Drawing an expressive, screaming face is an intimidating task, even for experienced artists. But with the right technique and practice, you can master the craft and put together a screaming face that captures any emotion. Here are the steps to drawing an effective screaming face.
Know Your Subject
Before attempting to draw a screaming face, familiarize yourself with the different types of screaming faces. Ask yourself questions like, “why is my subject screaming, who is he or she screaming at, what emotions are they expressing?” Knowing your subject means understanding the context in their facial expression. Are they furious or in pain? Sad or scared? Picking out the right emotion is key to capturing an effective screaming face.
Observe Facial Features
Take a few moments to observe, or better yet, photograph a person’s face while they scream. Don’t be shy—ask a friend or family member to scream, or watch a scary movie and pause on a scene of someone screaming. Pay close attention to the facial features that are causing the scream like lip shape, mouth expression, and eye shape. You may also want to observe how their eyebrows, face, and neck move.
Sketch It Out
Start by drawing a basic outline of the face and head. Don’t worry about the details—focus on getting the general shape of the face down. Choose which features stand out for the expression you’re trying to create—for example, it could be a wide-open mouth, a furrowed brow, or a set of raised eyebrows. For the gaping mouth, draw two curved lines meeting in a sharp point to create the shape of a screaming mouth. Emphasize the jaw, particularly with the screaming face, as well as any wrinkles or creases that create the expression determined by the emotion.
Add Color and Texture
Next up is texture and color. Start with a light-value tone or color, like a pastel. With shading, use a hatching technique or cross-hatching technique with a pencil, pen, or even charcoal to add dimension. Concentrate on the outermost parts of the face to give greater definition, like the nose bridge, cheeks, chin, and forehead. For an angrier expression, make shadows more dramatic in certain areas of the face. The same technique can be used to create an expression of pain, but use more faint, soft lines.
Bring Out The Details
When the face begins to take shape, use brushes and other tools to bring out the finer details. Create the facial expression by adding shading or highlighting the eyes and nose, to make them stand out. Be sure to integrate the original outline. For a more intense expression, add sweat bead lines across the forehead and cheeks. You can also use eyelashes and eyebrows to emphasize the shock or fear behind a screaming face. The details will really bring your drawing to life.
Blend It All Together
Finally, bring it all together and give your screaming face an overall look. Employ technique used at the beginning—hatching, shading and blending—to create evenly blended tones throughout the face. Remember to use the pencil, pen, and charcoal from the beginning to create a gradient effect. For a more polished look, use a thin brush to ensure smoothness and paint whatever color you want. In moments, you will have successfully captured an effective and expressive screaming face.
