Before we start creating a basic conversation, it's best to explore how to create different emotions by manipulating facial details. You can create your own character to do this; or, you can use the work file entitled CharacterFacialExpressionStart.anme if you'd prefer to use the book's character.
There are a few ways we could create the illusion that a character is anxious. This will mostly come down to the way the eyes move, along with the eyebrows. Your character probably won't be smiling as well in this case. The following are some tips for creating an anxious expression:
Shifting eyes back and forth: This can be effective with dialog. This is one reason it was suggested that it may be best to create your pupils in a separate layer than that of the whites of the eyes. That way, it's easier to grab the pupils, create keyframes, and shift them.
Tilt the eyebrows outward: This can be used when creating sad expressions, but it can also...