This is my first attempt to create some "Face Poses" for the Millennium Girl Preteen. All I've done so far is fiddle with 1 dial for each smile. The dials that control the smiles are labelled: Smile1 Smile2 Smile Open Now tell me, can you make a good smile just by adjusting 1 dial? Is a smile composed of just the lips or mouth? Should I try to raise her cheeks, turn up her brow? Should her eyes "crinkle?!" Maybe there is no such thing as one single good smile? What do you think I should change if I want this girl to look the happiest she's ever been. Just imagine it's her birthday, and she just got "the best present a girl ever had." How should she look?! Thanks for your help. Ron

Here is one more smile before I get myself to bed. Combine the "open smile" with two arched eyebrows. Does that look silly? Does that look ok? Or maybe it is good for a silly smile?!

I always try to tweak a little bit of each dial, so I can come up with something unique. Since I'm into realism, go for unique, ultra realism smiles, noticing the small nuances which give it that photographic feel. I think you can make a good smile with 1 dial, but it would be not be unique, in the sense that anyone can turn that one dial. Edit the height of the eyebrows, close the eyes slightly, edit every little point - tip: look at a photograph of someone really smiling, and mimic the natural nuances of the face that gives you the impression of the smile. Smiles can give an entire range of emotions, even fear, worry, and sadness. Just my thoughts. Ben MessianicArt.com

I looked in a mirror when trying to create a smile. I discovered that when I smile, it reaches the bottom of my eyes, making a crinkle, unless I deliberately forced the smile. Ergo, a smile that doesn't affect the eyes looks like a forced smile. The face in the second pic above, Ron looks like the girl is forcing a smile in an iuncomfortable situation. Like if her 400 lb best friend aske her if the jeans she was wearing made her look fat. (j/k) Seriously, a "silly" smile is often more of a grin, with a lot more eye crinkle. In my own opinion, of course. And one must also consider brow position, and so on. TalmidBen has some excellent advice just above.

try using the "wince" morphs in conjuction to the smile morphs. If she got the very best present ever, then there would also be an element of surprise so open the mouth a littles more (spread teeth?)

I like what you have done so far and think that you might want to look at some pictures of kids to give you some ideas. but other then that I think you are off to a great start.

Thanks for the encouragement and tips. I'm working more on the smiles. In the meantime, I fiddled about and came up with this goofy face. I think I'd done one like this maybe a million times?! By the way right now I'm doing all these face poses with a "standard" Millennium Girls Preteen Model. That should make the expressions "almost universal" if someone used the same "stock configuration?!" I am making a collection of these facial expressions. Is this something people would want for Free Stuff?! Ron

OK, I'll upload one more picture, then leave this thread alone for a bit. I think any collection of children's facial poses needs at least one "stick out the tongue" pose. In fact, I think kids use dozens of this type of pose!

LOL Ron, those are great!!!! I was going to say the same thing as VAlandar..... look in the mirror and just make a face. If you have a digital camera or somthing have your wife take a close up photo of yourself and use that.

Yes on the Free loading...hehe Thanks...and great stuff Ron! I love your site and it has been very helpful in setting up the Mike and Vicky figures! Keep up the great work... I also love the story of you and your wife... :) I live in Mass...so we are practically Neighbors... ;) Dagar

Thanks again for the encouragement folks. Dodi (my wife) has the day off. She said she and I might "make faces" together today. Dodi is great at making silly faces! I also have a web camera that has never been used. It would be easy to just sit here and make faces at myself!! Ok, I decided to create a "facial expression" face library, using the "default" Millennium Girl Preteen as a model. That means the only morphs on her head will be morphs directly related to the facial expressions I create. I'm not using any hair on the girl because I don't want anything to possibly interfere or detract from the illustrations in the Face Library. Does that make sense? I've decided to offer this facial expression library in Free Stuff once I feel they're ready. I would appreciate any advice concerning how to accomplish this goal. I do believe if I'm working with "face" files, I don't have concerns about copyright problems?! **** Dagar, where in Mass do you live? I have a sister who lives near Boston (I forget where). I used to live in Medford Mass, in the 1950's. It's changed dramatically since then. Ron

Comment: when the tongue goes out generally the corners of the mouth come in (now you've got me sticking my tongue out at myself, lol) and the lips purse around the tongue.

I grew up in Somerville...right next door to Medford! my parents are still there. I am about 40 minutes from Boston now. A small town named Pepperell. *(Probably never heard of it!) Heheh It is about 10 minutes from Nashua NH. :) I have some friends who live in Saco Maine. Dagar

Nashua NH. One of my stepmothers was born there. I had relatives there, on her side of the family. We're not in touch since my Dad and stepmother divorced a few years ago.

How is this for a sad, frowny face?

Do you remember kids who threaten to hold their breath till they get their way?! How is this picture? I couldn't get her cheeks to puff out any more. Poser wouldn't do it! Ron

I wouldn't make the cheeks puff out more, I'd pull the lips in a little bit... and make the eyes a bit more "angry". Kids who hold their breath and pout often are throwing a temper tantrum, and are angry for one reason or another. But pretty darn good otherwise, Ron. And am I the only one that noticed the texture problem on the side of the tongue in the tongue poses?

Thanks for the tips. I'm not sure where that texture problem on the tongue comes from. Maybe I used the wrong settings on the tongue? That's one reason I stopped doing "tongue poses." I need to check that out since kids seem to like to use their tongues a lot. At least I remember sticking my tongue out to express so many emotions, or just to have fun..... Ron

the tongue, teeth & inner mouth are located on the body maps (vicky maps only)

OOOOH. That is the problem. I was using the head map. Hmm, well it did sound logical at the time, grin.

Well, they are on the head map on Mike... haven't played around with mapping Vicky yet, myself, so I didn't know that.

A true smile can be guaged by how much the outer edges of the eyes crinkle up. This also is affected by other emotions as well. Eyes can smile too! Just a thought. TMG