Free original lessons
Cartoon Face Expressions: Swap Eyes, Brows, and Mouths
Learn to draw varied cartoon expressions by mixing three eye types, three brow types, and three mouth types on a simple face oval, then invent your own combinations.
Free lesson
Four exercises
Worked answers
Object Drawing Lessons
Cartoon expressions come from combining a few simple features. In this lesson you will draw a face oval, then vary only the eyes, brows, and mouth to create happy, angry, surprised, sad, and original expressions. You will use a defined drawing convention so your results are checkable, and you will practice swapping one feature at a time to see how the expression changes.
Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.
Set up the face oval and the feature convention
Draw a face oval about 6 cm tall and 4 cm wide on plain paper. Mark a faint horizontal midline and a faint vertical center line. The midline is your reference for eye height and mouth height. Keep the oval the same for every expression so only the features change. These measurements are hypothetical examples; if you use a different oval size, scale the feature spacing proportionally and state your measurements.
Use this convention for all features. Eyes: open circle (calm), wide circle with a dot pupil (surprised), and slanted line with a small pupil (angry or sly). Brows: flat line (neutral), angled down toward the center (angry), and raised arc (surprised or worried). Mouth: upward curve (happy), downward curve (sad), and open oval (surprised). You may vary line weight and size, but keep the basic shape family so the expression reads clearly. If you invent different shapes, write your own convention first and apply it consistently.
- Draw the oval and mark the midline and center line.
- Place two eye shapes on the midline, about 1.5 cm apart (or a proportional distance if your oval differs).
- Place brows about 1 cm above the eyes.
- Place the mouth about 1.5 cm below the midline.
- Label the drawing with the feature names you used.
Build a 3 by 3 expression grid
Make a grid with three rows and three columns. Each cell gets a small face oval. In row one, keep the brows flat and vary the mouth: happy curve, sad curve, open oval. In row two, keep the mouth happy and vary the brows: flat, angry, raised. In row three, vary the eyes, mouth, and brows together to make surprised, angry, and sad faces.
This grid shows that one feature change can shift the whole expression. For example, in row two the happy mouth stays the same while the brows change from flat to angry to raised, so you can compare how much the brows alone alter the read of the face.
- Draw nine small ovals in a 3 by 3 grid.
- Fill row one with three mouth types and flat brows.
- Fill row two with three brow types and a happy mouth.
- Fill row three with three combined expressions.
- Circle the cell where the expression changes most from its neighbors.
Swap boxes and a practice row
Below the grid, draw three small boxes labeled Eyes, Brows, and Mouth. In each box, draw the three feature options from the convention. This is your swap bank. Then draw a blank face oval to the right of the boxes. Combine one feature from each box to make a new expression.
Finally, draw a practice row of three original expressions. Choose combinations not already in the grid. For each, write one word describing the emotion and one feature that carries that emotion most strongly. Check each face against your stated convention before labeling it.
- Draw three swap boxes and fill each with three feature options.
- Draw one blank oval and combine one eye, one brow, and one mouth.
- Draw three more ovals in a practice row with new combinations.
- Label each practice face with an emotion word and the key feature.
Worked example
Draw a surprised cartoon face using the convention: wide circle eyes with dot pupils, raised arc brows, and an open oval mouth. Place eyes on the midline 1.5 cm apart, brows 1 cm above eyes, mouth 1.5 cm below midline.
Worked answer
A face oval 6 cm tall and 4 cm wide. Two wide circles on the midline, each about 1 cm across, with dot pupils. Two raised arcs 1 cm above the eyes. An open oval mouth about 1 cm wide and 1.5 cm tall, centered 1.5 cm below the midline. The expression reads as surprised because the eyes are wide, brows are raised, and mouth is open. These measurements are hypothetical examples; scale them proportionally if your oval differs.
Four practice exercises
Exercise 1
Draw a happy face using open circle eyes, flat brows, and an upward curve mouth. Place eyes on the midline 1.5 cm apart and mouth 1.5 cm below the midline.
Show answer and check
A 6 cm by 4 cm oval with two open circles on the midline about 1.5 cm apart, flat brow lines 1 cm above the eyes, and an upward curve mouth 1.5 cm below the midline. Measurements are hypothetical examples and may be scaled proportionally.
Why: The upward curve mouth signals happiness; flat brows keep the face calm rather than excited.
Check: Measure eye spacing (about 1.5 cm) and mouth distance from midline (about 1.5 cm); confirm the mouth curves upward.
Exercise 2
Draw an angry face using slanted line eyes with small pupils, brows angled down toward the center, and a downward curve mouth.
Show answer and check
A 6 cm by 4 cm oval with slanted line eyes on the midline, brows angled down toward the center about 1 cm above the eyes, and a downward curve mouth 1.5 cm below the midline. Measurements are hypothetical examples and may be scaled proportionally.
Why: Angled brows and slanted eyes create tension; the downward mouth reinforces anger rather than sadness.
Check: Check that brows angle down toward the center and the mouth curves downward; measure feature distances from the midline.
Exercise 3
Draw a sad face using open circle eyes, raised arc brows, and a downward curve mouth. Then swap only the mouth to an upward curve and describe how the expression changes.
Show answer and check
First face: open circle eyes, raised arcs, downward mouth, reading as sad or worried. After swapping the mouth upward, the face reads as relieved or gently happy because the brows still suggest concern.
Why: Raised brows add worry; changing only the mouth shows how one feature shifts the emotion.
Check: Confirm only the mouth changed between the two drawings, that both faces use the same oval and feature positions, and that the emotion labels match the feature changes.
Exercise 4
Invent an original expression by combining wide circle eyes, flat brows, and a downward curve mouth. Label it with an emotion word and name the key feature.
Show answer and check
A face with wide eyes, flat brows, and a downward mouth can read as disappointed or stunned. The key feature is the wide eyes, which add surprise to the sad mouth.
Why: Combining features from different emotion families creates a mixed expression useful in cartoons.
Check: Check that the three feature types are present, the label is one word, the named key feature is visible in the drawing, and the face follows the stated convention.
Common mistakes
- Changing the face oval size between expressions. Keep the oval identical; only swap eyes, brows, and mouth so the comparison is fair.
- Using the same brow for every face. Vary brows deliberately; brows often carry anger or surprise more than the mouth.
- Placing features too far from the midline. Measure from the midline with a ruler; keep eyes on the midline and mouth about 1.5 cm below it, or scale both distances if your oval is a different size.
- Making every mouth a smile. Use the downward curve and open oval at least once in each practice row.
Self-check rubric
- Face oval is present and consistent in size across expressions.
- Eyes, brows, and mouth follow the stated convention or a clearly labeled alternative.
- Features are placed using the midline and measured spacing.
- At least three distinct expressions are shown in the practice row.
- Each practice face is labeled with an emotion word and a key feature.
- Valid alternatives are accepted if the convention is stated and consistent.
Questions and answers
Do I need to draw realistic anatomy?
No. This lesson uses simple cartoon shapes and a fixed convention, not realistic facial anatomy.
Can I use different eye shapes?
Yes, as long as you state your convention and keep it consistent so the expression is checkable.
How many expressions should I draw?
The grid has nine cells and the practice row has three, for twelve total. The worked example is separate and is not counted among these.
What if my lines are messy?
Neatness is not the goal; clear feature choice and consistent placement are.