Update 09-26-2012 – Above is a video version of this tutorial.
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In this tutorial I will go over the structure of the nose and give detailed information about the bridge, ball, and nostrils of the nose. At the end, I will show a step by step of a nose drawing.
The Major Planes
When drawing the nose, I’ll usually start by indicating the 4 major planes – top, 2 sides, and bottom. Getting the angles of these planes correct is important to show the proper perspective of the nose in relationship to the rest of the head. Keeping it this simple in the beginning helps to ignore the details and focus only on the width to height relationship of the entire shape of the nose and to compare it to the rest of the features. Once the big shapes and the perspective are solved, it’s much easier to add the details on top.
Anatomical Information
I think the anatomical shapes in the nose are really interesting. It’s made up of interlocking pieces of cartilage and fat attached to the bone of the skull. Half of the bridge of the nose is bone and the other half is cartilage. The lateral cartilage on the bridge wedges between the two pieces that make up the ball of the nose. The nostrils connect to the ball like curled wings.
BridgeThe bridge of the nose is composed of the nasal bone, maxilla, and lateral cartilage. The nasal bone connects to the brow ridge at the glabella. The edge of the nasal bone and lateral cartilage has a thin, sharp ridge as it transitions to the side plane and then connects to the maxilla. The maxilla is usually slightly convex and gently transitions to the cheeks. |
BallThe ball of the nose (Greater Alar Cartilage) is actually made up of two halves with the lateral cartilage wedging between the two. This separation of the two halves is not always visible. The cartilage curves downward and tucks under itself to connect to the skull. |
NostrilsThe nostrils (Alar Fat), made of fatty connective tissue are like wings attached to the ball of the nose. Viewed from the bottom, the nostrils connect to the face further back then the septum because of the protrusion of the tooth cylinder. |
The Minor Planes
It’s important to memorize the subtle plane changes in all the different part of the nose. These subtle plane changes are usually seen as halftone shapes which to the untrained eye appear to be random. Once familiar with the minor planes, you can easily figure out what each halftone shape represents and how to design it in your drawing.
Minor Planes of the Bridge
The Glabella is shaped like a keystone. This keystone shape is slanted downward and will usually have some halftone on it connecting the eye sockets together. Immediately after the glabella, the nasal bone turns upward and then back down after the connection to the lateral cartilage. This area of connection between the nasal bone and lateral cartilage tends to be the widest part of the bridge and also creates a subtle ‘bump’ seen from the side.
Minor Planes of the Ball
The ball of the nose isn’t perfectly round, but has very distinct plane changes. It has a top, front, and bottom plane as the septum curls under itself and connects to the skull. The side plane acts as a step down to the nostril. The shape of the greater alar cartilage varies drastically from person to person. It can be soft, chiseled, large and bulbous, thin and pointy etc…
Minor planes of the Nostrils
The nostrils, also called wings, curl under themselves similar to the septum. The nostrils are not paper thin, so an indication of the front planes is crucial to give them some thickness. Don’t forget to show the curve by separating the top and side planes, usually with a gradation of tone.
The hole of the nostrils often appears as a sideways comma shape with a sharp edge at the top, and softer edge at the bottom.
Drawing the Nose
 The reference photo. |
 1. I start drawing the nose the same way I start drawing anything: analyze the biggest shape first. Make sure the placement on the face is correct and that the size and shape is working in relation to the other features. What’s the point in drawing any details if the underlying drawing is crooked, too big, and in the wrong place? |
 2. When I’m happy with the big shape I’ve established, I will lay-in some of the smaller plane indications and some anatomical information. All my lines at this point are very light, so that I’m able to easily erase them when making adjustments. |
 3. When beginning to shade, the first thing I do is separate the lights from the shadows. Stay simple and don’t lose control of your values. |
4. At this final stage I’ll use a lot of the information we learned about the minor planes of the nose to shade in subtle halftone shifts in the light areas and reflected lights in the shadows. I try to visualize the interlocking anatomical shapes and make sure all the volumes look accurate:
UPDATE – 09-26-2012
Made a video version of this tutorial. Visit Proko.com for more videos.
Related tutorials: How to Draw Lips, How to Draw Eyes and How to Draw Ears
Very very well done!
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for your insights for drawing facial features!! I look forward to studying them over the break.
Thanks for your support guys!
I’m so glad I found this site…Keep up the good work
This site rocks!
It’s so exact and gorgeous! I only wish you shown the nose at another angle. Or perhaps one more reference photo…? Your site/blog is a big help!
Your blog is so informative … ..I just bookmarked you….keep up the good work!!!!
It is very helpful to new students like me.. thanQ U very much
Good work here… effort definately pays off as you have a ncie site
I still come back and look at this sometimes.
Jason, I will keep it up just for you.
this is great, definitely bookmarking, I’ve always been a minimalist with noses, this makes so much more sense!
Wow. I like this! This is really a great tutorial. I’m definitely bookmarking it.
love this! Thanks for the info.
I lost control of my values–ah!
Wonderful. Reminds me of art school. Lifetimes away…Thank you. Debby
http://twitter.com/DebbyBruck
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I’m spending much time studying the the various blogs you posted. Just the nose, your drawing is of course remarkable but maybe another angle or shape would be helpful too.
Keep on the fantastic work and again thank you.
Tilou
como se dibuja el naso
Thank you,this has always been hard for me.
really this site motivates and inspires young artist… all the best.. and i am glad and lucky to visit this site..
Most instructive and informative
this was really helpful, thank you
this site is amazing thank u for sharing your knowledge and techniques on drawing.
I spend an awful lot of time drawing body parts. Your drawings are inspirational, exceptional . . . Hell-oh! They’re awesome, is all!
I love it! I love to draw & paint but I never knew how to do that properly. This helped me a lot. Thanks
this page help me a lot!
thankyou
I like the detailed rendering,excellent! I will follow your tutorials as they arrive.Thank you.
You’re making it a bit more complicated then it really is, but if that’s what works for you, so be it.
As I noted on email,the tutorial of the nose was excellent.I look forward to viewing more of your presentations.
Wow. I’m no artist, but that was a lesson I don’t think I would have ever thought to heed…Great thanks!
these are really manly noses. but well done nevertheless.
Needing a year of vacation right now.
really handy, i suck at drawing noses. thanks!
Nice tutorial.I think many people can draw,if they spend bit of time for trying.I started loving bit of drawing once i had to draw diagrams and pictures in my record book.Hope that this tutorial will inspire many.
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Posted a link to this tutorial on http://outcaststudios.com/forums/index.php/topic/8905-how-to-draw-the-nose/
Just what i needed to stumble upon. i have been winging it a little on the nose.. i’m glad you’ve explained not just how to draw it but explained how the nose is formed. Without that i would have dismissed this article. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, it’s been a good lesson.
This was really very helpful for me! Thanks and keep up the awesome work!
more more!!!
not everyone is that fortunate.
Great tutorial, i really mean it! Cheers for sharing what you´ve learn at the Watts Atelier with the rest of the world
This is great. Noses are one of the most nebulous facial features. I would love to see a follow up article comparing various noses and the structure so we can get an idea of what factors change and what stays constant.
This is amazing! I take classes at the arts student league in new york and you are very good! Im 13 and going to laguardia high school next year for art! keep showing all your great work! Try and do some videos too!!
While the nose you’ve drawn looks very good, and I enjoyed the tutorial, I have to say that I don’t feel like your lines and shading exactly replicate the nose of the reference photo, not that it’s that big a deal, it’s just not as accurate as it could be.
nice!!!!!!
very well..thank you
this was really helpful , thank you for this .
This is great! Thanks for your efforts!
Superb info and drawing.
What materials do you use for your drawings? What brand of pencils/erasers do you find most effective?
Very nice tutorials.
SafCOM Club
I usually come back here for reference on my drawings. Thanks again for this great share.
this is helpful and a beautifully portrayed image of the tired old man …although only half of his face is shown you can tell he is worn and tired thank you for the help!!
You draw very beautiful!
dibujo nariz
What if its a nicer nose?
Very helpful. I don’t draw, but I use this great information in wood carving.
cool very cool
Thanks a lot
the thing is .. i know the face and the others just the nose ..:o
love it
This is a superb tutorial. It is extremely well laid out …super explanations and clear illustrations! I’m so glad that I found this…thank you for sharing your expertise. You are an excellent teacher!! Just the right amount of information…enough to understand the underlying structures and enough to help understand how to apply them in our drawings…
thank you so much!! really pointed out what was on the tip of my tongue! :3
I love how everything’s detailed and that you don’t use terms which could confuse beginners. Could you also post a tutorial on how to draw a woman’s nose? I usually have a hard time getting the correct angle and softness a woman’s nose has compared to a man’s. Thanks!
This is awesome! Tnks for sharing!!
hello steven this is there site details, there there most competitive in the game ,say gary d recommened you
Thank you so much!
This is so very helpful. Your generosity is truly appreciated!
Thanks for breaking facial anatomy down! I’ve always had problems with noses :/ This helps a ton!
no words to explain how deep and perfect observation and command on reproducing is there in this work. hats off.
tremendously helpful…thank-you for all the work that went into these tutorials
god speed!
Great video Stan. This will really help me with my homework assignment for next week!
Awsome he’s done it again.if you look closely at the minor bridges it looks like a crab claw.i remember that when I draw a nose
Thank you so much for the wonderful tutorials , they are even better now in video . I appreciate the help.:-)
Thank you so much, dude! Love this site, it’s going straight into my bookmarks!!
hello, I just added you as a friend on facebook, your videos are otimos …… wish you send something talking about the kind of materials …. pencil and paper etc. ..
hug
Hey thanks! I have a video on my materials at proko.com
very inspiring! i hav lost touch with drawing for almost 5 decades. now i like 2start over again.
Go for it! It’s not too late as long as you enjoy it