Day 14 // How to Draw a Disgusted Expression

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Disgust is a reaction to things that might cause us harm, such as bad food (it could be rotten!), offensive smells (it could be poisonous gas!), certain insects or creatures (it could give me a disease!), or breaking social norms (it could make my friends and society think I don’t belong and send me into a lifetime of loneliness!). Disgust is a form of rejection, so someone disgusted might want to push away the source of their disgust.

Today we are drawing scared faces! Learn more below and check out the Table of Expressions to see all the emotions and how they can be depicted at a glance. 

Emotion

Disgusted

Disgust causes a person to turn away and avoid the source of their disgust. The face scrunches up and forms a frown or grimace. 

Facial Features

EYE SHAPE: eyes narrowed, squinting or scrunched

PUPILS: normal

EYE GAZE: looking toward source of disgust

BROWS: brows lowered, furrowed

MOUTH: corners of mouth down, lower lip sticks out, tongue might be out

OTHER: nose scrunched up, head may be titled down or turn away

Intense Emotion

Revolted

A revolted person might retch or, in extreme cases, vomit. Their tongue might hang out as it if to repel the feeling of distaste.

Facial Features

EYE SHAPE: scrunched or closed

PUPILS: hidden

EYE GAZE: hidden

BROWS: inner corners pointing down brow furrowed

MOUTH: open with outer corners turned down, tongue sticking out

OTHER: whole face may be scrunched up, features appear smaller on face

Homework

Draw a face that conveys disgust. Determine your character’s neutral expression and then use the guidelines on this page to manipulate those feature into a disgusted expression. Draw the emotion as well as the intense version of that emotion, revolted and everything in between such as distaste, loathing, hatred, sickness, offense, and more. Look up reference photos of disgusted and appalled faces and figure out as many ways as you can to depict expressions of disgusted.

Keep researching, observing and learning! I’ve made a Pinterest board full of additional resources to help you learn more about drawing expressions.

This lesson is a part of a month-long series that will get you you familiar with the basics of drawing humans, and help you develop your own people-drawing style. To learn more, check out the People Skills Intro, or continue on to the next lesson below.