25 Expressions Challenge

Press New sheet for 25 new expressions, then draw your character in every box.

25 expressions challenge

Character Date

Draw the same character in every box, with the expression written under it.

  1. Beaming smile

  2. Wistful

  3. Shouting

  4. Terrified

  5. Grossed out

  6. Pretending to listen

  7. Laughing out loud

  8. Crying

  9. Annoyed

  10. Nervous

  11. Suspicious

  12. About to sneeze

  13. Giggling behind a hand

  14. Holding back tears

  15. Furious

  16. Surprised

  17. Smug

  18. Daydreaming

  19. Polite smile

  20. Quietly sad

  21. Glaring

  22. Worried

  23. Disgusted

  24. Embarrassed

  25. Delighted surprise

Sheet XUCWXO · Made at drawthisnext.com

Sheet XUCWXO. 25 boxes in 5 rows of 5, dealt from Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and surprise, Disgust and doubt and In between. One page on paper.

The lock in a box keeps its caption when a new sheet is dealt; the arrow keys move from lock to lock. The preview scrolls; on paper every page is fitted to US Letter or A4, in black and white.

Deal from
Boxes

All 36 expressions

Joy 6

  • Beaming smile Cheeks pushed up so the lower lids bunch; lip corners pulled up and out.
  • Delighted surprise Brows up and eyes wide as in surprise, but the mouth is smiling.
  • Giggling behind a hand The hand hides the mouth, so the raised cheeks and narrowed eyes carry the joke.
  • Laughing out loud Eyes squeezed nearly shut, mouth wide open, head tipped back.
  • Polite smile Lip corners up but the cheeks and eyes do not move: the eyes give it away.
  • Proud Chin up, a small closed-mouth smile, lids relaxed and a little lowered.

Sadness 6

  • Crying Sad brows, eyes squeezed, mouth open and square at the corners, chin puckered.
  • Disappointed Brows flat, lids half lowered, mouth pulled to one side.
  • Holding back tears Chin bunched up, lips pressed together, eyes wet and looking down.
  • Lonely Gaze down and off to one side, face slack, no tension anywhere.
  • Quietly sad Inner ends of the brows lifted and pulled together; lip corners turned down.
  • Wistful Sad brows with a faint smile: the inner brow ends lift while the mouth curves up a little.
Show all 36 expressions (24 more)

Anger 6

  • Annoyed One brow lower than the other, eyes narrowed, mouth a flat line.
  • Furious Brows pulled down and together, eyes wide and hard, lips pressed thin.
  • Glaring Lids tightened to narrow the eyes, head lowered, gaze fixed straight ahead.
  • Gritting teeth Lips pulled back from clenched teeth, jaw muscles bulging at the corners.
  • Shouting Brows down and together, mouth wide and square, teeth showing.
  • Sulking Chin down, lower lip pushed out, eyes looking up from under the brows.

Fear and surprise 6

  • Nervous Brows slightly raised and together, a tight smile, eyes glancing sideways.
  • Shocked Jaw fully dropped, eyes wide, both hands rising towards the face.
  • Startled Eyes wide, shoulders jumping up to the ears, mouth caught mid-gasp.
  • Surprised Brows high and curved, eyes wide open, jaw dropped loose.
  • Terrified Brows raised and drawn together, white showing above the iris, lips stretched sideways.
  • Worried Inner brows up and together, forehead creased, lips pressed.

Disgust and doubt 6

  • Disgusted Nose wrinkled, upper lip raised, lip corners pulled down.
  • Grossed out Tongue out, eyes squeezed, head pulled back from the smell.
  • Skeptical One brow raised, the other lowered, mouth pulled to one side.
  • Smug One lip corner pulled up, lids lowered, chin tilted up.
  • Suspicious Eyes narrowed and sliding sideways, brows low, lips pressed.
  • Unimpressed Lids half lowered, mouth flat, eyes turned to one side.

In between 6

  • About to sneeze Eyes half shut, brows up, nostrils flared, mouth open and upper lip lifted.
  • Concentrating Brows drawn together, eyes fixed on one point, tongue at the corner of the mouth.
  • Daydreaming Gaze up and to one side, face relaxed, a half smile.
  • Embarrassed Eyes down and away, an awkward closed smile, blush lines on the cheeks.
  • Pretending to listen Polite smile, eyes unfocused and aimed just past the speaker.
  • Sleepy Upper lids drooping over the iris, brows lifted to fight it, mouth slack.

How this list was compiled: Thirty-six expressions written for this site on 2026-09-23, not the order or wording of any fan-made grid. The look-for notes of the six core feelings (happiness, sadness, surprise, fear, anger, disgust) follow the action units listed for each at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facial_Action_Coding_System (read 2026-09-23): cheek raiser and lip corner puller for a smile; inner brow raiser, brow lowerer and lip corner depressor for sadness; brow raisers, upper lid raiser and jaw drop for surprise; lip stretcher added for fear; brow lowerer, lid tightener and lip tightener for anger; nose wrinkler for disgust. The other notes are plain drawing advice. Licence: own work

How it works

The 25 expressions challenge is one character drawn with 25 different faces. This sheet deals its captions from its own 36 expressions in six groups, so every grid is new and none copies the original fan-made list.

Read the full guide

Keep the ones you like

Every box has a small lock. Lock the expressions you want, press New sheet and the rest change around them. Switch a group off to leave it out of the deal.

Smaller grids and notes

Choose 9 or 16 boxes for a quicker warm-up. Tick the notes for a second page that says what the brows, eyes and mouth do in each expression on the sheet.

Questions and answers

What are the rules of the 25 expressions challenge?

There are no official rules. Draw the same character in all 25 boxes, one expression each, and keep the face recognisable while the feeling changes. Write the character's name on the line at the top.

How do I make the expressions look different?

Change the brows first, then the eyelids, then the mouth. A real smile lifts the cheeks and narrows the eyes; a polite one moves only the mouth. The notes page gives this for every box.

Can my friends draw the same grid?

Yes. Share link opens this exact sheet, locks and all, so everyone draws the same 25 captions and you can compare.

More tools

Show 8 more

Browse Drawing Ideas