84 ideas

Emotion Drawing Ideas: How to Draw a Feeling

Three feelings per press, each drawn as a face, a body, weather, lines, a creature, a room or an object.

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Surprise as hail bouncing off a summer sidewalkWhite dots with small bounce arcs. People in shorts run with bags over their heads.
Surprise as eyebrows near the hairline and a round mouthStretch the whole face long. Brows high, jaw dropped, eyes showing their full circles.
Sadness as a jar of picked dandelions gone limpHeads hang over the rim on bent stems. One yellow petal lies on the table.

Next step A printable grid of expressions Draw with marks alone

All 84 ideas

Joy 14

Joy as a bottle of soda fizzing over The foam climbs higher than the bottle is tall. Bubbles get bigger as they rise.
Joy as a cartwheel caught halfway around Arms and legs make an X turning on one hand. Tilt everything, even the horizon.
Joy as a dog greeting you at the door, tail a blur Bend the spine into an S and blur the tail with three overlapping outlines.
Joy as a gap-toothed laugh that wrinkles the nose The nose scrunches into a few small folds between the eyes. Leave one dark gap in the top row of teeth.
Joy as a grin too wide for the face it is on Push the cheeks up until the eyes close into two curves. Draw the teeth as one white band.
Joy as a hallway with a suitcase packed by the door Morning light through the door glass and a sun hat on the case. The door stands ajar.
Joy as a handful of confetti at the top of its throw Scatter small squares in a rising fan above an open hand. Big pieces near, dots far.
Joy as a kitchen with music on and flour in the air A radio on the shelf, a white cloud over the bowl, and someone mid-spin with a spoon.
Joy as a lamb springing stiff-legged across a field Legs straight down like table legs, body level, ears flying. The shadow sits apart.
Joy as a leap off the top porch step Leave a gap of bare paper under the feet and put a small shadow far below it.
Joy as a page of loose loops in bright yellow Keep the pen moving and let the loops overlap. Big, fast and round, running off the edges.
Joy as a sun shower with light in every drop Rain and sun at once: slanted lines over yellow, each drop left as a white dash.
Joy as short orange ticks bursting from one corner Start crowded at the corner and spread out. Every mark points up and away.
Joy as the first shirtsleeve afternoon of the year A sidewalk of people with jackets tied at the waist. Blue sky to the edges and not one cloud.

Anger 14

Anger as a bedroom the moment after the door slams A picture frame hangs crooked, a poster corner has come loose and the door still shakes.
Anger as a cat with an arched back and ears laid flat The back is a high hump and the fur spikes outward along it. The tail stands straight up.
Anger as a goose with its neck stretched low Neck out flat and level, beak open, wings half raised. Draw it coming toward you.
Anger as a jaw clenched tight, in profile Draw a hard square corner under the ear and a mouth that is one short straight line.
Anger as a kettle a second before it whistles The lid lifts a crack and steam strains at the spout. Double the outline so the kettle shakes.
Anger as a kitchen where the pot is boiling over The lid rattles at a tilt, foam runs down the side and steam fills the top of the room.
Anger as a page of jagged strokes in red Press hard, change direction sharply and let lines cross. Stop before the page goes solid.
Anger as a pencil pressed until the tip snaps Draw it close: the broken point flying off and the dent it left in the paper.
Anger as a stomp up the stairs Lean the body forward with fists at the sides. Put a jolt mark under the landing foot.
Anger as a thunderhead with a flat dark base Pile the cloud high and bright on top, then rule its underside heavy and black.
Anger as a tight red scribble in the middle of white Go over the same small spot until it shines. The untouched paper around it matters as much.
Anger as a wind that slams every gate on the street Gates swung hard against their posts, leaves streaking sideways, wires pulled tight.
Anger as crossed arms and one tapping foot Shoulders up by the ears, elbows pinned in. Two small arcs by the toe show the tap.
Anger as eyebrows pulled into a single V The brows nearly touch and press the eyes into flat slits. Flare the nostrils a little.

Fear 14

Fear as a basement stair with the switch at the bottom Look down from the top step. The stairs fade to black and one small switch glows far below.
Fear as a dark bedroom with the closet left ajar One strip of black where the door stands open. A coat on a chair makes an odd shape.
Fear as a face peeking between its own fingers Draw the hands first, then one eye in a gap. The eye is what carries it.
Fear as a figure frozen mid-step on a dark staircase One foot hovers. The shoulders hunch, the elbows tuck in and one hand grips the rail.
Fear as a mouse flattened to the baseboard under a shadow Whiskers swept back and tail pulled in tight. The shadow covers most of the floor.
Fear as a pale space with dark hatching closing in Start at the edges and hatch inward, darker each pass. Stop while a pale center is left.
Fear as a rabbit gone still, ears straight up Body low and tight, eye round with a white rim. Even the grass near it holds still.
Fear as a test paper still face down on the desk A blank white rectangle, a pencil beside it and a clock at the edge of the picture.
Fear as fog thick enough to swallow the far fence Fade everything with distance until the fence dissolves. Keep one near post sharp.
Fear as knees knocking backstage before a first line Feet turned in, script crushed in both hands, a bright slice of stage beyond the curtain.
Fear as raised brows, a bitten lip and one bead of sweat Small pupils slide to one side. Draw the upper teeth as a short band pressing on the lower lip.
Fear as the hush before a thunderclap A greenish sky, still trees and no birds on the wires. Leave the air empty.
Fear as the view down from the tip of a diving board The board narrows toward your toes and the water is a small, far rectangle.
Fear as thin shaky lines in cold blue Hold the pen at its far end so it trembles. Crowd the lines at the edges, none in the middle.

Sadness 14

Sadness as a ball stuck high in a tree, out of reach A small circle caught in the top branches, and a kid far below looking up with empty hands.
Sadness as a chin on the sill, watching the rain Draw it from outside. The glass is streaked and the face behind it is soft and blurred.
Sadness as a classroom on the last afternoon, walls bare Pale squares where the pictures hung, chairs up on desks, one strip of late sun.
Sadness as a gray afternoon with the game rained out Puddles on the bases, a ball left in the grass and a flat sky with no edges.
Sadness as a jar of picked dandelions gone limp Heads hang over the rim on bent stems. One yellow petal lies on the table.
Sadness as a pout and a wobbly chin Push the lower lip out past the upper one. Dimple the chin with a few short curved marks.
Sadness as a wave goodbye through a car's rear window A small hand behind the glass, with the car already half out of the frame.
Sadness as a wet sparrow fluffed up on a railing A round ball of feathers with the head sunk in. Drips hang off the tail.
Sadness as an emptied bedroom after moving day Four dents in the carpet where the bed stood, a nail in the wall, a square of brighter paint.
Sadness as drizzle on the last day of vacation Fine slanted lines over a packed car and an empty beach. Keep everything low in contrast.
Sadness as dropped shoulders and pocketed hands Curve the spine into a C and let the head hang forward. The feet point slightly in.
Sadness as long drooping lines in blue-gray Each line starts level and sinks toward the right. Slow strokes with wide gaps between.
Sadness as one blue band growing paler down the page Lay the color dark at the top and let each pass below it run thinner. No hard edges.
Sadness as the resting face of a basset hound Everything slopes down: lids, ears, jowls. It is the shape of the dog, not its mood.

Surprise 14

Surprise as a bedroom where the puppy found the pillows Feathers still drifting down, one sitting on the puppy's nose. The door has just opened.
Surprise as a cat leaping straight up, all four legs stiff The cat is higher than whatever startled it. Fur on end, eyes round, claws out.
Surprise as a dark living room the instant the lights go on Heads pop up behind the sofa and a banner is half in view. Hard light, hard shadows.
Surprise as a double take, one head drawn twice Draw the head turned two ways on one neck, with a few arcs of motion between.
Surprise as a double yolk sliding out of one cracked shell Two half shells held apart at the top, and two round yolks dropping side by side.
Surprise as a jack-in-the-box at the top of its spring The lid is flung back and the spring is stretched thin. The crank is still turning.
Surprise as a jump straight back with arms flung wide Fingers spread, heels off the ground, hair lifting. Tilt the body away from the cause.
Surprise as a row of even dashes with one sudden spike Even marks left to right, then one that leaps to the top of the page, then even again.
Surprise as a starburst of straight strokes in hot pink Leave a clear ring in the center and start every stroke at its edge, fast and straight.
Surprise as eyebrows near the hairline and a round mouth Stretch the whole face long. Brows high, jaw dropped, eyes showing their full circles.
Surprise as hail bouncing off a summer sidewalk White dots with small bounce arcs. People in shorts run with bags over their heads.
Surprise as hands clapped to both cheeks Elbows out, palms flat on the face, and the shoulders lifted almost to the ears.
Surprise as pigeons lifting off a square at one clap Wings at every angle and a few loose feathers. Leave the paving empty where they stood.
Surprise as snow in April on open tulips A cap of white on every red cup. Keep the green stems bright under a gray sky.

Calm 14

Calm as a bowl of water with one leaf floating The leaf sits in the exact center and casts a small shadow on the bottom of the bowl.
Calm as a duck asleep on the water, bill tucked under a wing A rounded loaf shape with the head turned back into the feathers. Keep the water flat.
Calm as a few long curves in gray-green, far apart Three or four strokes are enough. Leave most of the sheet empty and stop early.
Calm as a figure at the end of a dock, feet in the water The shoulders are low and the hands rest open. Two small rings spread around the ankles.
Calm as a half smile seen in profile One long easy line from forehead to chin. The eye rests on something far away.
Calm as a rocking chair come to rest The runners sit level on the porch boards. A folded newspaper lies on the seat.
Calm as a tidy desk before anyone else is up One cup, one closed notebook, and a low sun through the blinds laying stripes across.
Calm as a turtle basking on a log, neck stretched to the sun All four legs hang off the sides of the log. The shell is one smooth dome with a highlight on top.
Calm as a windless morning, the pond a perfect mirror Nothing leans. Draw the trees once, then again upside down, and leave out every ripple.
Calm as an empty swimming pool hall, water like glass Lane lines run straight to the far wall and the ceiling lights repeat in the water.
Calm as level lines in pale green, evenly spaced Draw slowly from edge to edge, breathing out on each stroke. Nothing crosses.
Calm as resting eyelids and a loose jaw The lids are two soft downward curves. Leave the brow smooth and the lips barely parted.
Calm as snow falling straight down at night Dots in even upright rows under one lamp. No slant, no wind, no footprints yet.
Calm as someone floating on their back in a lake Only the face, chest and toes break the surface. Draw rings moving slowly outward.

How it works

Emotion drawing ideas do not have to be faces. Anger can be a kettle a second before it whistles, and calm can be snow falling straight down at night. Six feelings are here, each drawn seven ways.

Read the full guide

Draw the feeling without a face

Weather, rooms and objects carry a feeling through what has just happened to them: a door that still shakes, a double yolk sliding out of one shell, picked dandelions gone limp in a jar. Draw that moment and leave the person out.

Lines and one color

Each feeling has two ideas that are only marks. Speed, pressure and direction do the work: fast loops for joy, hard jagged strokes for anger, level lines for calm. Pick the color before the pen touches the paper.

Draw the same feeling twice, once as a face and once as weather, and put the two side by side.
For a face, draw the eyebrows first and the mouth second, then check that the two agree.

Questions and answers

How do you draw an emotion?

Choose what will carry it: a face, a whole body, weather, plain lines, a creature, a room or one object. Then draw the moment the feeling peaks, such as the jump, the slammed door or the held breath.

What are the easiest emotions to draw?

Joy and surprise are quick to read because their shapes are big and open: a wide grin, raised brows, arms flung out. The lines ideas are the simplest on this list, since they need no subject at all.

How can I draw sadness without making it upsetting?

Keep it to small everyday losses. The sadness ideas here include a rained-out game, a ball stuck high in a tree and a wave goodbye through a car's rear window.

What colors go with each emotion?

This list uses yellow and orange for joy, red for anger, cold blue for fear, blue-gray for sadness, hot pink for surprise and pale green for calm. These are habits, not rules, so change any that feel wrong to you.