Session 4: Describing facial features

Session 3: Actions speak louder than words

Intro

In these next sessions we will move on to physical description. We will look first at how to describe a character’s face and expressions and then how to use interesting words that convey more about the character. For example you could describe them as having twinkling or kind eyes, a wicked grin or a warm smile.

This session starts by looking at how a few authors have described their characters’ facial features. As you work through the different examples and activities your child will build up a collection of pictures or words of different features that they will use to put together faces for their own characters. This involves arranging their chosen features onto an outline of a face. Try to make sure the drawings are of an appropriate size to do this. Your outline can be as big as you need it to be, but it will help if the different features are roughly in proportion.

For some children drawing is a great way to help description. It doesn’t need to be an exact representation of how they imagine the face (faces are notoriously difficult to draw), rather it’s a tool to help think and create and get ideas flowing. If it’s helpful for your child, they can do one of the arty activities suggested below before or alongside creating a description of their characters’ faces.

• Sketch or paint a face (in any style: realistic, manga, etc.)
• Make a mask of the face
• Make a clay model head
• Cut up pictures of different features from magazines to make an image of the face 
• Collage of a face

Inspiration from books and real people

Examples from books

Look through the following examples of how famous authors describe facial features. Choose the ones you think would be most suitable for your child.

Dahl, George’s Marvellous Medicine:

(Georges grandma) opened one wicked eye.

Walliams, Mr Stink:

There was a real twinkle in his eye when he smiled.

 Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:

(Malfoy’s) cold grey eyes.

 Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone:

(Mrs Dursley) Beady-eyed.

(Dumbledore) His blue eyes were light, bright and sparkling.

(Snape) hooked nose.

(Voldemort’s face) The most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.

Try drawing one or two of the parts of the face described in the examples, or any of your own you have found. Alternatively write the words or phrases you like on small pieces of paper. 

Real people

Often an author will use people they know or have noticed to inspire a character’s looks. Sometimes it will be a combination of several people. Does your character resemble someone you know? Perhaps they look like a famous person? Try using real people to inspire your writing. If you have pictures of them, have a look at them and use them to help you write your description.

Draw any features you might use such as eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and eyebrows. Alternatively write words or phrases to describe these on small pieces of paper. You could do a combination of pictures and words.

Creating your description of facial features

Work through the following phases of building up descriptions of your character’s facial features. As you think of different ideas, draw or write them on small pieces of paper to add to the collection of features you have already done.

Phase 1: Basic description

Try to think of at least one word for each of the following facial features that apply to your character. Focus on colour, size and shape.

Eyes (examples: tiny, round, green)

Ears (examples: big, long, pointy)

Mouth (examples: thin, thick, red)

Neck (examples: long, short, thick)

Chin (examples: pointy, round, double)

Facial hair:

Beard (examples: wild, neat, pointed)

Moustache (examples: big, pencil thin, curly edges)

Eyebrows (examples: thin, dark, thick)

Phase 2: Adding more interesting colour and texture description

Think of interesting ways to describe colours and textures.

For example:

Instead of blue eyes, write sky blue, bright blue, deep blue or sparkling blue.

To describe a beard write silky smooth beard, coarse bushy beard, or super-springy beard.

Add some interesting colour and texture adjectives to make the descriptions you have done so far even better.

Phase 3: Bring in character traits

Use the character traits on your trees and pick one or more to convey through your description of their faces and expressions.

Eyes (examples: intelligent, cold, nervous)

Mouth (examples: happy, sad, wicked)

Chin (examples: strong, quivering, weak)

Create your character’s face

Draw or print out an outline of a head. These are free printable face outlines from Twinkl and Sparklebox:

https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t-t-2151-blank-faces-templates

https://www.sparklebox.co.uk/1356-1360/sb1359.html

Get together your sketches and/or written words and phrases of facial features you have created from the book examples, real people and your own descriptions.

Place some of them onto your outline to make a completed face. Try different combinations.

If you are using drawings of facial features, try experimenting with different types of eyes and lips etc. that you have in your collection. Also try moving the features around – for example to make the eyes closer together or further apart.

If you have written the description of the features rather than drawing them, imagine the face based on the phrases you have put on or around your outline. If you change the lips from thick lips to thin lips for example, you can imagine how each different shape of lip would change your character’s face.

The next activity is an optional extension to make one or more of your descriptions into a metaphor or simile. If you want to skip this one, scroll down to the last section of this session.

Optional Extension: Similes and Metaphors

Use your work with metaphors and similes to make your description even more powerful/interesting. Read through these examples and quotes from authors to help with your ideas.

Good character ideas/examples:

Warm smile: The warmth of her smile was like feeling the soothing heat of the sun on the most perfect day on the most perfect beach.

Bright eyes: His eyes were starlight on the darkest night.

Big smile: His huge grin was like getting a great big hug from a giant teddy.

Interesting eyes: Her eyes were deep seas that held many mysteries.

Bad character ideas/examples:

Hard eyes: His eyes were hard as stone.

Cold smile: The ice of her smile sent shivers down my spine.

Poisonous stare: When she stared at you it was like being hit by poisonous darts.

Here are some examples from books where the author creates vivid descriptions using similes and metaphors. You can use these to inspire your own descriptions.

Dahl, The BFG :

(The BFG’s ears) each one was as big as the wheel of a truck.

(The BFG’s teeth) The teeth were very white and very square and they sat in his mouth like huge slices of white bread.

Dahl, Georges Marvellous Medicine:

(George’s Grandma) She had pale brown teeth and a small puckered-up mouth like a dog’s bottom.

Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone:

(Ollivander) His wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop…. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.

Go back to your descriptions and see if you can make any of them even better with a metaphor or simile.

Putting your description together

Get together the sketches or words and phrases you put on your characters’ faces, the descriptions of their facial features you made, and any metaphors and similes you have done.

Now make your notes into two or three full sentences that describe your character’s face. You can use this at the end of the course to put in your completed character description.