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Snowback β EXPRESSIONS: 7 BASIC EMOTIONS
Published: 2009-08-11 16:09:49 +0000 UTC; Views: 17032; Favourites: 343; Downloads: 436
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Description
I have recently noticed how quite a lot of people are drawing some expressions wrongly, so I decided to make a tutorial.I have used a dog for reference here, but this can be applied to all kinds of animals (if you use the method of drawing human emotions on animal faces, as most do).
Hope this helps, the only advise I can give is observing emotions in everday life and trying to make that emotion then drawing, but be sure to close your door, cause it's gonna be quite embarrasing if you don't.
Feel free to ask if you have any questions.
Special note - HAPPINESS: That's the expression most people keep doing wrong, even if it's possibly the one they see most often. Most draw it like a typical smiley face, without the eyes narrowing even a bit, without any wrinkles around the eyes. That's what happens if someone play-acts a smile, not what real happiness looks like.
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Comments: 75
Ah, finally someone has done a front view of expressions of dogs! I've had so much trouble with front views; thanks so much!
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May I use these faces as referance for some emotes I want to try and make?
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Sure you can, that's what they are there for.
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I am very well aware. I will not account for a "style" I used quite more than a year ago nor for being to lazy to delete stuff.
On a side note. It's called stylization. Ever watched a cartoon? You put human emotions on animals because people have a hard time relating to it otherwise.
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This is a nice reference sheet for base expressions, especially for showing them on animals!
But keep in mind, expressions can be highly complicated and can portray many things at once when done right. Some people may be trying to show mixed or feigned emotion with their characters. It all depends on the character's personality, and what the person doing the image was thinking when they did it. Also kind of depends on how detailed they want to get. *shurg*
I know I will be using this as a ref though for forward animal expressions. I'm more used to doing people. lol.
Btw, do you have one from the side as well.
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I absolutely agree with you on more complicated emotions, I believe that I have mentioned it in the comment, but I might be wrong (That's also why this is called BASIC emotions).
The point is that many people have trouble drawing emotions, on humans and animals alike (talking about stylised animals here, which makes it basically just the same problem, because for stylised animals more often than not human emotions are applied on animals). Not knowing how exactly the face reacts to different situations they mix the different features in a way which would not be possible. Most people draw the eyes of a character always the same shape, because it's "their style", they only change the eyebrows and the mouth. They are not aware that changing one you have to change the other. Showing real emotions takes some more effort
And I do not have one from the side, I'm sure that you will be able to figure it out by yourself though. Look at the animals anatomy, look at the human emotion and try to mix the two.
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Ok, I didn't mean to go off on you or anything. I have just run across some people in the past that don't always take all of the other sides of the story into account when they say certian things.
I know, getting emotions correct can be very difficult. I try to do mine proporly, even for a stylized character, but sometimes I think I was actually better at getting some emotions to come through when I was a kid, vs now.
I do already use lots of referances, but it would have been a nice one if you did have that same exercise in side view as well. Oh well.
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I am quite aware that getting emotions right is difficult, hence this little tutorial. Some people are better in bringing an emotion onto paper while making the expression themselves, some use a mirror, there are different techniques you could try. For me, the best way to get emotions right is to pay attention to them in real life.
Maybe try to do the 25 (i think) expressions challenge that's floating around somewhere on dA. You're more than welcome to show it to me when you're done, so I could actually help you with whatever problem you have (if you have any at all) with getting emotions to come through.
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Sounds good. I already grabbed that 25 thingy and there are several characters of mine I want to do it for. Just have to stop being lazy and do it.
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wow neat! 
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Thanks! Glad I could help
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Wow, thanks so much for this! This is very helpful! I haven't ever seen a canine reference of expressions before. I will definately be putting this to use!
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You're welcome. Glad I could help
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this is very helpful! 
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You're welcome
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Ah! Thank you so much for making this. I was having alot of trouble with expressions on canines <3
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Glad this can help, you're welcome
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ooh, well done! This should really help those in need of expresion-making ^^ You really made it quite clear on the expressions and used more common ones. 8D
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Thanks a lot! Yeah, people need to get their basics straight before trying any more complicated expressions.
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that is really useful and quite simple to follow. way to go great tutorial
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Depending on which system you look at, it is. I personally believe the Ekman one to be the most accurate, that's why I used his view on basic emotions here.
Oh I think you'll do just fine, it's a practise thing after all.
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xD It's not in the drawing, it's more like I can't manage an angry face myself ;_;
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Oh believe me you do XD
Acting is something that some people can and some can't do, but you can be sure that you WILL manage to have an angry face if you are actually angry, even if you are trying to overact your anger, you have to be a blimey good liar (not meant in an insulting way) to make it disappear completly from your face.
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forgot to mention what i really like to do is look in the mirror and make faces and sketch them. makes good practice! once kesame told me to put on an actor i really like and try to draw them animal form or at least their expressions. it helps a lot to get good characterization going~ thought i'd share
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Yeah, this are pretty good for practice, I still do use the "actor-method" every now and again, mirrors don't work too well with me though, but it's a great thing to do if it actually works~ thanks!
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this is really good! like it a lot [: although i'm no noob to making emotion, i really did enjoy this and think it'll be a lot of help for absolutely anyone~
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Thank you a lot! That's great to hear from you, cause I do know that you are good at it!
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awww, thanks~ you are good at it yourself [:
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its ok i like all of them XD its good that there some tuts for people who cant do expressions there probably the first thing you should know drawing dogs or anything else
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I totally agree with you here, thanks a lot!
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thank you! this is great,i do struggle with making happy faces,because there are so many other expresssions that include a smile,and if i don't draw the happy one right,it could lead off to another expression. thanks,i'll keep this with me!
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Thanks you, and glad that I could help. Most people have problems with the happy emotion, my guess is that we see it faked too often and don't realise it is.
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This is really quite helpful, thanks so much!
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Thank you! [link] has almost all human expressions you will ever need, you can try using it for animals too.
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This helps so much snowback!!!
Thank you for putting this up!
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No problem , I'm glad it helps!
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It does, thanks so much :3
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Das find ich total toll!
Und Fehler kann ich auch keine entdecken.
Wobei ich auch erwΓ€hnt hΓ€tte, dass der Stress und die FrΓΆhlichkeit bzw das LΓ€cheln eines Hundes sehr Γ€hnlich ist :3 Viele benennen diese "Stressfalte" nΓ€mlich als "Lachfalte" Q_Q Und das is nich gut >_<
Aber, dass du das da mit den Augenbrauen so gemacht hast, hammer ^-^ GefΓ€llt mir wirklich sehr und es hilft ungemeint.
Nun gut, es kommt auch sehr auf den Stil desjenigen an aber abgesehen davon...sehr toll, dennoch! *_*
Ich muss gestehen, dass ich die Falten an den Augen nur sehr selten zeichne :/ Wahrscheinlich mehr aus Faulheit >_<
Aber wie gesagt, ich mag es sehr ^^ Vielleicht fehlt da noch ein Schlappohrhund! XD
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Vielen Dank!
Ja da hast du recht, aber viele Emotionen Γ€hneln sich gewissermaΓen so haben viele Menschen Probleme Wut und Abscheu zu unterscheiden, auch Γberraschung und Angst werden oft verwechselt. Emotionen kΓΆnnen mehr oder weniger ΓΌbertrieben werden und sind deshalb in jedem Stil darstellbar.
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