Cartoon Facial Expressions

For any aspiring cartoonist, the expressions are the most important part of the drawings. Without these, it would be impossible to conjure up various scenes and moods, as the rest of the body is just a replica of the original blueprint with a few changes in the movements. To transfer the expressions on to paper is the hardest part, and this is where the cartoonist earns his money.

The main change while drawing different cartoon expressions has to come in the eyes of the character. The changes in the eyebrows and the mouth are of secondary importance, and without a visible difference in the eyes, all the facial expressions will look the same. Whether it is a look of happiness, sadness, anger or perplexity, a simple change in the eyes will complete the cartoon expressions. For a cartoonist or an artist, learning how to draw cartoon faces can be achieved very simply by changing the shape, the size and the relationship of the various features on the face.

The Eyes
The eyes are simply the most expressive part of funny cartoon faces, and almost every emotion can be replicated through the proper illustration of a set of eyes. Even without drawing the rest of the face, the eyes can give an accurate depiction of different cartoon expressions. By changing the shape and the angle of the eyebrows this look can be completed, and adding the rest of the face and the body is a mere formality. The bigness or the smallness of the eyeballs will also play an important part, and thus, it should not be overlooked.

To get better ideas about the ways eyes should be drawn for simple cartoon expressions, you must look at an actual persons eyes when they are displaying the emotions that you wish to capture. Soon, you will start drawing these cartoon expressions on your own, as their memory will get stored in your mind. Practice this many times in order to achieve perfection, and for this purpose you must carry a small sketching pad with you at all times. Whenever you notice the shape and size of the eyes for a particular emotion, you must attempt to draw it in your pad. You can only teach yourself how to draw cartoon expressions accurately by practicing the many looks and emotions as soon as you notice them.

Funny Cartoon Expressions
When you are looking to draw various emotions, you have to add a slightly amusing side to the look. The twist of the mouth and the angle of the eyebrows should not only accurately depict the look you wish to portray, but it should also be funny at the same time. Needless to say, one needs a natural flair for drawing such emotions, and this is something that can be further improved with a lot of practice. Here are some examples of what you can do, in order, to illustrate some particular emotions on the face of your drawn characters.

• Anger, this emotion is portrayed by drawing the eyebrows in a distinct V-shape falling over the eyes. The mouth can be presented in a straight shape, with their edges pointing downwards slightly. If the artist wishes to portray the character as yelling, then the mouth must be drawn wide open. The eyes will be squinted in such an image, so they must be drawn smaller than normal.
• A feeling of sadness can also be depicted by keeping the eyebrows in the same V-shape, but placing them higher up on the face. Adding more curve to them and pointing them downwards, completes the cartoon expressions of sadness. Even the eyes are drawn with a slightly droopy angle.
• A look of surprise would require the eyebrows to be in the exact opposite manner to that of sadness, that is, they should be in an A-shape. The mouth and the eyes must be rounded to add further credence to the look, and the eyebrows should also carry a curved shape with them.

All other looks and cartoon facial expressions can also be depicted in this manner, and once you see a live illustration of each emotion it becomes very simple to draw them yourself. Each emotion has its own distinct manner, and this can only be mastered with a considerable amount of research and by keeping your hand in practice.