Expressions: eyebrows, mouth and manga codes

Eyebrows, eyes, mouth

1. Step 1Eyebrows first

   They are the strongest element. Lowered toward the nose: anger or focus. Raised in the middle: sadness or worry. Very high: surprise.

2. Step 2The eyes

   Wide open for surprise and fear, narrowed for laughter or suspicion, closed in an arch for a big smile.

3. Step 3The mouth

   It confirms the emotion: corners up for joy, down for sadness, clenched teeth for anger, a round opening for surprise.

4. Step 4All in the same direction

   An emotion is clear when all three tell the same thing. A smile with frowning eyebrows is something else: a threatening smile.

Six basic emotions

• Joy: eyes closed in an arch or narrowed, cheeks raised, mouth wide open.
• Anger: low eyebrows pulled together, creases between the eyes, teeth showing.
• Sadness: eyebrows raised in the middle, eyes looking down, mouth corners down, tears at the edge of the eyes.
• Surprise: very high eyebrows, small irises in big eyes, a round open mouth.
• Fear: like surprise, but the mouth stretched to the sides and the body pulling back.
• Embarrassment: eyes looking away, blush on the cheeks, a small wavy mouth.

Manga codes

• A drop of sweat on the temple: unease or embarrassment.
• A cross-shaped vein on the forehead: irritation, often for comedy.
• Hatching on the cheeks: blushing, from shyness or love.
• Blank white eyes: shock, comic rage or a character at a loss.
• Vertical lines over the top of the face: despair or deep unease.
• A face suddenly drawn as a chibi: an exaggerated, funny reaction in the middle of a serious scene.

An expression sheet

Mangaka draw an expression sheet for every main character. It keeps them recognizable whatever they feel.

1. Step 1The same head

   Draw the same head construction 12 times, small, from the front or in three-quarter view. The character changes emotion, not face.

2. Step 2Two intensities

   For each emotion, draw two degrees: a smile and a burst of laughter, a pout and tears, annoyance and rage.

3. Step 3Their personality

   A shy character doesn't laugh like an arrogant one. Keep their own habits: a crooked smile, eyebrows always slightly frowning.

4. Step 4Tilt the head

   Head forward for anger, back for laughter, to the side for doubt. The emotion also goes through the angle.

The coach's tips

• Make the faces yourself in a mirror or a selfie: you'll see what your eyebrows really do.
• Always push a little further than you think: in a small panel, a subtle emotion goes unnoticed.
• Hands help: a hand over the mouth, a clenched fist or crossed arms strengthen the expression.
• For anger, the lines point toward the center of the face; for joy, they spread outward.
• In the app, look at characters showing an emotion and find the eyebrows, eyes and mouth trio before tracing them.

Practice right now

Once the lesson is read, draw this exercise: it takes about 15 minutes.