I love drawing characters that show extreme expressions - usually someone that's deliriously happy, or haughty, or manically overwraught with angst. But often it's hit and miss whether the emotion comes across the way I've pictured it in my mind. It all comes down to understanding how the muscles contort the facial features and how certain areas can be (over)emphasized. Until now I've relied on a very rudimentary understanding to get me by, but find it frustrating when I can't create what I was aiming for. So, after much procrastination, I've finally decided to brush up on my understanding of how it all works together. Back to basics with character sketching and neutral expressions. Hopefully my characters will get a little more life, and the process will become a little less like guesswork and a lot more fun.
This is something I put together for a Darth Vader tribute book for Josh Frost. I've never really drawn a villain before, especially one without any evil facial features to focus in on. I figured Darth Vader is one of the few folk who actually would take candy from a baby.