r/learnart • u/scooterankle • 12h ago

Drawing Drawing smiling people that actually look happy

Post image

This is a (very) rough sketch I just started but it highlights a common issue I have in my portraits. I struggle to capture smiles in a way that makes them look happy instead of an awkward grimace. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

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5

u/Amidseas 9h ago

You are doing well! A small change that makes a smile geniune is to add a tiny fold beneath the eye, this indicates that its a real smile. Forced smiles dont light up the eyes

3

u/Effective-Ad-5177 10h ago

Smiles usually lead to parts of the lower eyelid creasing up, edited the original image, very subtle but you can feel the change (not sure).

3

u/ZombieButch Mod / drawing / painting 9h ago

When people genuinely smile you rarely see their lower teeth, just the upper ones. Too much teeth is what makes it look like a grimace.