# Subtle & Mixed Cartoon Expressions > Blend emotions and tune intensity so faces feel nuanced, not stock Shows how to combine features from different emotions, scale intensity from subtle to extreme, and avoid ambiguous or contradictory faces. Use when basic expressions feel clichéd or when a character needs layered feelings. - Page: https://ss33.ai/skills/skillstore33/subtle-and-mixed-expressions-46151078177 - Publisher: skillstore33 - Category: [Creative & Media](https://ss33.ai/skills/category/creative-and-media-0j3x01) › [Image & design](https://ss33.ai/skills/category/creative-and-media-0j3x01/image-and-design-nlbt3d) - License: MIT ## Skill SKILL.md: https://ss33.ai/api/v1/ss33/download/skillstore33/subtle-and-mixed-expressions-46151078177 # Mixing and refining subtle or complex expressions **Rule:** This skill only adds specialist tips. Always give your full, normal answer to the user's request from your own general knowledge, and work these tips in where they apply. Do not replace or shrink your general answer to fit this list. ## Materials and tools - Paper: cheap 8.5″×11″ (22×28 cm) copy paper is fine for roughs. For a sketchbook, use heavy paper with a medium tooth, 30–60 lb (65–125 gsm). - Mechanical pencil: use soft lead (HB or B). - Col-Erase pencil in Blue or Carmine Red: use for the blocking-in rough. It is easy to remove on a computer or copier after the dark line goes over it. - Faber-Castell Polychromos pencil: use for the tight clean-up drawing. - Pens: Sakura Pigma Micron (various sizes) for inking. Pilot Precise Rolling Ball (extra fine) for inking details and keeping them black. Buy spares in case one runs dry mid-project. - Pencil sharpener: all-metal hand-held ones last. Plastic bodies lose the strength to hold the blades. - Software: Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter, used with a pressure-sensitive Wacom tablet. Without the tablet the programs are nearly useless for drawing. - Keep a small mirror taped to the drawing table. Use your own face as expression reference. - For kids' or other expressions you can't act out, use stock photography or child-photographer sites as reference. Use them only as reference, never copy directly. ## Catching errors in a drawing - Hold the drawing up to a mirror to see the reversed image. Errors you have become blind to show up immediately. - With no mirror, flip the paper over and hold it to a light. Make sure nothing is drawn on the back. - After the details stage, look away from the drawing, then look back quickly. If the expression doesn't read instantly (e.g. hostile), revise it. - Shade some areas early to test whether the expression is reading. - If the expression doesn't work once the irises and eyebrows are placed, revise the drawing rather than pushing on. - Don't overwork the drawing. Too much detail can hurt. ## Pencil handling - Block in with the side or edge of the pencil, lightly. Then turn to the tip for thick-and-thin edge lines, then rotate back down for shading. - Make confident strokes. They look better than tentative hatching, even when misplaced. - Shade light to dark by gradually increasing pressure. ## Head construction (the base for every expression) - Order of steps: 1. Draw a circle for the cranium, thinking of it as a ball. 2. Add a U-shape for the jaw. 3. Add the centerline (vertical) and the eye line (horizontal). 4. Add the nose and mouth lines. 5. Add features. - Put the eye line in the middle of the whole head, not the middle of the cranium, which is too high. - Nose line: halfway between the eye line and the chin. Mouth line: one-third of the way down from the nose to the chin. - Place the eyes about one eye-width apart, with the ears below the eye line. - Start every drawing of the same character from the same structure (circle, U-shape, construction lines). This keeps the character consistent. - Wrap the construction lines around the form like string, so they curve on turned or tilted heads. - Profile: it has an eye line but no centerline, because the centerline is the edge of the face. Construct it in a box of four quadrants. The head is about as long as it is tall, and the jaw and ear sit on the halfway line front to back. - Three-quarters view: head height and eye line stay put and only the centerline moves. Build it by combining the front and profile views. - Worm's-eye and bird's-eye: start from a profile with the chin tilted up or down. The centerline stays put while the eye, nose and mouth lines move and curve. - The neck tilts the head. Use it to change the point of view and add expression. - Variations: change the head and face shape, then fit the cranium and face inside it. Move the eye, nose and mouth lines to different levels, but don't mess much with the centerline, which is the anchor. - Curve the centerline slightly and off-center, and curve the construction lines down, to make a head more dynamic. - Kids: big cranium, small round jaw, small features relative to the head. Large oval ears read as goofier and younger. - Superhero: squared, blocky cranium with a prominent chin reads masculine. ## Jaw and open mouth - The jaw is hinged right in front of the ears and swings back and down. It also slides a little side to side and forward and back. - When drawing an open mouth, draw the jaw longer, or the face looks like a dummy puppet. One method is to draw the closed jaw first, then a second lower jaw line to find the range of motion. - The chin moves down and back as the mouth opens, not straight down. - Opening the jaw stretches the cheeks, which makes the cheekbone more prominent. It also stretches the nose as the lip pulls forward or under the front teeth. - More of the bottom teeth show as the jaw swings open. ## Mouth and lips - The mouth wraps around the jaw form. - Bird's-eye: less top lip is visible. - Worm's-eye: more top lip is visible. - A relaxed mouth curves as it wraps. - Three-quarters: the lips sit on a mass of muscle and stick out a little. Indicate a centerline on the mouth. - Profile, relaxed: the lip corners stay in front of the eyes. The bottom lip sits behind the top lip, and the chin sits behind the bottom lip. - Lips are like two clay snakes pushed together that kink in the middle, and they stretch and squash with the face muscles. - "Three bean" lip method: 1. Draw a kidney bean on top of two lima beans. 2. Draw the mouth corners out to the sides (their position sets the mouth width), then the line between the lips. 3. Start the outer line a speck from the corner, over the kidney bean and around under the limas. 4. Erase the beans and darken the line between the lips, which is the mouth opening and should be much darker than the lip edges. - Pucker: pushes the lips out and up toward the nose. In three-quarters it exaggerates the mouth mass, and the corners move toward the center. - Pout: the same muscles, but the lips tighten together or push back between the teeth. - Sneer: raises the top lip, pushes the nose up and flares the nostrils. In profile it doesn't go past the front of the eyes. The top lip comes forward and the nose scrunches shorter. - Frown: pulls the lip corners down, and the muscles run down the neck to the clavicle (neck tension in a big frown). - Smile: pulls the corners up and away. A natural smile with nothing else engaged shows the top teeth only. - Smile from a bird's-eye view: the curve of the face exaggerates it, and the lips flatten against the teeth. - Worm's-eye smile: the bottom lip goes more neutral, and the corners carry the smile. - Bird's-eye frown: the downward slope is less obvious, and you still see less top lip. - Worm's-eye frown: the cheeks scrunch down. - Open-mouth smile ("yay"): sometimes both rows of teeth, often just the top. - Open-mouth frown: more of the bottom row shows. - Standard comic yell: open-mouth frown plus sneer. The sneer lifts the top lip and the frown pulls the bottom lip down, giving maximum mouth exposure with lots of teeth and throat. - Think about lip thickness and the teeth structure under them. An overbite affects the lips, and buck teeth can push out. A thin top lip with a thick bottom lip gives good contrast. ## Eyes - The eye is a sphere in a socket. The lids have thickness and wrap the form like a partly peeled orange, so show the lid edge. - Build order: 1. Draw a circle with intersecting construction lines. 2. Add the iris and pupil circles. 3. Sketch the lids: the top lid covers the top of the iris a bit and overlaps the bottom lid on the outside. Add a divot at the inner corner for the curuncula. 4. Darken the pupil and iris, and add a highlight showing the light direction. 5. Keep lashes as a solid group, not individual hairs. - When the eye looks sideways, the iris wraps the eyeball and flattens. Irises near the edge of the sphere are oval. - In three-quarters the far eye overlaps the centerline, because the eyes sit behind the face. - Squint muscle: draws the lids together. - Surprise: white space between the top lid and the iris communicates surprise more than anything else. Raised brows are the icing. Don't let the lids overlap the irises in a wide-eyed look. - Anger: the brows come down toward the center above the nose, often with squinting. The Corrugator muscles push the top of the nose into an accordion shape and pinch the forehead between the brows. - Worm's-eye: the lid curve is a half-moon, the brow sticks out in front of the eye, and the top lid edge is more distinct. It exaggerates raised brows. - Bird's-eye: the half-moon flips, the brow hangs lower and the lower lid edge shows more. It exaggerates lowered brows, so tilt the head down to intensify anger. A bird's-eye surprise still works if the top lid is far enough from the iris. - Feminine eyes: higher, thinner brow arch; almond shape tipped up at the outer edge; fuller, longer lashes; exaggerated lid above the eye. - Epicanthic eyes: the lid wraps less tightly and transitions smoothly into the face (not sunken). Folds are absent or subtle, the lid rim is smooth with no hard corner, and the curuncula is sunk deep in the corner. ## Nose and cheeks - Nose: a wedge or doorstop shape. 1. Mark the construction lines for the middle and bottom of the nose. 2. Draw the wedge, widening as it spreads, with two lines for the bridge. 3. Add the tip, wings and nostrils. Nostrils rarely face straight out, so show slits. 4. Wrap the details around the form. - Nose and cheeks react to the eyes, brows and mouth. Think of ripples from a rock dropped in a pond. Draw the big shapes first, then the secondary ripples. - A smile pushes the cheeks up and can cover the bottoms of the eyes. Add a sneer and they go higher. - Frown and sneer bunch the chin muscles. - Aging: secondary details (the ripples) become more prominent. - Tilt the nose oval when the mouth is pushed to the side, since the mouth affects the nose angle. ## Asymmetry and variation - Use asymmetry to add energy, instability and out-of-control feel, e.g. unequal brows or eyes. - Sneeze: lips puckered to one side, one nostril flared. - Terror: asymmetrical brows and eyes. - Possessed: one eye squintier than the other. - Reduce the asymmetry for the calmer follow-up expression (horror is less asymmetrical than terror). - Place the eyes and irises deliberately. Irises close together read naive or goofy. ## Telling similar expressions apart Ask what is different in the character's head from the last expression. - **Joyful vs happy:** - Make joyful "bigger": wider eyes, higher brows, open mouth, cheeks squished high. - Lengthen the jaw for the open mouth. - **Sneeze:** - Squash the head for tension and tilt it back, rotating the eye line up. - Add small detail lines at the tension points. - **Sad:** - Eyelids closing on the irises, a standard frown with the corners down, and brows pushing up the middle of the forehead. - The eye line is back at its normal level. - **Laughter:** - Eyes closed with simple curves, a wide mouth pushing the cheeks up, and eyefolds sinking into the face. - Show the bottom teeth as a horseshoe and the top as a half-moon. - **Fear stages:** - Dread: anticipation. Keep it small, holding energy in reserve, with dropped mouth corners, raised distressed brows and elongated cheeks. - Dread, eye direction: only the eyes look toward the noise. A turned head would imply confidence. - Terror: extreme but momentary. Mouth as big as possible, brows up, eyes open, asymmetrical. Elongate the jaw, push the chin down into the double chin, and stand the hair on end. - Horror: contemplative, and it lasts longer than terror. Keep the mouth open but more relaxed, keep a good frown, and make the brows and eyes less asymmetrical. Cheat the intensity by drawing the bottom teeth flat rather than as a horseshoe, with less exaggerated shadows around the eyes and nose. - Order of endurance: dread can be drawn out longest, then horror, then terror. - **Villain:** - Angry: squinched brow, lowered mouth corners, and white left showing between irises and lids for intensity. - Deep in thought: one raised brow, squinting lids, a mouth pushed to the side, and eyes looking sideways. - Conniving: heavy lids and a raised brow, and a darker cheek wrinkle on one side. - Possessed: demonic smile with corners curled up, raised brows, raised cheeks, and one eye squintier. - **Disgust sequence:** - Stink: pinched, pulled-up nose; lips moved down and puckered; tight eye lines; wrinkles above the nose. - Disgusted: mouth stretched open with the tongue out (not too far, or he looks about to vomit), eyes and nose pinched toward the centerline, a second jaw line for the open mouth, stronger wrinkles above the nose. - Annoyed: nose pinched with flared, turned-up nostrils; brow down and in, but not too much or he looks angry. Upper lid straight, lower lid dipping below it. Short upward lines at the inner brow soften anger into frustration. Bags under the eyes. Tilt the upper lip to one side. - Hopeless: less extreme than disgust, with nostrils anchored and flared. Upper lids slope toward the chin, lower lids droop slightly pulled up. Bean-shaped mouth low near the chin showing lower teeth and gums. Eyes looking down reads as despairing. - **Hobo series:** - Crazy: one eye closed more than the other, S-shaped brows with one higher. - Yummy: tongue as a half-circle coming up from the bottom lip, mouth closed and wide. - Drunk: heavy lids, glossed eyes, gaping mouth, and a smile lifting the eye bags. - Hung-over: long face with loose skin, heavy lids, offset pupils, mouth hanging open. - Keep the same construction lines with curved-down variations. - **Teen girl series:** - Rolling eyes: upper lids fully open, bottom lids pulled up, oval irises near the sphere's edge, mouth pushed to the side. Add a smirk with tension lines around the mouth. - Confused: bottom lids high on the irises (suspicious) but upper lids fully open (shock). Eyebrows sweep up, with a sneer, open mouth, side-of-nose wrinkle and flared nostril. Keep the forehead smooth and tight on a young woman. - Dumbfounded: wide-open eyes are the key, with lids not overlapping the irises. Mouth slack, open and pouty, not yelling or laughing. Keep the nose and eyes lightly defined on a young character. - Hostile: brows down, cheeks up pushing the lower lid, lids nearly closed, so the eye is open just enough for the pupil. The brow pushes out a mass of skin above the eye and casts a shadow. Mouth is a mix of sneer and pout. - **Farm girl series:** - Sassy: one brow raised, one lowered; nose crinkled and pulled to one side with the mouth; face and jaw twisted the same way; mouth pursed, slightly open and off to one side. - Flirty (subtle): one brow slightly raised, dreamy eyes, a soft sly smile at one corner, mouth closed. - Happily surprised: brows high on the forehead and thin, eyes wide with smaller pupils, mouth an O with the corners up. A fine line separates this from unpleasant surprise. - Pouty: larger pupils and glossy eyes, brows high and pinched to the center, the bottom lip protruding and almost covering the top lip, plus a pucker line under it. - For all of these, make the outer eye corner much higher than the inner. - **Fight series:** - Ready for action: tight lips, one eye opened a bit wider for uncertainty. Contained but not too subtle. - Growl: lower lip pulled down at one corner, gritted teeth, squinched brow, flared nostrils, cross-eyed stare. - Attack: both corners down, mouth extremely wide, vertical stretched irises, dark lines around the eyes so they pop. - Yelling: elongated jaw, frown plus sneer, brows down with the Corrugators working, half-moon bottom teeth. - Slugged in the gut: draw the most intense-pain frame (the animation "extreme"). Puffed cheeks, wide eyes, pursed lips, sweat beads. - Electrocuted: stretched face, clenched teeth, brows raised over bulging crossed eyes, wrinkles in face and neck, burn marks. - Exhausted: eyes more open, round and relaxed, with heavy puffy lines; droopier lower lip than yelling; sweat. - Gloating: relaxed almond eyes, mouth open and relaxed with teeth less separated, neck wrinkles played down. - Cowering: be specific to the moment, not generic cowardice. Teeth biting the lower lip, the top lip jutting out, wide eyes, brows curled up, a crease in the lower lip. - **Love series:** - Shy: eyes down and off to the side, chin tucked, peering through the lashes, with small 45° lines at the ends of the smile to tighten it. - Coy: low upper lids, eyes looking over the shoulder, relaxed smile. Lid and lash placement carries the mystery. - Seductive: low upper lids, mouth open with relaxed tube-like lips, tongue touching the top teeth, a raised and cocked brow with the arch peak toward the inner side. - Infatuated (vs crazy): the smile and prominent tongue. Upper lids fully open, lower lids arched up, upper lip curled, one nostril raised in a snarl. Add a highlight on each pupil. ## Character-specific adjustments - Don't over-wrinkle kids, or they look forty. Keep their forehead smooth. - A young woman's forehead stays smooth and tight where a man's would be heavily wrinkled. - Keep the details for tension at the points of stress (eyes, cheeks, chin, neck). ## Inking and line quality - Let pencil be done, ink, let the ink dry completely, then erase the pencil. Erase construction lines before inking if they would get in the way. - Vary line width. Use thick lines for large shapes, foreground, the underside of shapes (weight), shadow areas and focus areas (eyes, mouth). Use thin lines for small shapes, background and surface detail. - Widen strokes at the fullness of a curve, such as a cheek. - Taper stroke ends. Abrupt ends kill volume, and tapering makes lines wrap around the form. - Draw from the wrist and elbow for smooth continuous lines. For terror-style bold strokes, use a single stroke from the wrist or elbow and practice on the side of the page before committing. - Make photocopies of the pencil drawing to practice inking on before the real thing. - On bristol board, wear a cotton glove with the fingers and thumb cut out so your hand doesn't stick and you can make long strokes. - Lines can be thicker at implied shadow and depth: under the jaw, under the lips and nose, where the eyes meet the brow, and at the bottom of shapes for weight. - Use thin lines for highlights: the upper cheek near the eye, the tip of the nose, lips and eyes. Add a thin line in a hair highlight, or a separated strand, so hair doesn't read as a thick cord. - Keep the front-of-face lines thin and the under-jaw thick (profile). - Shiny surfaces (helmets): leave the bulk white with dark contrasting edges, and use heavier lines in shadowed areas. - Hair highlight: fill the hair black, leave a single broad bar or patch, and cut into it with a few small strokes to soften the edges and show direction. Use a zigzag for messy hair. - Keep added details following the contours of the form. - Shading marks: thick to thin ink, crosshatching in two directions, airbrush spatter, or toothbrush ink spatter (aim at the paper). - To keep the softness of a young face, finish in pencil instead of ink. - Hold off darkening features until the structure works. Darkening the eyelashes, brows and pupils early shows what the finished image will look like. ## Color, lighting and mood - Pick a light source first and wrap the shadow and light around the form so it doesn't look flat. - Animation look: all shadows share one hard edge with no gradual value change, and shadows are warmer than the lit areas for a daylight feel. - Light from below or from the side makes a dramatic or "horror" mood. - Too much green or desaturation makes a character look ill. A deliberate cool, bluish-green light grays the skin for an eerie mood. - Outdoor and indoor light give different skin tones, so consider the surroundings. - Shadows should wrap the form the way face details do. - Blonde is a warm tan, not yellow, and may be nearly the skin color. - Add white highlights on lips and eyes for gloss. Keep hair highlights more subdued than eye and lip highlights, since highlight intensity changes the perceived texture. - Coloring the line work can add pop. Colored irises accentuate an expression. - Digital: use one layer for flat color and a second for highlights and shadows. Color underneath the ink layer so the line work stays on top. - Follow the shadows and form already described in the sketch when deciding where color goes. - Light direction from above is standard. - Simple color or just texture is fine for a stylized character. - Complex or subtle characters: let the expression read first, and keep color from competing with it. ## Reference keys - Head = bowling ball with a beard. - Lips = clay snakes. - Nose = doorstop. - Eyes = partially peeled oranges. - Face = pool of water, with ripples spreading from large movements. - Practice many angles between the seven basic views, and refer back to a simpler view when stuck.