Facial expressions

We see human faces everywhere we go, yet drawing them may seem a difficult task to a beginner. When attempting to draw faces, remember to start by jotting down the accurate outline first. Don't bother about the details such as the features or expressions until later.

Today we'll teach you how to capture different expressions. The sketches here will show you how to draw faces with different expressions.

What can we see in another person's face? There are many moods reflected in every face. Happiness, sadness, worry, shyness, anger, joy, surprise and lots of other emotions. I shall start with simple outlines so that any child can follow the guidelines to begin with. Because you are most likely to be a happy person, I shall first show how to draw happy faces. The mouth line clearly indicates if a person is in a happy mood or not; it generally curves upwards. The eyes too sparkle However, the eyebrows may remain the same. More often than not they tighten up slightly. Observe drawings on figure 1. Notice how a smile can be extended into a great moment of joy, as shown in the bottom sketches. Observe how the eyes too can help to determine the mood. They can become round, narrow or even closed. There can also be tears of joy as shown on Figure 1.

Just like the happy faces there are gloomy facial expressions. Figure 2 shows moments of anger, fury and worry. The mouth line goes down while the eyebrows remain either up, fairly straight or curved down towards the nose.

When drawing faces begin by drawing the frontal view. Note how I have drawn each different expression. Here's a good tip which will help you to capture different moods and expressions. Use a mirror and observe yourself! It is important to relax and observe yourself carefully. Study these facial expressions and practise them as much as you can until you are good at drawing any mood by memory. Copy the illustration on Fig 1 and 2. Outline it with an HB pencil and complete it with pen an ink. Practice makes perfect, as the saying goes, so if you want to be a good artist, keep on drawing.