Animating Facial Expressions: Bring Life and Emotion to Your Characters
Facial animation is one of the most powerful tools for conveying emotion in animation. In Animating Facial Expressions, Brendan Gottlieb, an animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios, shares professional techniques for crafting expressive, appealing facial performances in both Maya and Blender. Learn how to push your facial poses beyond what the rig gives you, creating dynamic and believable expressions that captivate audiences.
What You’ll Learn:
- Master the fundamentals of facial posing, including asymmetry and line of action.
- Understand how to craft natural, appealing expressions instead of relying on default rig poses.
- Explore the relationship between the mouth, brows, and eyes to enhance believability.
- Learn how to create subtle facial squash and stretch for more organic movement.
- Discover techniques for refining mouth shapes, teeth positioning, and tongue animation.
- Break down professional examples from animated films to see industry best practices in action.
Meet Your Instructor: Brendan Gottlieb
Brendan Gottlieb is an animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios and a graduate of Animation Mentor. Since 2015, he has worked on films like Moana, Frozen 2, Encanto, and Wish. Brendan has a passion for teaching and has instructed students in Animation Basics, Body Mechanics, and Introduction to Acting—three of the Core Character Animation Courses at Animation Mentor.
Why This Workshop is Essential for You:
Facial animation is more than just moving the mouth—it’s about creating a performance that feels alive. This workshop will teach you how to make intentional choices, refine facial posing, and ensure that every frame contributes to your character’s believability.
Start Animating Expressive Faces Today!
Ready to take your facial animation skills to the next level? Enroll now in the Animating Facial Expressions workshop and learn how to create compelling, dynamic performances in both Maya and Blender!
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