How to Draw a Crying Face: Easy 10-Step Guide

Capturing complex emotions like sadness is a fantastic way for young artists to build expressive drawing skills. This tutorial is perfect for ages 7+ and requires only a pencil, eraser, and paper. Follow these steps to master the anatomy of a tearful expression while developing your character design confidence.

10 Steps

🎯 Final Result

A finished, colored illustration of a crying face, showcasing expressive eyes and tears.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Sketching the Expressive Eyes

Close-up of two anime-style eyes being sketched with light pencil lines on white paper.

Start by sketching two rectangular anime-style eyes. Use gentle curved lines for the lids and shade a dark circle inside each for the pupil. Teacher's Tip: Keep your pencil pressure light here; these are your guide shapes for the entire face.

Step 2: Defining the Brow and Nose Bridge

Drawing the bridge of the nose and arched, sad eyebrows above the eyes.

Draw an incomplete egg shape around the eyes to define the lids. Add thick, upturned eyebrows to show distress, and a small curve between the eyes to mark the bridge of the nose. Tip: The higher the inner corners of the brows, the sadder the expression looks!

Step 3: Adding the Nose and Frowning Mouth

Adding a small nose and a downturned, wavy mouth to the face sketch.

Add small curves for the nostrils and a wavy line for the mouth. Add a tiny dash at each corner of the mouth to show tension. Tip: A slight downward curve at the corners of the mouth is key to showing a 'frown' rather than just a flat line.

Step 4: Shaping the Face and Neck

Outlining the jawline, chin, and neck to complete the head shape.

Use smooth, continuous curved lines to draw the ears, cheeks, chin, and neck. Tip: Imagine the face is a soft oval; keep your lines rounded to make the character look more youthful.

Step 5: Starting the Hairline

Adding hair bangs and ear details to the crying face.

Add 'L' shaped contours inside the ears. Then, draw a sweeping 'M' shape across the forehead to begin the hair. Tip: Don't worry about individual strands yet; focus on the overall shape of the hair mass.

Step 6: Building Hair Volume

Adding more volume to the hair with sharp, pointed sections.

Draw a larger 'M' shape above the first one, adding sharp points at the ends to create a natural hair look. Tip: Vary the length of the points to make the hair look less like a helmet and more like real locks.

Step 7: Adding Texture to Hair

Adding texture lines to the hair and sideburns.

Use curved lines to add texture to the hair and draw sideburns connecting the hairline to the ears. Tip: Follow the direction of the hair growth to make your lines look natural.

Step 8: Adding Wrinkles and First Tears

Adding forehead wrinkles and a single tear to the eye.

Add horizontal lines across the forehead to show a furrowed brow. Draw a small heart-shaped tear at the corner of one eye. Tip: If the heart shape is tricky, start with a small circle and pull it into a point at the bottom.

Step 9: Completing the Tears

Adding multiple teardrops rolling down the character's cheeks.

Finish the drawing by adding more teardrops on the cheeks. Tip: Make the tears different sizes to show they are rolling down the face at different speeds.

Step 10: Coloring Your Masterpiece

The final colored drawing of a crying face with blue tears.

Add color to your drawing! Try using cool blues for the tears to make them stand out. Tip: Could you change the hair color or hairstyle to make this character your own?