the ears…
ohhh well, thanks.
August 22nd, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Very nice I bet learned from this
September 5th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
This helped me!! thanks ^^
September 30th, 2008 at 1:17 am
Oh my.. I, I just can’t thank you enough.
October 30th, 2008 at 7:01 am
Wow this is really helping me alot my drawings are so much better now
November 23rd, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Great site for digital cartoonist.
February 27th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
thanks a lot for the tutorial
its great it helped me a lot
March 20th, 2009 at 5:30 am
Your website has helped me a lot!!!
Thankk youuu!
May 30th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Waoo! It’s Tremendous Tutorial.
Thanking you.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
thank u for the tortuials the have helped increase the things i can draw, i was stuck with simple human drawings but after this i have been able to impress my friends with fantasy art
September 16th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I love your site! It really helps!
October 3rd, 2009 at 1:52 am
Okay, first: youre a good artist. :) you capture the essences of these emotions, its like _i_ feel them when i see the pictures.
Second: You actually helped me with my art. usually art sites dont really help me progress.
so THANK YOU! :D
November 1st, 2009 at 11:59 pm
This is helping me step up from being a useless drawer to something much much bigger! Thank you so much!
November 5th, 2009 at 7:26 am
thanx alot coz yo site has helped me alot in illustration
November 6th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
THNX ALOT!! it would even help more if you gave tips on drawing different species
November 14th, 2009 at 6:14 am
just wanted to say thank you very much. I am reading this and it has helped me to draw a little better^-^
November 15th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Is there any way we can print these off so we have them as refrence sheets??
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:36 am
Wow!! I am tallented @ drawing but I will soon be better!! Now I know how to draw like that :D
December 15th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
REALLY ENJOYED THE teachings…thanxxxz
February 26th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
thanks for the teachings they are really helpful to me. it is my first time drawing furry so this is a great help XD
April 3rd, 2010 at 3:12 am
What about furries with long muzzles? They always give me the most trouble. :<
April 23rd, 2010 at 8:11 pm
Have you considered opening a forum for people to post their art on?
May 7th, 2010 at 3:13 am
Thanx for this good way to learn out how to make diffrent expresions…..I try self to do a Furry character but i are not good so this site really help me!
June 27th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
This was so helpful!
Only if I could choose which kind of animal should I draw…. I am kinda confused :\
But this helped me a lot with facial expressions. I am not that good when drawing faces and I should improve! ^^ Thanks a bunch guys!
June 28th, 2010 at 10:21 am
Nice tutorial! I like the fact that even ears are considered when drawing facial expressions! Very professional tutorial! :)
August 9th, 2010 at 12:39 am
Thank you this was extremely helpful!