Comic Basics: Facial Expressions

Panel name: NANDESUKAAA??? Expressions & Gestures 101. 

This is the pamphlet I'll be handing out at SabotenCon 2016 during my panel on Friday @ 1-2pm in Awatukee room.  I'm putting it here as a free resource for anyone to use as a reference.  Comics/Manga/etc can't be told without emotion. If you have a comic, this is one of the first things you need to get skilled in doing.  Teach yourself how to draw your characters "acting" on the page.  Without it, they'll be zombies.  Your readers will get bored and so will you.

Try mixing emotions together for different effects. Make the eyebrows more extreme, or less. Experiment with different mouth shapes. Don't forget the eyes! They play a part too.  And the nose! The nose doesn't stay still like a statue on your face, it moves too. The nostrils flare when angry, or wrinkle when disgusted, like when you smell something foul (or feel like someone you're listening is being gross).  

Facial expressions isn't all there is to emotion either. I will be going over gestures as well. When you get an emotion going, your body moves too, not just your face!