It is so disappointing to carry out so many tests and find the results pretty inconclusive. I still haven't found the change I feel I'm looking for.

I had high hopes for the the 3rd (blue) variation's topology change at first. With smile-like expressions, it does a good job of accentuating the cheeks and does not have the that weird fold connecting to the edge of the lips like the other two variations. It even has this interesting laugh line crease! But, with other expressions it is significantly less successful and its overall shape feels less defined. Even the neat little crease ends up causing problems if I go for a shape that's too far out of "range" like gritting the teeth.


I can't help but feel like I need to further experiment with even more radical topological changes...