Listen, describing characters is a challenge. You can't spend too much time describing them but you can't just NOT describe them. While you could be like Rick Riordan and just say simple stuff like, "he had black hair" "he had sea green eyes" and leave it at that, a lot of readers are looking for more.
Instead of talking about overall character appearance, this chapter is just about their face. There are four main points to take note of when talking about their face. And those are its shape, nose, mouth, and eyes.
Are they round and squishy? Or is their jaw sharp and triangular? Especially in art, face shapes are important because they can reveal what type of person the character is. Often we associate round soft faces with kind characters and sharp pointy ones with seriousness. These are called character cues.
When describing mouths, pay attention to the lips. Are they plump or thin? Is the mouth wide or small? Don't be creepy about it though and compare it to an animal... that's just weird.
Noses can range in shape and size so be sure to include something significant about it when described. Pointed, long, round, short, button, wide, sharp, etc, can be used to note their appearance.
Eyes are more important because often you can reflect their personality in their description. And they're hints at character ethnicity too. Some people have wide eyes, or small, round, sharp, or almond shaped. You can also describe them as being tired, dead, dull, bright, sad, soulless, soft, lively, gentle, caring, sparkling, etc which can also hint at their personality.
Remember: when describing skin tone, avoid comparing it to food. Saying someone has chocolate skin seems weird. That would be like saying a white person has bagel colored skin. Weird, right? So don't do it. Instead, use these:
-Umber
-Golden
-Sepia
-Tawny
-Dark
-Rich
-Cool
-Pale
-Olive
-Bronze
-Pink
-Rough
-Soft
And so on.
That's all I have on this, if you have anything to add then go for it.
If you have a question, go ahead and ask in the comments!
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