The first session introduced the basics of Facial Animation. The focus of the class was not to make a complete facial animation, but to understand how a facial pose should work first. A good expression should not only be made by pushing one controller to the maximum. The whole face should look like a living organic whole.
Asymmetry: Avoid Too Much Symmetry
In class, we learned that a perfectly symmetrical face can often make a character look stiff, mechanical or unnatural. Real facial expressions are usually not exactly the same on both sides, so animated expressions should also have some bias. By making one eyebrow higher or one corner of the mouth stronger, the character’s emotion can feel more alive.
Line of Action in Face
The slides mentioned that the face can also have a line of action. I found this idea interesting because I used to think about line of action more in body movement. But in facial expression, the eyebrows, eyes, mouth and head direction can also create a directional line.
If a character is scared, the eyebrows and eyes may be pulled upward, and the mouth may form a downward or open shape. If a character is suspicious or smiling in a mischievous way, the face may form a “<” or “>” shape that favours one side. This can make the expression feel more graphic.
Connectivity and Volume
Connectivity means the connected movement between facial muscles. A change in one area should not happen in isolation. For example, when the corner of the mouth moves upward, the cheek, lower eyelid and the area around the nose will also be affected. If only the mouth is moving and the other areas do not change, the expression will look fake.
Shape, Eyebrows and Lids
In the shape section, the teacher reminded us to think about the shape of the eyes and mouth in a graphic way, and to avoid making all eyes and mouths into a normal “football shape”. The expression should have clear angles, changes in size and a sense of direction.
Eyebrows are not two separate lines either. They should have a relationship with the shape of the eyes. For example, when the eyebrows raise, the outer side can lead first. When the eyebrows lower, the inner side can be more obvious. This can make the expression more detailed.
The relationship between the eyelids and pupils can affect the character’s energy level. Very wide eyes can show surprise or tension. Lowered eyelids can show tiredness, suspicion or indifference. This was very useful when I did my facial expression practice.
Class Practice: Facial Expression Pose
After the class, I made several facial expression practices. My practice was mainly based on reference images, and I adjusted the character’s eyebrows, eyes, mouth and head angle.