Space and Stars

Unless you're drawing explicit realism, in my opinion, expressions should be exaggerated to some degree. If you aren't doing a 1:1 recreation, the point is to get the FEELING across. Try making the expression you want to draw and feeling how your face pinches and stretches.

Skin doesn't just "disappear" when your face moves it around --- that's where wrinkles come from! Pay attention to where your skin creases when you emote, and use it to your benefit. It's a fine line between overdoing it and underdoing it -- find your own balance.

Ultimately, every expression has a little bit of push and pull, unless your face is completely neutral (and even then, there are still some wrinkles...). Learning to think of expressions as actions and reactions is VERY helpful in learning to draw them without needing a reference, and in learning how to stylize and push expressions based on references as well!

I think a lot of people end up with stiff or unexpressive emotions in their art because they're just trying to recreate a picture instead of understanding WHY and HOW the face is moving --- and it's a tough thing that takes a while to really pick up and learn. Hopefully is helpful in showing a way of thinking about it that can influence your process and approach to emotions!!!

Also, bonus: even without the lines, the planes alone still show a LOT of emotion.

⟡ “I don’t know when I stopped feeling like myself, but I know it wasn’t all at once.”

⟡ “I keep waiting to miss this life more than I hate it.”

⟡ “I don’t even know if I’m sad or just tired of pretending I’m not.”

⟡ “You ever wake up and realize you’re living a life you didn’t mean to choose?”

⟡ “I don’t hate you. I just don’t recognize who I am around you anymore.”

⟡ “I thought if I ignored it long enough, it would go away. It didn’t.”

⟡ “I’m not asking you to fix it. I just need you to stop telling me it’s fine.”

⟡ “I keep telling myself this is enough, but it never sounds convincing.”

⟡ “I don’t know what I want, I just know this isn’t it.”

⟡ “I’m scared that if I stop, everything I’ve been holding together will fall apart.”

⟡ “I don’t want to leave. I just don’t want to stay like this.”

⟡ “I don’t feel brave. I feel cornered.”

⟡ “Every time I say I’m okay, something in me flinches.”

⟡ “I don’t know how to explain this without sounding ungrateful.”

⟡ “I keep thinking there has to be more than just getting through the day.”

⟡ “I don’t trust myself to make a decision because what if I regret all of them?”

⟡ “I don’t know who I’d be if I wasn’t needed all the time.”

⟡ “I thought being strong would feel different than this.”

⟡ “I don’t want to disappear. I just want the noise to stop.”

⟡ “I don’t know how to ask for help without feeling like I failed.”

⟡ “I keep hoping something will force my hand so I don’t have to choose.”

⟡ “I don’t know how to leave without hurting someone.”

⟡ “I don’t want to be the reason everything changes.”

⟡ “I don’t know if I’m scared of losing this or scared of keeping it.”

⟡ “I feel like I’m watching my own life instead of living it.”

⟡ “I don’t know how much longer I can carry this and still call it living.”

⟡ “I keep thinking tomorrow I’ll feel different. Tomorrow keeps showing up the same.”

look at this cutie patootie THONKIN, until he saw yoouuu~

frames and process under da cut

I've been resource gathering for YEARS so now I am going to share my dragons hoard

Floorplanner. Design and furnish a house for you to use for having a consistent background in your comic or anything! Free, you need an account, easy to use, and you can save multiple houses.

Comparing Heights. Input the heights of characters to see what the different is between them. Great for keeping consistency. Free.

Magma. Draw online with friends in real time. Great for practice or hanging out. Free, paid plan available, account preferred.

Smithsonian Open Access. Loads of free images. Free.

SketchDaily. Lots of pose references, massive library, is set on a timer so you can practice quick figure drawing. Free.

SculptGL. A sculpting tool which I am yet to master, but you should be able to make whatever 3d object you like with it. free.

Pexels. Free stock images. And the search engine is actually pretty good at pulling up what you want.

Figurosity. Great pose references, diverse body types, lots of "how to draw" videos directly on the site, the models are 3d and you can rotate the angle, but you can't make custom poses or edit body proportions. Free, account option, paid plans available.

Line of Action. More drawing references, this one also has a focus on expressions, hands/feet, animals, landscapes. Free.

Animal Photo. You pose a 3d skull model and select an animal species, and they give you a bunch of photo references for that animal at that angle. Super handy. Free.