Expression Study Notes (Patreon)

Starting from the 2nd picture, I've studied two expressions from anime everyday, and I wanted to drop things that I've learned working on this.

1. Finding the "Mask" of the character - Drawing over the character and finding the angle and proportions of the features, the eyes being the most important, and finding the shape of the socket, with the brow line in the same line as the top of the ear (Mind the angle and tilt) and the bottom of the eyes typically are in line with half of the ear (cuter feel) or 1/3 from the top (more realistic)
*I have yet to study male characters more regularly but Im working on it!

2. Shapes - I've been observing animators and seeing how their keyframes look, and I wanna be able to have that consciousness with drawing the faces. The major thing is that they don't "guess". The lines and shapes they use are decisive, and they really focus on the outline and silhouette of the character. that's one thing I've been applying to my works as well as while I break down these character faces, I try to imagine im an animator working in the studio

those were the main things I've been mindful of in improving my works, and hopefully the results speak. It's obviously a slow grind but consistency is key! I'll definitely be updating more if you guys would like to see these, and I've been adding more to my breakdowns such as figuring out the torso perspective and hands if it's included as well