How do you feel today? Expressing big feelings can be hard. Drawing them can help. Check out these easy emotions drawing tutorials to put what you're feeling down on paper.
Some emotions are easy to draw. For example, you know that a smile means happiness and a frown means sadness. But what about all the other emotions in between? Or the different degrees of each emotion?
Below, you will learn the basics of how facial features convey emotions. For example, furrowed brows are associated with negative emotions, and changes to the shape of the mouth can also be seen in the shape of the eyes.
There are also a few animal emotions represented in this list. Animals don't speak so much through facial expressions as through body language, as you shall see.
Drawing different emotions on the same character can be a great way to practice your drawing skills. Below, you will find some characters repeated. For example, the cartoon boy is shown with surprise, tiredness, sadness, and more.
As a challenge, can you apply what you've learned to draw your own character with different emotions? This is an important exercise if you want to draw a comic book or animate a movie.
27 Easy Emotions Drawing Ideas
Thinking Face
"Hmmm..." That's what this face seems to say. His frown is not unhappy, and his deep concentration is indicated by one raised eyebrow and a fixed, distant gaze.
Cartoon Angry Face
Anger makes muscles tighten. You can see that in this man's clenched teeth, the set of his jaw, and his furrowed brow. The blood vessels visible in the whites of his eyes prove that his blood pressure is very high.
Sad Dog
This dog's ears are not erect and alert; they droop. His tail doesn't wag, and his head and entire body are hunched. What is making him sad? He's holding one paw up as if it might be hurt.
Happy Face
We'd like to introduce you to a character you'll see many times throughout this list. Here, he is happy. Compare his smiling face to the emotions he expresses in later drawings.
Anime Boy Crying
Whoever said that boys don't cry? Something has made this anime character very sad. Rivers of tears stream down his cheeks from his closed eyes, and his mouth is open in outcry.
Scared Face
When you are scared, your hair stands on end as in this picture. Your eyes grow wide and your mouth opens in a frown. You might even scream!
Happy Dog Wagging Tail
Did you draw the sad dog above? Compare his posture to this happy dog. He sits upright with erect ears, wagging his tail. His eyes are focused and his mouth even seems to curve in a smile.
Crying Laughing Emoji
There are a lot of tears on this list, but these are tears of joy. The curve of the smile is evident even in the shape of the closed eyes.
Snoopy from Peanuts Dancing
Have you ever been so happy you wanted to dance? In this drawing, Snoopy's smile denotes happiness and the curved lines around his legs and ears indicate movement.
Angry Anime Girl
In anime and manga, the bulging blood vessels indicated by a series of "V" shaped lines are a dead giveaway of anger. The character's wide eyes, furrowed brows, and bared teeth are also indicative.
Laughing Face
When you laugh, your face changes in interesting ways. As you can see in this picture, the eyes close, the mouth opens in a smile, and the cheeks are drawn upward.
Sad Anime Face
This character's classic anime eyes - large, rectangular, and sparkling - are also brimming with tears. The motion of her hair indicates wind and adds to the mood of the picture.
Crying Emoji
Teardrops are a universal symbol of sadness. But how do we know they're not happy tears? The frowning mouth and the drawn, furrowed eyebrows give it away.
Tears
You only need to see a person’s eyes to understand that they are sad. This character’s eyes are squinted and the brows are drawn. Tears are streaming from the outer corners of the eyes.
Angry Dog
This dog has furrowed brows just like an angry person. But the baring of its teeth is the major indication of its mood! You can almost imagine that you can hear it growl.
Sad Girl Crying
You can’t see this girl’s tears, but you know she is crying because she is hanging her head and covering her face. She slid down the wall, so overwhelmed she could no longer stand up.
Surprised Face
This boy’s wide eyes and gaping mouth indicate surprise. Is he afraid or excited about something good? The choice is yours.
Scared Cat
A frightened cat takes a pose that allows for swift action, whether to fight back or to flee. This can be seen in its extended legs, arched back, and raised tail.
Tired Face
His hair is disheveled. Not only his eyelids but his entire face seems to sag as if he’s too tired to hold up the corners of a smile. Draw this boy so he can get some sleep!
Happy Clown
Clowns are designed to make you laugh and smile. This clown’s smile is exaggerated by the makeup around his mouth and eyes.
Crying Face
Tears aren’t the only indication of this boy’s sadness. He also has a frowning mouth, drawn brows, and heavy eyelids.
Sad, Broken Heart
When you are sad, your body’s reaction can make you feel like your heart is breaking. This heart is cracked and shedding tears to express that emotion. It is held together with a bandage, indicating that it can heal.
Emojis: Happy Emoji
This smiley face’s smile is so big that it can be seen in its closed eyes. Anyone who sees it is likely to smile in turn.
Sad Cat
We express emotions with our faces, but animals do so with their bodies. You can detect sadness in this kitten’s flattened ears and its tail clinched tight to its body.
Laughing Emoji with Hands
It’s not polite to point! But this laughing emoji is pointing at whatever he finds funny. He is laughing so hard that his eyes are squeezed shut and his smiling mouth is opened wide.
Disgusted Face
Imagine what your face does when you smell something yucky. You’ll feel your nose wrinkle and your mouth frown. You will find these same expressions here.
Confused Anime Face
When you feel confused, do you look like this? Perhaps it's an exaggeration, but the character’s mussy hair, open-mouthed frown, and spiral-shaped eyes indicate her flustered state.
See a Google Web Story of this Emotions Drawing Ideas Blog Post.