Sketching-People

GESTURE OF EXPRESSIONS
A person’s expression only flashes across the face for a
moment, and then it either lessens in intensity or changes.
To sketch a genuine expression, the artist has to capture
its essence as quickly as possible.
Shown on these pages are a few common expressions.
The small drawing accompanying each expression distills
the basic shapes of the features with arrows to indicate the
direction of energy of each expression. The arrows roughly
follow the pull of the muscles, but drawing is more than
getting the anatomy correct; you must also capture the
overall movement.
In a drawing, a person’s expression doesn’t stop at the
face. The expression’s energy should be carried up into the
hair, down into the clothing and out into the rest of the drawing.
If a woman you are drawing is surprised, so should her
hair and her earrings and everything else about her. Everything
should conform to the gesture.
fear
happiness
surprise