How to Draw a Realistic Nose

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<strong>Lesson 1: Structure of the Nose (1,000 Words)</strong>

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With <em>Let’s Draw People! </em>it is important for us to keep things as realistic as possible, especially when tackling human portraits. While you might be someone who is just starting out with this drawing thing, don’t let the concept of learning the anatomy of the nose scare you away. No one said you needed to know as much as a medical professional, but learning the basic structure of a nose will make the process of drawing a realistic one that much easier. Trust me.

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<strong>Parts of the Nose </strong>

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If you’re taking this course, I’m willing to bet you’re more of an “artist type” than a scientist. That said I am also willing to bet that you’ve never given much thought to the many parts of the nose. I mean, why would you? However, I’m here to tell you that despite what you might think, the nose is actually quite interesting and while we may have the same anatomy, not one nose looks exactly alike. In many ways, it’s our nose that contributes to our human uniqueness.

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Regardless of how old someone is, what their ethnicity might be or how proportioned their face is, every nose is made up of cartilage. In fact, most of the nose <em>is </em>cartilage that interlocks and then connects to the bone of the skull.

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I will break down the basic parts of the nose in the next few sections of this lesson, but for the sake of understanding nose anatomy, the most important parts you will need to familiarize yourself with include the bridge of the nose, the tip of the nose (or the ball) as well as the septum, wings and nostrils. To make things easier to understand I’ve broken down these parts in the corresponding images.

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<strong>Between the Eyes </strong>

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In section three we will discuss the bridge of the nose in length, but it’s this part of the nose that connects to the forehead between the eyes. When drawing a nose, it is essential to define the edges of the eye sockets in order to make your drawing more realistic.

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<strong>Bridge of the Nose – Nasal Bone &amp; Upper Lateral Cartilage</strong>

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While it might seem complex, the bridge of the nose can be broken down using basic shapes such as a rectangle, triangle and a circle. The bridge consists of the nasal bone and the upper lateral cartilage. The upper lateral cartilage is essentially a pair of triangular cartilages, one on each side of the bridge. Sure, a medical professional will call the bridge of the nose a <em>dorsum</em>, but we will just consider it to be a beautiful vertical rectangle; a rectangle that will be the core of our nose. At the top of the bridge, the nasal bone connects to the forehead at the <em>glabella—</em>or, between the eyes.

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<strong>Tip of the Nose – Spherical in Shape, Lower Lateral Cartilage </strong>

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The tip of the nose is also called the ball of the nose because it is spherical in shape. The lower lateral cartilage is a little pointy and nicely tucked between two pieces of cartilage called the <em>greater alar cartilage</em> that makes up the tip of the nose. The interesting thing about the greater alar cartilage is that sometimes the separation between these two pieces is very distinct while other times; it will be much too soft to see. As for the tip of the nose, this can be easily visualized as a complete circle.

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<strong>Septum, Wings and Nostrils </strong>

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Next to the ball of the nose there are two “wings.” Since we are all artists here, it is probably easy to see why these two pieces made up of fatty tissue are called wings in the first place. They kind of look like wings, don’t they?  The wings of the nose are also called alars<em>. </em>The septum is what separates the two nostrils or nasal passages, kind of like a dividing wall. If you were to look at the nose from the bottom you would see that the wings connect to the face further back then the septum. Simple enough, right?

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The important thing to note here is that when you begin drawing your nose, the septum and the wings <em>must</em> hook into the inside of the nose. This is what separates a realistic drawing from a cartoon-like one. And this is also a common mistake. When you begin drawing, focusing on the volume of the nose rather than the outline of the nose or holes of the nostrils will give your piece a 3-dimensional appearance—exactly what you’re looking for!

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<strong>Closing Words (not sure what you would want to head this as) </strong>

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The anatomy of the nose is pretty awesome, isn’t it? Once you dive into sketching you will find that knowing the simple anatomy of a nose will make a world of difference when it comes to drawing a realistic one. It’s all a learning process and just as I mentioned earlier, I consider myself a student. Practice makes perfect and knowledge is everything. There’s no such thing as learning or practicing too much. Just as Stephen King vows to write daily, an artist should pick up a pencil and sketch regularly. This is what refines your craft.

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Now that you have the knowledge, let’s dive into our first assignment. Don’t worry, I’m not going to expect you to draw a perfect nose out of the gate but what I <em>will</em> want you to do is sketch and label the parts of the nose. Having this diagram of the nose on hand will help you memorize the specifics.

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<strong>Lesson 2: Placement of the Nose (1,000 words) </strong>

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When you begin to draw your first nose, its placement plays a crucial role in capturing the likeness of the individual you’re drawing. As I said before, the nose is essentially what contributes to our human uniqueness so its placement needs to be spot on. Improper placement of a nose will make a drawing of a person look very difference from the reference photograph.

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<strong>Straight-On-View </strong>

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Personally, I think learning to draw a realistic nose using the straight on view is the easiest way to keep proper proportions but obviously, our reference subject or photograph isn’t always offering this view for our convenience.

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When drawing with a straight on view the base of the nose is typically halfway between the eyebrows and the bottom of the chin as shown below. From this perspective the wings of the nose generally align with the inner corner of the eyes. Keep in mind, however, that this is a very broad and general guideline. For instance, some noses are wider and might align with the inner white part of the eye or further out. It’s always important to <em>really look </em>at your subject and reference photograph closely.

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Generally, from the top of the eyebrows to the base of the nose, the top part of the tip of the nose and wings are about one-third of the way up for an adult.

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<strong>Profile View </strong>

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Don’t let this discourage you, but many people find drawing a profile of the nose (side view) to be difficult. I’ve talked with many artists over the years and about 80% of them agreed that drawing a profile of the nose was the hardest for them to master. This is likely because we lose the ability to keep proper proportions. Nevertheless, if you create basic shapes as a guide you will find that the process to be a lot less difficult.

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To draw the profile of a nose you will want to start with two round circles, spaced a good bit apart. What I started out doing was drawing three circles, but erased the middle one—just using the space as a guide. If you were to draw a triangle and add these circles to the two bottom corners, you could use this as guidance when drawing the bridge of the nose.

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After you have this completed, it’s time to draw a curved slope up and around the left circle to form the tip and bridge, curving it below to form the top edge of the subject’s lip. This should be placed somewhere between the two circles.

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Now, for the fun part—adding the nostrils! The nostril should be placed between the two circles. You might have to erase a few times, but try not to make the nostrils too long.

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When you’re almost finished the construction of your nose, be sure that the top and bottom of the nose are aligned with the top and bottom of the ear. The back of the wing of the nose should be aligned with the front of the eye. Realistic drawing is truly all about keeping accurate proportions. After all, accurate proportions are what differentiate a caricature from a portrait.

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<strong>Three-Quarter-View </strong>

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You’re probably thinking, <em>“A three-quarter-view? C’mon now. You’ve got to be joking!” </em>While it sounds difficult, a three-quarter-view is a definite placement to master. A three-quarter-view is that positioning that offers an ever-so-slight turn of the head, like the example below.

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There are a few different drawing techniques that need to be mastered with this viewpoint because models or photographed subjects can hold a three-quarter-view level to the eye, above looking down and below looking up. Meaning, depending on the angle and how much of a bridge the subject has, you will need to adjust your placement of the nose in order to keep up with the realism we are after.

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While there are some similarities when drawing a profile of the nose and a three-quarter-view, you will want to draw a 3D shape with a trapezoid base for this one. Since you will be looking at a reference photograph, keep in mind that the slop of your 3D shape will essentially determine the height of the nose and the distance it comes out from the face.

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Keep in mind that regardless of what angle the view is, the part of the nose that is farther away will appear smaller. For example, if your subject is sporting a three-quarter-view looking up, you will want to sketch another circle within your trapezoid to keep things proportionate.

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<strong>Looking Down or Looking Up </strong>

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If you are sketching a subject that is looking up or looking down you will immediately notice that the appearance of the nose is impacted quite a bit. I recommend looking at a reference photograph of someone looking up and of someone looking down to see just how much the proportions of someone’s nose change.

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For example, if your subject is looking up, the lower part of the face will appear longer and the upper part of the face will seem shorter. In the same respect, the more you see someone looking up, the more visible the base of the nose and nostrils will become, taking away from the bridge of the nose.  In fact, the bridge of the nose might not even be visible!

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If a subject is looking down, the upper part of the face will appear longer and the lower part of the face will seem shorter. Again, the more the subject is looking down, the more of the nose’s bridge you will see and less of the underside—kind of the apposite of what I mentioned above. If your subject is looking down you will still see the wings of the nose and tip, but the ball of the nose might be pointed down more and the nostrils may not be visible.

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Not too difficult, right? While all of this information might seem like a lot, the more you practice, the easier it will become—yes, even drawing a realistic (and good!) nose using different viewpoints.

For your next assignment I want you to choose a reference photo you’d like to use for an independent drawing of a nose. You can choose any photo you’d like, but I’d recommend selecting a photo where the subject is positioned in a viewpoint that you’d like to master. While it’s completely okay to experiment with drawing all viewpoints, I think it’s easiest to stick with one until you feel confident with the technique before moving onto another.

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<strong>Module 2. </strong>

<strong>Lesson 3: Drawing Between the Eyes (500 Words)</strong>

<strong>A Look at the Skull</strong>

We all know that looks can be deceiving. When it comes to authentic human anatomy, the nose begins at the forehead not at the eyes like you might think. The nose is secured at the base of the forehead. The bridge of the nose is what starts at eye-level.  This is easily viewed when sketching a human face, using a grid for the eyes, nose and mouth. This also acts as a guide when you’re transitioning from the forehead and eyes to the nose. It’s a process that should be followed to keep up with realism.

<strong>How to Transition from the Forehead and Eyes to the Nose</strong>

So, how do you transition from the forehead and eyes to the nose? Remember the 3D trapezoid I mentioned earlier? This shape is very useful and is used in this case as well.

From a straight on view, visualize the trapezoid for the top area. Take the image below, for example. The top of the trapezoid is the long side that connects the eyebrows. The sides of the trapezoid represent the eye sockets that are curving down toward the nose. The bottom of the trapezoid is the short side that represents the connection to the top of the nose.

If you’re drawing from a profile view, the trapezoid will begin at the base of the forehead and slant inward, such as below. At the base of the trapezoid there will be a point—this point is the top of the bridge of the nose where it begins to protrude outward.

There are a wide range of values that create all of the interconnected structures of the forehead, eye sockets and the very top of the bridge of the nose. Regardless of what view you are drawing from it is important for you to look at any traits that are characteristic of your subject—what makes them unique. Wrinkles, for instance, might be something that your subject has at the top of the bridge of the nose and between the eyebrows.

An interesting fact to note here is that the bridge of our nose is essentially shaped by our DNA. Sure, a person’s ethnic background is one of the main determining factors of our facial features including the shape of our nose <em>but </em>what really defines the shape of our bridge lies in our ancestry and its geographical origin. In short, our nose is our best distinction. This is why it is incredibly important to <em>really </em>look at your subject. Even the slightest change in the bridge can alter someone’s appearance.

For our next assignment, I’d like you to shade the top part of the nose. I recommend first shading around the outer part of the bridge and the inner part of the circle to create a defined “U” shape. The shading should be a bit thicker at the top of the bridge, but it’s totally okay for you to come up with your own technique.

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<strong>Lesson 5: Drawing the Bridge of the Nose (1,000 Words) </strong>

During this lesson we are going to learn how to draw the bridge of the nose. Regardless of what viewpoint you’re drawing from, the bridge of the nose is what helps the nose to extend beyond the flatter surface of the face. As I mentioned in the previous lesson, the bridge of the nose is what defines us—what makes us stand out from each other. That said, the nose is more complex then we might think. This also means that we need to understand the parts of the nose if we are going to draw it convincingly. And that is exactly what we are after.

<strong>Look for Planes in the Bridge</strong>

No matter the subject, every bridge consists of planes—one for the front and a plane on each side of the nose. Keep in mind that some bridges stick out more than others and when this happens there will be more obvious planes. Consider the fact that because the nose protrudes more than any other human feature, it’s essentially what gives the face complexity and character. Sure, there are a million different shapes and sizes of noses, but all noses have the same basic triangular form; narrow at the top, wider and fuller at the bottom.

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When we set out to draw a realistic nose I recommend simplifying the structure of the bridge so that we can grasp its relationship with the rest of the head, as well as how light and perspective will affect its form. The lighting of your subject in the reference photo and the viewpoint is a major fact to consider (and observe) before diving in.

Speaking of which, let’s get back to drawing the bridge of the nose. As you can see from the image below, when you begin drawing the bridge of the nose it is easiest to start with a single ball for the base of the nose and then add the bridge by drawing two curved lines on each side. Try to keep your lines a bit curved and smooth too promote realism, avoiding prominent, straight and rigid lines along the side of the nose.

<strong>Tips for Drawing the Bridge </strong>

If you are drawing a bridge from a straight on view it is important to use a range of values to create the illusion of a three dimensional nose that is protruding from the surface of the face. While this might sound difficult, adding simple shapes to the bridge of the nose will get the job done quite nicely.

The easiest way to create a three dimensional nose is to draw the nose using a wedge-shaped series of planes like the one below. Yes, this is a very box-like bridge but once we define the subtle shapes of bone and cartilage within these shapes the drawing will come together seamlessly.

You will first want to start by drawing the more rounded parts of the bridge. Again, smooth, soft lines will promote realism so try to avoid rigidity or heavy lines. Later you will add the ball of the nose and nostrils, which will taper into the bridge.

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<em>As a reminder: If the head is turned—depending on the angle and how much of a bridge the subject has—you might be able to clearly see the bridge in front of the farther side of the face with the nose sticking out.</em>

Something else I need to mention here is the difference between a male and female nose. Yes, all noses are made up of the same components but the appearance of a male and female nose is actually quite different. If you’re drawing a female nose, take a quick browse online and find a good photograph of a male for reference. The typical distinction between a male and female nose is that men often have more prominent features. Their nostrils and nasal bones are much more protruding than that of a female’s. That said, if you are drawing a female nose, you want to take care and draw the bridge with a lighter hand.

Regardless of your subject, I would take some time and get familiar with the curves and shapes of the nose. By doing so you will find that drawing the bridge will become much easier. I would even recommend taking some time to draw your own nose from different angles. There have been many occasions that I’ve taken out a desk mirror and sat there for hours in order to perfect my drawing. Better believe I had a good laugh here and there, but my sketches improved each time.

Your next assignment will be to shade and blend the bridge of the nose. Once shaded, these simple shapes will create the illusion of the nose protruding from the surface of the face—one side will have a darker value and the other side will have a lighter value, depending on the direction of the light source. I recommend keeping some solid white space on your paper for the highlights.

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By shading the bridge of the nose you will be one step closer to drawing a realistic nose, especially once you use blending tools to soften the lines a bit. Blending tools come in all shapes and sizes, allowing you to soften all parts of your drawing, no matter how small or meticulous it might be.

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