How to describe characters' emotions & facial expressions?
I recently started working on my first manuscript for one of my novels, and I realized I'm having a really hard time describing characters' emotions & facial expressions. The reason for this is because: I was only a C student (at best) in English class, so even though I can easily picture my characters' emotions & facial expressions inside my mind, I have no idea how to describe those emotions/expressions in words. I think there's 2 ways I could find what I'm looking for: (A) Is there a website that provides examples of "stock" text that helps rookies learn how to describe emotions in a "Show, don't tell" kind of way? I've already found one stock example, FEAR: "He felt afraid." - BAD WRITING "A shiver ran up his spine." - MUCH BETTER (and I wrote a sentence in my manuscript based on this) Can anybody show me to more stock examples? Such as anger/fury; happiness/joy; jealosy/envy; ETC? (B) You could site some text samples from critically acclaimed books that demonstrate good ways for writing emotions/expressions.
Do Birds have facial expressions?
I don't have any photos, but birds do have facial expressions. There is something I like to call a 'parrot smile', when a parrot is content or happy, its beak will be slightly open and it will appear to have a huge grin on its face.. really cute. When I kiss my bird on the beak.. he stops still and stares at me.. it's difficult to describe the expression but he looks very amused before stretching his head forward for another kiss. When parrots are very excited, their faces are fluffed up and their pupils are tiny dots which 'pulse', called pinning. I can often tell if my parrots are angry just from their face expressions. My non-parrot birds do appear to have facial expressions too but they are more subtle. EDIT: I don't know if these are good examples but here are some photos of my parrot with different expressions. They are usually more obvious than this but he's difficult to take photos of: * Here he is a little excited and trying to think of how he can reach the cockatiels up higher: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/5310... * Here's my cockatiel Takato not too happy and on edge, waiting for me to leave (he's not at the crest down "get lost!" stage): http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/5310... * My lorikeet Zell has just spotted something interesting and has a "what's that?" look on his face. His pupils would have been pinning at the time (although I didn't catch them at their smallest): http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/4211... * Zell happy about chewing on a flower petal: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/43564977/ * This expression doesn't really indicate anything but it's still interesting, it's while he is preening: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/47755882/
What are facial expressions?
A facial expressionis one or more motions or positions of the muscles beneath the skin of the face. According to one set of controversial theories, these movements convey the emotional state of an individual to observers. Facial expressions are a form of nonverbal communication. They are a primary means of conveying social information between humans, but they also occur in most other mammals and some other animal species.The universality hypothesis is the assumption that certain facial expressions and face-related acts/ events are signals of specific emotions (happiness with laughter and smiling, sadness with tears, anger with a clenched jaw, fear with a grimace, surprise with raised eyebrows and wide eyes along with a slight retraction of the ears, and disgust with a wrinkled nose and squinted eyes—emotions which frequently lack the social component of those like shame, pride, jealousy, envy, deference, etc.) and are recognized by people regardless of culture, language, or time. The belief in the evolutionary basis of these kinds of facial expressions can be traced back to Darwin's The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals.
Do cats have facial expressions?
Not really, most of a cats body language is in its tail. Trust me.Cat Talk: A Guide to Cat Body Language - PetfinderCat Body Language
Can someone help me describe these anime poses and expressions?
in the first picture, the will of the abyss just noticed something and is interested, in the manga actually, she noticed alice doing something, so she turned around to see in the second picture, she's looking out and is worried and waiting, to see what will come, if you read the manga, you'll understand a bit better, i think its her wondering and missing jack, but wanting the best for alice.
Describing character's facial expressions, emotions and body language?
As a writer, I have a lot of problem with describing how my characters are feeling. How can I describe, jealousy, envy, happiness, scared, annoyed, curious... etc without actually saying. "She was curious." How can I describe their facial expressions and body language? Instead of saying. "She moved uneasily in her seat.." Something a lot longer and more detailed with how they are feeling. How can I use words that evoke actions? Such as "He grimaced." I only know a limited. And also, you know when your reading a book and there's usually a paragraph or two describing how the character's feeling? I forgot what it's called. I was just wondering how I can put it in my story? I can just about picture how they are feeling and their body language in my mind, I just find it really hard to put it into words in a detailed way.
How would you describe this man's facial features?
Sallow, intelligent facial expression with an air of despair. The youthful, round jaw structure hints at an easy, wealthy upbringing. The delicate forehead compounded with these other features is an excellent indicator of his status amongst the landed gentry. It is great to see the prodigal son returning home to further himself in spite of his past debauchery.
What facial expressions or bodily gestures are associated with skepticism?
The raised eyebrow is unmistakable:Richard Dawkins demonstrates for us.As does Spock:This is often coupled with a slight tilt of the head for full effect:Condescension is dangerously easy to confuse with skepticism (although they're often seen together):If the raised eyebrow is accompanied by a slight grin, chances are that it's condescension (or amusement). Clark Gable, playing the character Rhett Butler in the famous movie adaptation (1939) of Gone With The Wind (1936 book) is clearly expressing condescension at the Wilkes' barbecue.Another popular example would be Gene Wilder's portrayal of Willy Wonka (which is now the base for the condescending/creepy Wonka meme) in the 1971 musical titled Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, based on Roald Dahl's 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory:
How can you describe an angry face?
Slitty eyed, gnashing teeth.
How can you describe the Mona Lisa?
Valued in excess of $1 billion, the Mona Lisa, perhaps the greatest treasure of Renaissance Art, is one of many masterpieces of High Renaissance painting housed in the Louvre. The painting is known to Italians as La Gioconda, the French call her La Joconde. The work is arguably the finest ever example of portrait art, and one of the greatest Renaissance painting of the 15th and 16th centuries.The portrait shows the subject sitting upright and sideways in a chair, with her face and chest turned slightly towards the viewer: a posture derived from the 'pyramid' image used to depict a sitting Madonna. Her left arm sits comfortably on the armrest of the chair and is clasped by the hand of her right arm which crosses her front. The slightly protective position of her arms, as well as the armrest, creates a sense of distance between sitter and spectator.The background landscape behind the sitter was created using aerial perspective, with its smoky blues and no clearly defined vanishing point. It gives the composition significant depth, although its details reveal a clear imbalance between the (higher) rocky horizon to the right, compared to the (lower) flatlands stretching away on the left. This imbalance adds to the slightly surreal atmosphere of the picture.Another slightly surreal feature of the Mona Lisa is her lack of eyebrows and eyelashes. This was not a deliberate act of the artist, as scans indicate that originally she was given both. It is possible that the colour pigment used for these facial features has since faded or been inadvertently removed during cleaning.The general impression created by the Mona Lisa portrait is one of great serenity, enriched by a definite air of mystery. The mystery stems from a number of factors: first, her enigmatic half-smile; second, her gaze, which is directed to the right of the viewer; her hands which have a slightly unreal, lifeless quality - almost as if they belonged to a different body.