Tutorial For Drawing Characters With Down Syndrome!

First slide. The title reads "drawing characters with Down syndrome". Below that: "myth that I need to get out of the way before the actual tutorial: [caps] people with DS do not look the same [end caps]. They share similar features, but there is no one face that every person with DS has. Most people with DS won't have every single trait, just pick what works for your character." Around that are three actual photos; from top to bottom; a photo of the actress Gigi Cunningham, a Black woman in her 20s posing with her hands on hips; a photo of Zhou Zhou, a Chinese man in a suit conducting an orchestra; portrait photo of Georgie Wildgust, an elderly white man smiling to the camera. Each photo is captioned with the person's name.
Second slide. Title reads: "face shape". Subtitle: "the vast majority of people with Down syndrome are fat. If you know how to draw double chins etc. you will have an easier time, Not every person with DS shares these features. They're just common." Next to that text box are two drawings of a featureless bust with a sharp jawline and defined cheekbones, with big red X next to them. Below that reads "play with shapes like rectangles, circles, trapezoids!" featuring each of the shapes. Under them are renditions of characters with Down syndrome with faces based off the shapes: a South Asian woman with hearing aids with a square face, a white person with hoop earrings and a round face, and a Black man sporting a buzzcut with a face widening at the bottom. Text below reads "notice the lack of defined jaw and short, wide neck." Under that are three simple sketches of people with Down syndrome from different angles with the aforementioned features highlighted.
Third slide. Title is "body". Subtitle reads: "Down syndrome affects the body shape too. Again, the majority of people with DS are fat". Below that are two stick figures, one tall and skinny, second short and fat. The latter has "most people will be closer to this: short, fat, short neck" written next to it. Below the former reads "some people with Down syndrome are skinny and/or average height but they're a minority. like 
SofΓ­a Jirau (she's like 4'10)". The last sentence has an arrow pointing to a photo of Jirau - she's a skinny Latina woman posing with her hands spread out and excited expression. The next section is titled "things most people don't know". Text box reads "some people with DS have clinodactyly of the pinkie finger. Basically the top section of it is curved inward". There is a drawing of exactly that next to it. Below is another drawing of a hand, with two creases marked on the palm. The text reads "You know how how almost everyone has 3 creases on their palm? Well people with DS have 2. I know 99% of people don't draw palm creases but it's cool".
fourth slide, called "eyes". text reads "probably the most characteristic feature, so it's important to get right. People with Mosaic Down syndrome (more on it later!) will often have this as one of the few visible traits". top right has a close-up of a blue iris with white dots going around the pupil. It's captioned "these white spots going in a circle are called Brushfield spots. A lot of people with DS have them". Below that is a step-by-step tutorial on drawing eyes. First step focuses on the general shape, with the text reading "there's a lot of shapes to choose from: almond; round; upturned; + more but these are most common". Each of them has a drawing attached. Step two focuses on eyelids. Text reads "pronounced eyelids, both bottom and upper ones. They have a very noticeable crease". There's two pairs of eyes with heavy eyelids under that. Step three shows wrinkles around the eyes. Text: "some people with DS will have creases around the eyes + large bags under the eyes; if you have a simpler artstyle probably skip this one". Attached drawing shows a pair of eyes with wrinkles coming form the upper eyelid on the outer side and bags under the eyes. Step four reads "give them strabismus [many exclamation points]! I know artists are allergic to drawing strabismus if it's not for  a joke but crossed eyes are actually awesome [awesome in all caps], (ok not all have strabismus but like half do)". Drawing attached shows a person with DS and strabismus.
fifth slide. first section is titled "nose + mouth area". text reads "this is pretty loose and not every person with DS even has visible differences there, some might only have some, etc". Below that is a drawing of a man with DS wearing a yarmulke. The text next to him reads "nose is generally flat; no philtrum (the part between lips and nose is smooth); nose can be smaller and higher up (slightly); smaller upper lip*; tongue is physically larger, some people might stick it out". The asterisk leads to a text box: "again though, people with DS look different from each other and these are Relative. A Black person with DS might have a slightly smaller lip while a white person can look like they don't have upper lips at all". Relevant sections have arrows leading to a drawing of a Black woman with visible lips, and a white guy with very thin lips. Second section is titled "side view". It features drawing of a white woman from the side. Text reads "eyelids still very visible" with a diagram on how to draw the characteristic eyes and eyelids from the side. Lower text box reads "flatter face with flat nose bridge and small upper jaw; chin often sticks forward. For a lot of people the chin and nose will protrude a similar amount". The aforementioned features are all color coded on the drawing.
sixth slide, titled "additional things and stuff". below it is a small sketch of a face with the ear visible, the earlobe isn't hanging freely. text: "earlobes are connected! ears are smaller, rounder, and set lower". next to that are two drawings, one of a pair of glasses and other of hearing aids, the later accurately captioned "world's worst drawn hearing aids". main text reads "Down syndrome comes with vision loss (very often) and hearing loss (not as often but still a lot)".
Diagram below has three drawings of different people with Down syndrome, titled "there are actually three types of Down syndrome". First drawing is captioned "Trisomy 21", it shows a fat South Asian woman with hearing aids and cataracts with classic DS facial features and vitiligo. Text below reads "95% of people with DS have this one; what you think of when thinking Down syndrome; has most or all the features". Second drawing is of a fat white woman with short dyed hair and hoop earrings with the same common facial characteristics, titled "Translocation 21". Text below reads "3% have it; there are some genetic differences but visually not so much; has most or all the features". Third drawing shows a Black woman with pink afro hair with heavy-lidded, upturned eyes  and round ears but otherwise no DS-coded features, titled "Mosaic 21". Text reads "2% have it; 'partial' Down syndrome; some people don't know they have it; has few to most features". On the side there is a clip art thumbs up emoji with a png background with "hope this was helpful" written over it.

tutorial for drawing characters with Down syndrome!

DISCLAIMER... please keep in mind that this is an introductory drawing tutorial and has some generalizations in it, so not every β€œX is Z” statement will be true for Actual People. it's more of an overview of features that are common in people with Down syndrome, not meaning to imply that every person with DS has all of them πŸ‘πŸ‘ thanks

if you draw any characters using this feel free to tag me!!

More Posts from Screwlowes and Others

4 months ago

😭😭😭😭 I feel old

ao3 turns 15 today

reblog if youre older than ao3

(there's a lot of people asking about this, but the legal age to use social media is 13, except in few countries. so yes, there are people here under 15)

11 months ago

Ok, so I know it's not my usual fair, but I just got my Hestia statue for my Altar, and I'm really really happy 😁 she actually came in, I think, a little earlier than expected, which is great πŸ‘

For reference, this is what my Altar now looks like!

Ok, So I Know It's Not My Usual Fair, But I Just Got My Hestia Statue For My Altar, And I'm Really Really
Ok, So I Know It's Not My Usual Fair, But I Just Got My Hestia Statue For My Altar, And I'm Really Really
Ok, So I Know It's Not My Usual Fair, But I Just Got My Hestia Statue For My Altar, And I'm Really Really

So, the statue is pretty obvious, it's definitely the only statue there so far, and it's in praise of Hestia, goddess of the Hearth. Also for Hestia is the big ass painting(made by one of my absolute best friends in the world who is unfortunately not on this app but made it for my birthday 'cause she's awesome like that!!!), and then a couple of basily, minty smells for the wax melter. I also have a more official altar for Hestia that sits on the mantle piece; it's a little mini forest candleholder thing that I made a while ago with a candle that really just reminds me of Her.

The car is for Hermes, god of Messengers and Thieves. It's mainly there because He helps me a lot when I'm driving, and it felt fitting, but there's also a sticker with the number 4 on it(his sacred number) and four flowers that seemed like his vibe. There's also a strawberry because it's one of his sacred foods, but low-key I always forget that, even though I'm constantly eating strawberries πŸ˜‚ He has some wax scents, but not too many, just because there weren't that many that spoke to me for him.

Right now, all I have for Apollo is a sun sticker with seven crows(both his sacred number and his sacred bird. Fun fact about that, when I was looking for stickers to decorate the altar with, there were exactly seven crows, and I think that's pretty cool), a few scents(mainly summery fresh ones, right now I have a honeysuckle scent that just really spoke to me.), and a ring I got from my grandmother that isn't shown.

I do have a few items such as the ring holder, the smaller painting (made by the same girl who did the big one), and the heart that just seemed to fit. I don't directly pray to any deities that find those items symbolic, but it couldn't hurt to keep them handy, right?

Anyways, I have a bracelet for Hermes coming in the mail that's supposed to come soon, so maybe I'll post that, too. Have a good day!

@criophorus @queen-of-hobgobblers @deadandgaysetanta

Ok, So I Know It's Not My Usual Fair, But I Just Got My Hestia Statue For My Altar, And I'm Really Really
Ok, So I Know It's Not My Usual Fair, But I Just Got My Hestia Statue For My Altar, And I'm Really Really
Ok, So I Know It's Not My Usual Fair, But I Just Got My Hestia Statue For My Altar, And I'm Really Really

Tags
11 months ago

morally grey/evil scientist characters are always like biochemical engineers or nuclear physicists or whatever but the people want VARIETY give me a story about a fucked up geologist for once

2 months ago
1 year ago

I seem to have underestimated how difficult it is to write a movie script. This will not be done by Wednesday


Tags
4 months ago
*cough Cough* Everyone Go Watch Leverage

*cough cough* everyone go watch leverage

*cough Cough* Everyone Go Watch Leverage

clean version if you care

1 year ago

So, this is like really delayed, but here:

So, This Is Like Really Delayed, But Here:

Have your fanart :] sorry it took so long and pic quality is shit, but I wanted everyone to know I didn't, like, ignore it or anything. Enjoy 🐱


Tags
1 year ago
From A Fellow Neurodiverse & Nonbinary & Prospective Convert Lesbian:
From A Fellow Neurodiverse & Nonbinary & Prospective Convert Lesbian:
From A Fellow Neurodiverse & Nonbinary & Prospective Convert Lesbian:
From A Fellow Neurodiverse & Nonbinary & Prospective Convert Lesbian:
From A Fellow Neurodiverse & Nonbinary & Prospective Convert Lesbian:
From A Fellow Neurodiverse & Nonbinary & Prospective Convert Lesbian:
From A Fellow Neurodiverse & Nonbinary & Prospective Convert Lesbian:
From A Fellow Neurodiverse & Nonbinary & Prospective Convert Lesbian:
From A Fellow Neurodiverse & Nonbinary & Prospective Convert Lesbian:
From A Fellow Neurodiverse & Nonbinary & Prospective Convert Lesbian:

from a fellow neurodiverse & nonbinary & prospective convert lesbian:

happy lesbian lovers day! πŸ’–

[ ID: The β€œI wish all…” Bugs Bunny meme reading: I wish all black lesbians, trans lesbians, asian lesbians, nonbinary lesbians, jewish lesbians, he/him lesbians, muslim lesbians, fat lesbians, neurodiverse lesbians, and disabled lesbians a very pleasant and safe lesbian visibility day. ]

7 months ago
@deadandgaysetanta @redkarmakai @marauder-71
@deadandgaysetanta @redkarmakai @marauder-71
@deadandgaysetanta @redkarmakai @marauder-71
@deadandgaysetanta @redkarmakai @marauder-71

@deadandgaysetanta @redkarmakai @marauder-71

screwlowes - friendly neighborhood gremlin
11 months ago

Huh, what a total coincidence that has absolutely nothing to do with my unresolved childhood trauma... Anyways, what up with the weather, amirite?!

(girl with adhd voice) yeah i just love in fiction when a character has a superpower thats also a disability. like a power that changes how they interact with the world in exciting ways but also has terrible drawbacks to their daily life. no real reason why


Tags
Loading...
End of content
No more pages to load
  • cryptidcha0s
    cryptidcha0s liked this · 1 month ago
  • 77-feral-cats-in-a-trenchcoat
    77-feral-cats-in-a-trenchcoat liked this · 1 month ago
  • misfortuneandflamingoes
    misfortuneandflamingoes liked this · 1 month ago
  • theartwizard0
    theartwizard0 liked this · 1 month ago
  • eliaspapayas
    eliaspapayas reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • little-watcher
    little-watcher liked this · 1 month ago
  • m-11ohi
    m-11ohi reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • m-11ohi
    m-11ohi liked this · 1 month ago
  • twelve-edit
    twelve-edit liked this · 1 month ago
  • oppsywoopsy
    oppsywoopsy liked this · 1 month ago
  • mateayao
    mateayao liked this · 1 month ago
  • spacefacegardengnome
    spacefacegardengnome liked this · 1 month ago
  • purple-fedoras
    purple-fedoras reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • thewordsmith3
    thewordsmith3 reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • thewordsmith3
    thewordsmith3 liked this · 1 month ago
  • theunvanquishedzims
    theunvanquishedzims reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • thunfire0605
    thunfire0605 liked this · 1 month ago
  • grauntiemotersblog
    grauntiemotersblog reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • grauntiemotersblog
    grauntiemotersblog liked this · 1 month ago
  • deepseaphantom
    deepseaphantom reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • deepseaphantom
    deepseaphantom liked this · 1 month ago
  • moosegoose150
    moosegoose150 liked this · 1 month ago
  • sadmanadjacent
    sadmanadjacent liked this · 1 month ago
  • gorenoise-extratone
    gorenoise-extratone liked this · 1 month ago
  • peridots-pixiwolf
    peridots-pixiwolf liked this · 1 month ago
  • bubby178
    bubby178 liked this · 1 month ago
  • arabella-31
    arabella-31 reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • flandesuka
    flandesuka liked this · 1 month ago
  • njbice
    njbice liked this · 1 month ago
  • rdx-dcm
    rdx-dcm reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • trans-ceiver
    trans-ceiver reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • notatumaccount
    notatumaccount liked this · 1 month ago
  • thousandyearphantombunker
    thousandyearphantombunker reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • tentacledsnakelover
    tentacledsnakelover reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • lightndreams
    lightndreams liked this · 1 month ago
  • cat-wizarding
    cat-wizarding liked this · 1 month ago
  • lttleghost
    lttleghost liked this · 1 month ago
  • opossum-prime
    opossum-prime liked this · 1 month ago
  • acidreflexing
    acidreflexing reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • acidreflexing
    acidreflexing liked this · 1 month ago
  • jezabatlovesbats
    jezabatlovesbats reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • jezabatlovesbats
    jezabatlovesbats liked this · 1 month ago
  • capribornio
    capribornio reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • capribornio
    capribornio liked this · 1 month ago
  • inktog
    inktog reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • anon-b3
    anon-b3 liked this · 1 month ago
  • sideofblog
    sideofblog reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • sideofblog
    sideofblog liked this · 1 month ago
  • sawthatmountainburn
    sawthatmountainburn reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • sawthatmountainburn
    sawthatmountainburn liked this · 1 month ago
screwlowes - friendly neighborhood gremlin
friendly neighborhood gremlin

just your friendly neighborhood gremlin probably won't post too much, just because I don't really know what I have to offer to the platform. my goal is to be as chaotic and funny as possible, while still spreading knowledge about my special interests. Said interests include, but are not limited to: The Scarlet Witch, Young Avengers, Keeper of the Lost Cities, words, etymology, random knowledge that I don't know what to do with, wonder woman, Hellenistic Polytheism, writing, art, and other things that relate to the above topics please message me if you have any questions about the above topics, or wish to be friends! πŸ˜ƒβ€οΈ thanks, Seraphina ❀️

317 posts

Explore Tumblr Blog
Search Through Tumblr Tags