How to Sketch Facial Muscles: Capture Realism and Expression

This guide helps artists understand facial muscle anatomy for more accurate portrait work.

Portrait Sketch Journal: Exploring Facial Muscle Structures through Practice. This session focused on refining details through iterative adjustments, capturing subtle variations in marks. The model's clothing had a distinct touch of traditional European attire.
Side note: Often, I found myself overworking the sketch—accidentally adding stubble to a girl's face or emphasizing wrinkles too much, transforming her into an elderly lady! 🙂‍↕️

Curious about the positions and roles of facial muscles, I compiled the following breakdown. If you’re interested, follow along and refer to the illustrations provided!

Overview of Key Facial Muscles:

● Frontalis Muscle

Location: Forehead. Function: Raises the eyebrows and creates forehead wrinkles. Often involved in expressions of surprise (wide-open eyes).

● Orbicularis Oculi (Sphincter Muscle)

Location: Encircles the eye. Function: Closes the eyelids and controls blinking. Natural wrinkles around this area appear with smiling.

● Zygomaticus Major

Location: Extends from the cheekbone to the corner of the mouth. Function: Elevates the corners of the mouth, creating smiles—a key muscle for depicting joyful expressions.

● Orbicularis Oris (Sphincter Muscle)

Location: Surrounds the lips. Function: Controls the opening and closing of the mouth, essential for portraying speech, whistling, or puckering.

● Depressor Anguli Oris

Location: At both corners of the mouth. Function: Pulls the corners of the mouth downward, conveying sadness or dissatisfaction.

● Masseter Muscle

Location: Side of the face (cheek area). Function: Closes the jaw, playing a major role in chewing or clenching the teeth.

● Temporalis Muscle

Location: On the sides of the skull. Function: Controls jaw movement, especially opening and closing. Feature: The temporalis muscle fans out along both sides of the skull, aiding in jaw movement.
Location: On the sides of the skull. Function: Controls jaw movement, especially opening and closing. Feature: The temporalis muscle fans out along both sides of the skull, aiding in jaw movement.


After understanding the shapes of facial muscles, you can apply this knowledge to portrait sketching by placing highlights and shadows in key areas to emphasize form and depth.

I hope this breakdown helps you better understand and appreciate facial muscle structures. If you have any questions or would like to explore specific topics, feel free to leave a comment or message me. Happy drawing!

Other Related Portrait Sketching Articles:

How to Draw Arms: Learn Arm Movements and Bone Proportions

How to Draw Ears:Simplified Ear Structure and Shading Tips

How to Use Two-Tone Shading: Simple Shadow Techniques

How to Draw Masks: Use Perspective and Shadows

How to Accurately Master Hand Proportions and Joint Structure

Building Up from Simple Contours to Detailed Eye Portraits

Capturing Realism in Lip Drawing: Key Structures and Shading

Understanding the Three Key Elements of Head Structure

Mastering the basic proportions and structure of portrait drawing

Han
Han

Chiu Po-Han - drawing instructor | Art studio teacher | Independent contractor |

Work Experience:
2017-2022: Taught at Paniel Art Studio for five years
2023-2025 Instructor at Htoh Art Studio
2023: External Art Teacher at Feng Xin High School Art Class

About Me: I specialize in guiding students to develop their interest in learning fundamental drawing and watercolor techniques. I also assist students in successfully applying to art and design schools.

I firmly believe that through the process of creating art, students can learn the logical steps of drawing, refine their techniques, and cultivate perseverance. Drawing is not just a skill but an enriching and worthwhile investment of one's time and energy.