In one of our previous tutorials, we showed you how to draw a face<\/a> from the front, but for that guide, we purposely used a subject with a neutral expression.<\/p>\n This time around, we\u2019ll share a tutorial that will help you learn how to draw facial expressions in several steps with two beginner-friendly guides: first one showing you how to draw a happy face, and the next one showing you how to draw a sad face.<\/p>\n But first, a couple of useful resources!<\/p>\n Uncover the battle raging within. Read the BioWars comic book for free!<\/a><\/p>\n Lead BioWars\u2019 Artist Gon\u00e7alo Lopes created a video tutorial and the accompanying illustrations to show you how to draw two of the most common facial expressions \u2014 a happy and a sad face!<\/strong><\/p>\n In the video tutorial, he shows you how to draw them using a drawing tablet<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you prefer to illustrate using a pen, don\u2019t worry \u2014 he also created illustrations to accompany every step of the tutorial on how to draw facial expressions.<\/p>\n Gon\u00e7alo has used these techniques when illustrating BioWars characters. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out BioWars \u2014 stories about the epic battles that rage within all of us; battles between our immune system’s BioWarriors and the pathogens on a mission to destroy it.<\/strong><\/p>\n Meet the characters of the BioWars comic book!<\/a><\/p>\n When learning how to draw facial expressions, using the right tools can make your job a lot easier.<\/p>\n We suggest these:<\/p>\n These are just recommendations, but any other pencil, eraser and paper will do!<\/p>\n Let\u2019s kick things off with a guide on how to draw a happy face.<\/p>\n The first step to drawing facial expressions is sketching the head.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you need help illustrating a head, this tutorial on drawing head angles<\/a> is for you! In this guide, we share step-by-step instructions to show you how to draw a head from the front and the side, from behind and a head looking up.<\/p>\n Gon\u00e7alo drew a head slightly from the side, with one ear showing, like this:<\/p>\n Draw a head outline first! \u200b<\/p><\/div>\n And if you struggle drawing an ear, follow this step-by-step guide on how to draw ears<\/a>!<\/p>\n Now, let\u2019s add the eyes to the sketch.<\/p>\n First up, draw the upper eyelids.<\/p>\n We\u2019re drawing a happy face, and when we\u2019re happy, our eyes go big and our pupils dilate<\/a>.<\/p>\n So, draw upper eyelids like half-circles or crescent moons<\/strong>, like this:<\/p>\n The upper eyelids look like crescent moons!\u200b<\/p><\/div>\n Now, sketch lower eyelids by connecting one eye corner to the other<\/strong>, like so:<\/p>\n The eyes are almost done!<\/p><\/div>\n Next up, let\u2019s add the irises.<\/p>\n Simply draw two circles and place them where you want your character to look.<\/p>\n Once you draw the irises, it\u2019s time to move on to the next step!\u200b<\/p><\/div>\n If you want to illustrate realistic eyes, check out our detailed guide on how to draw eyes<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n Once the eyes are in place, next comes sketching a nose.<\/p>\n We created an in-depth tutorial on how to draw a nose<\/a>, so you can check it out if you need help drawing a nose from the front and the side.<\/strong><\/p>\n Since our character\u2019s head is gently turned to the side, only one side of the nose is visible:<\/p>\n Let\u2019s add the nose to the face!\u200b<\/p><\/div>\n Since you\u2019re drawing a happy person, their eyebrows are likely raised<\/strong>. For now, just draw simple arches and you\u2019ll add details to them later on.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how Gon\u00e7alo illustrated the eyebrows:<\/p>\n Give your character some eyebrows!\u200b<\/p><\/div>\n When you\u2019re happy, you have a big smile plastered on your face, right?<\/p>\n The character you\u2019re drawing shouldn\u2019t be any different.<\/p>\n So, draw the bottom line of the upper lip like a letter \u201cW\u201d<\/strong>, like this:<\/p>\n Time to start shaping the lips!\u200b<\/p><\/div>\n Now, illustrate the upper lip as thin or as full as you like.<\/strong><\/p>\n Gon\u00e7alo drew it like this:<\/p>\n The lips are slowly coming together!\u200b<\/p><\/div>\n Gon\u00e7alo also created a step-by-step tutorial on how to draw a mouth<\/a>, so make sure to give it a look to learn how to draw a mouth!<\/strong><\/p>\n A happy smiling face has a mouth slightly agape.<\/p>\n After all, they are stretched into a gorgeous smile.<\/p>\n So, when drawing the lower lip, leave a bit of space between the upper and lower lip<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Adding some Angelina Jolie lips into the mix!\u200b<\/p><\/div>\n It\u2019s up to you to decide how full the mouth should be, but we fancied drawing full lips on this happy face.<\/p>\n Now\u2019s the time to add dimension to your drawing.<\/p>\n For example, you can make the eyebrows a bit thicker, or lightly shade them so they appear thin.<\/p>\n Then, draw the eyelid crease and add some fine lines around the eyes<\/strong>. These fine lines should be upward facing, so your eyes appear to be smiling too.<\/p>\n You can also draw the Cupid\u2019s bow and some fine lines around the mouth to give them more depth.<\/p>\n And lastly, add a short line to mark where the mentolabial sulcus is. That\u2019s just a fancy name for the fold between your mouth and the chin.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how Gon\u00e7alo\u2019s sketch looks like at this point:<\/p>\n Add some finishing touches to the sketch!\u200b<\/p><\/div>\n You\u2019re almost done!<\/p>\n Let\u2019s use light vs. dark lines to create a visual hierarchy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n For example, here we are adding dimension to the face by darkening the lines that protrude on an average face<\/strong>, like the nose and eyebrows\/browbone, and we are lightening the elements that are a little more sunken in compared to them like the mouth, chin and the eyes.<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s a wrap on a happy face!\u200b<\/p><\/div>\n We purposefully avoided drawing hair since we wanted to illustrate a gender-neutral face.<\/p>\n Feel free to add whatever kind of hairstyle and accessories you like to your sketch!<\/p>\nA Professional Artist Shows You How To Draw Expressions [Video]<\/h2>\n
The Tools You\u2019ll Need To Draw Expressions<\/h2>\n
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How To Draw A Happy Face In 11 Steps<\/h2>\n
1. Draw The Head Outline<\/h3>\n
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-happy-head-outline.jpg\")
2. Sketch The Upper Eyelids<\/h3>\n
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-happy-upper-eyelids.jpg\")
3. Add The Lower Eyelids<\/h3>\n
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-happy-lower-eyelids.jpg\")
4. Sketch The Irises<\/h3>\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-happy-eyes.jpg\")
5. Draw The Nose<\/h3>\n
![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-happy-nose.jpg\")
6. Draw The Eyebrows<\/h3>\n
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-eyebrows.jpg\")
7. Start Sketching The Upper Lip<\/h3>\n
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-happy-upper-lip-line.jpg\")
8. Finish Drawing The Upper Lip<\/h3>\n
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-happy-upper-lip.jpg\")
9. Sketch The Lower Lip<\/h3>\n
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-happy-lower-lip.jpg\")
10. Add The Finishing Touches To The Happy Face<\/h3>\n
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-happy-finishing-touches.jpg\")
11. Finish Drawing A Happy Face<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-happy-final.jpg\")
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-sad-head-outline.jpg\")
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-sad-upper-eyelids.jpg\")
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-sad-lower-eyelids.jpg\")
![\"Finished](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-sad-eyes.jpg\")
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-sad-nose.jpg\")
![\"Mouth](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-sad-mouth.jpg\")
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-sad-eyebrows.jpg\")
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-sad-finishing-touches.jpg\")
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/2023.biowars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/how-to-draw-facial-expressions-sad-final.jpg\")