How To Show Expression With The Mouth!

How to show expression with the mouth!

This was a request and at first I wasn’t sure if I had anything to provide with, but as it turn out it got a little longer than I expected because there were actually things I had to say!! Wow!! 

Anyway, this is some guidelines I follow when I try to make the face expressfull, more specifically the mouth! It is often neglected, since it’s actually pretty hard, I’ll admit. But I’m here to help (hopefully…)! A mouth expression tutorial as per request. Enjoy and hopefully it will help some a little. ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Draw the teeth at the right angle. 

This is super important. The upper jaw follows the angle of the head, and the lower jaw will depend on how open it is. Make sure you have a rough estimate of where the teeth are, and how much of them you’re going to see!

The lips will VERY roughly follow the same angle as the teeth. It really depends on the character, but it gives you a sense at least. 

If you DON’T do this, you’re going to lose so much volume and the mouth is going to end up looking unrelatable. I showed this example in this tutorial:

It’s not just the lips! 

The cheeks, chin, and tongue play a role too! 

Try look at your own mouth or references! I have a very pliable and large mouth, so that’s one reason why my characters have it too lmao.

ASYMMETRYYYYY (ง ͠° ͟ل͜ ͡°)ง

I cannot emphasize how important asymmetry is when drawing expressions. It applies not only to the eyebrows to achieve the Dreamwork Face™, but also the mouth. Seriously if you draw a symmetric mouth I will deliver myself to your mailbox and then shout at you until you fix it. 

Look at the difference between these two for example: which one has more “life”? 

I think you get the idea.

Push and squish - give it flow

Here’s an old drawing I have but it illustrates how I think when I squish the mouth, and use folding and wrinkles to my advantage.

Look at your own face and see where skin bundles up, where it creases the most and when bumps appear on your chin. Subtle details makes all the difference! 

One VERY effective detail is illustrated in the first sketch, where I pull upwards on one side, and downwards on the other. That’s a good detail to use when the character is making a skewed expression, or is extremely frustrated. I encourage you to play around with that concept bc it’s ~super effective~!

EXAMPLES:

Happy: Your entire mouth is pushed upwards, not just the corners of your mouth!

I tend to draw a :3 mouth bc I’ve been drawing Lance too much….. You don’t have to but it’s basically imprinted in my motor memory by now. 

Pouting/frowning: corners are pushed down, middle pushed slightly up. Sometimes, there’s a slight dip in the middle too. It can give a sense that the character is biting their lips.

Showing frustration/intimidating/is intimidated: basically showing a lot of teeth. The corners are as open as possible and the middle sorta more squished. An extremely important detail here is showing some of the gums, and open space between the cheeks and teeth. That way it looks like the mouth it open to it’s full potential. Here is also where you basically MUST add folds and bumps, or else it’s not going to look relatable. 

(Here I am again with the pulling upwards on one side and downwards on the other, as illustrated on the last sketch)

And then again, here’s just another doodle showing how important it is to show the gums. It’s the same face twice, but the second one looks slightly more frustrated doesn’t it?

(from my other tutorial on how to draw facial expressions)

As you can see, this last one is very versatile and I draw it a lot. Play around with the basic shape and see how much subtle details makes a lot of difference! 

That’s it! 

I hope that cleared some things up and was somewhat helpful! Enjoy drawing ✨

Picture I did for the Sheithzine  back in Nov!

This version is actually a little different than the actual one I submitted for the zine. I struggled a lot with the BG and didn’t like the results;; >< Sorry for the change;;

Thank you to everyone who supported the zine! I’m so thankful that I was able to participate!  

Had some colored pencils and a pen. I asked my coworker for a prompt and got “80’s”.

So of course how could I doodle anything but Keith from the amazing @fenri’s “Alien Sex Fiend”? Tbh it’s only a matter of time before I make fanart for all their fics…

I was gonna add a Shiro with an arm around him, but pen is too unforgiving for me to attempt that today.

Is this meme still happening?? lol Send me some smooches y’all~ you know the drill 💖 (character+number )

(doing the air quotes gesture) anatomy practice

The Chive Cart (spray booth for faceups)

Most of the problems associated with sealing sprays occur during the action of spraying itself. If there is a lot of moisture in the air (which can also be brought about by cold temperature) during those few seconds while you release the spray, it can get trapped underneath your sealant layer which causes the layer to later crack, craze or chip. Staying indoor, at least during the spraying action, allows me to control my room temperature, source of lighting and I do not have to deal with annoying wind which can cause dust and other particles to get sprayed onto the doll as well. However, I needed a way to encapsulate all that toxic fumes I am about to be spraying. The idea of using a spray booth for this purpose is definitely not new, but thought I’d show you one I made out of am archive box:

I chose this box because it’s not too big and has handles on the sides for portability. Below is a second version of the spray boxy: I’ve cut out the arm holes at differing heights. Because of the way I hold my spray bottle, I just find this position more comfortable.

Here is me putting my spray boxy to use: Video . Right after i finish spraying, i wait a few minutes until the sealant layer settles and solidifies a bit, then i gently place the head on the tissue i got inside the box, take both of my hands out and carry the box by the handle outside of the house. Only when I’m outside, I open the lid of the box to take my doll head out. While i’m out there, i let my boxy air so the fumes dissipate (fanning it helps), sometimes i wipe the inside of the box too to get rid off the sealant that has stuck to the sides. I then put the lid back down and take everything back inside the house. If I need to do another spraying, I repeat this process but start with being outside when I place the object inside of the box, then bring the box inside and wait until the temperature of the air inside the box matches my indoor condition before I begin spraying again. Another Video showing the two designs. Some photos showing how the box was made:

First I cut out some arm holes. I started with same level, but later I figured out that I am more comfortable having the arm holes at differing heights.

Cut the top of the box as well as a bit of the side so I can see a lot more inside the box.

I just used this clear plastic from the back of an old booklet to make my window.

Stick the plastic with duct tape. Also, I make sure the lid opens this way (toward the back), it’s just more practical having it away from me while I spray.

Now I attach some gloves

I use the cardboard from the old booklet to make reinforcements for the arm holes.

I make sure the angle of the gloves will be comfortable for the angle of my arms for when I spray.

I then duct taped the crap out of it. Put all my object and spray in it and I’m ready to go.​