Lesson #2 Secrets To Drawing Realistic · PDF fileThen below that you have the bridge of the nose, which rises slightly to the ball of the nose. Then of course you have the two nostrils

Lesson #2 Secrets To Drawing Realistic Noses

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Again the first step in learning to draw anything is take the time to really understand the components that make up what you are drawing. So again we are going to take a closer look at the components of the nose and how they affect each other. Now a nose may seem easy, but I guarantee you that there are tiny vital details that you have simply over looked.

Components Of A Nose



Obviously you have the Glabella which is the raised section between the two eyebrows, at the very top of the nose. Then below that you have the bridge of the nose, which rises slightly to the ball of the nose. Then of course you have the two nostrils at the very bottom. Now unlike the eye there are not as many sections, but each section still has tiny details that are often over looked.

Glabella The most common mistake artists make when sketching the Glabella (keystone shaped area where nose joins the forehead) is they simply get the angle wrong. Most people assume that the top of the nose is flat with the forehead. But when you look at the nose in profile you will see that the top of the nose is actually quite a bit more indented than the forehead and the Glabella is in fact sloping in to join to the bridge of the nose. What this means is there is usually a shadow across the very top of the nose, due to the nose being more indented than the forehead.



Bridge Of Nose There are several mistakes that artists make when drawing the bridge of the nose.

The most common one is they simply draw the bridge of the nose too long or too short.

If you look closely at the photo below you will notice that the bridge of the nose is approximately half the total length of the nose.

The second common mistake artists make is they assume that the shadow is even on both side of the nose, or they feel they need to add a shadow on the bright side of the nose to indicate the edge of the nose.

In most case, you’ll discover that one side of the nose is significantly darker than the other due to the way the light is falling. And often on the bright side there is very little shadow to indicate the edge of the nose, as shown in the picture below.



Now have a look at the same picture without the arrows. Notice how your brain wants to see a shadow on the lighter side.



Now if you squint your eyes and you will notice that there is in fact very little difference between the color of the right cheek and the right side of the nose.

This is a common trap that catches most amateur artists and will be discussed in more detail in Lesson #5.

The last mistake that artists tend to make is they fail to see the subtle difference within the shadow. If you look at the image above you will notice how the shadow on the side of the nose is not the same shade from top to bottom.

In most situations you will discover that the shadow starts out darker at the top of the nose, where the nose tends to be steeper, and then becomes less pronounced over the center, as the sides of the nose tend to flatten out slightly.



Ball Of Nose There are two important features you need to be aware of when drawing the ball of the nose.

In some cases, if you look closely at the ball of the nose, you will notice that there are tiny little imperfections or bumps. These are the pores of the skin reflecting the light.

If you were to zoom in and really examine what was going on you would see that there is a slightly darker section, which is the imperfection. Then right beside that is a highlight, where the light is reflecting back. Then beside that is the normal skin tone. As shown in the photo below.



The second feature, and probably the most important feature you need to be aware of is the shadow just under the nose.

What is happening is you have the highlight at the center of the ball of the nose, and then from there the nose is rolling over to form the underside of the nose, and this is where you get the gradient transition. Then after the gradient transition you have a shadow cast on the upper lip, directly below the nose. The reason why these particular transitions are so important is it is ultimately these two features that gives your nose its shape. The higher the gradient transition starts up the page the more the nose appears to be sticking out. The wider this shadow is the wider and fuller the nose appears. Important Note: If for any reason your nose is not looking right, pay attention to these two features here, as it is these two features that will just about always correct the shape of your nose.



Nostrils The most common mistake that artists make with nostrils is simply getting the shading wrong. When drawn from front on there is a clear line between the nostril and the ball of the nose. A lot of artists try and make this a gradient instead of a crisp line; this makes the nose appear squashed. Instead whenever I am drawing a nose front on I like the think of a nostril like a sideways comma with a sharp edge.



Step By Step Examples:

Whenever you are looking at drawing a nose the first thing you need to do is squint your eyes and check the shadow either of the bridge of the nose, as marked in the image on the left. The reason why you do this is your brain wants there to be a strong shadow here, but if you squint your eyes you will often find that that the shadow disappears, or remain only on one side. In this case the shadows practically disappear by the bridge of the nose but remain by the nostrils. So in our drawing we are going to have a faint shadow by the bridge and strong shadow by the nostrils.

The next step is you need to identify the turning points on the end of the nose as it is these turning points that ultimately give the nose its shape. As you can see in the photo on the right I have labeled them for you.



The next step once you have identified the turning points is to simply sketch the basic outline of the nostrils and lower part of the nose. To do this we simply use straight lines to connect the turning points together. Once again I have labeled the turning points in the image on the left to make it easier to see what is going on.

Here is the same image without the turning points indicated, just in case it is easier for you to see. You will notice that I have also added a light shadow under the ball of the nose to give the nose some shape. It is really important that you pay close attention to this shadow, as it is this shadow that gives your nose its fullness, and makes it come forward off the page.



The next step is to come back and add more detail by increasing the shadow under the nose, and breaking it into its smaller sections. If you look closely at the image on the left you will notice that the shadow is darker at the start of the nostril, and lighter as you move away from the nose. It is very important that the top edge of the nostril is crisp, while there is a gradual transition on the lower edge. I have marked the top edge in the image on the left so you can see exactly what I mean.

Also we are starting to get a gradual change in tone, just below the tip of the nose. This transition from light to shadow gives the nose its height, and shape. So if your nose is not looking right pay attention to this shadow. I have marked the shadow in the image on the right so you can clearly what I mean.



The last stage of the process is to simply continue the shadow up the side of the nose slightly. As we do this we need to be aware that the shadow on the sides of the nose is quite a lot lighter, as we discovered in the first step. We also need to be aware that the shadow is not even the entire way up the nose. In fact, the center the shadow is lighter, as is usually the case.



Just to make sure that you have gotten the idea, I am just going to run through one more example, before going onto drawing a nose in profile. So once again the first thing to do is to squint your eyes to check the shadows either side of the bridge of the nose. This time they are slightly stronger than our previous nose, but still not as strong as the shadow under the nose.

The same as before the next step is just to identify the turning points. I have labeled them again for you to help make it easier to see what is going on. If you are having problems finding them, a simple trick you can use is to take a ruler and lay it on the photo, and see where the line noticeably changes direction.



The next step after you have found the turning points is simply sketch the outline of the nose using the tuning points as guides, and straight lines to simplify the drawing. This image on the left, clearly shows the turning points with straight lines connecting them.

The next step after I have identified the outline of the nose is to identify the ball of the nose, and the important shadow under the ball of the nose. If you look at the image on the right you will see I have labeled this important shadow I am talking about. It is this shadow that ultimately gives the nose its shape and fullness.



The final stage is to simply add the shadow to the nose. The important features you need to be aware of as you do this are:

• The upper edge of the nostril needs to have a crisp shadow. • There is a gradual change in tone from the highlight on the ball of the nose

to the shadow on the underside of the nose. • The two important shadows are the shadow just under the nose, and the

shadow just under the ball of the nose. If your nose looks wrong pay attention to these two shadows.

• The nostrils are lower than the ball of the nose, so they will usually be in shadow.

• Be careful not to add too much shadow along the sides of the nose, as the shadow you see here is usually just a trick of the mind.



When you are drawing a nose from the side it is slightly different. Unlike from front on you can now clearly see the top edge of the nose. This does make it easier because we now have one fixed line to work with. However we still follow the same process, which is:

1. We find the turning points first 2. Then we sketch the outline of the

nose. 3. Then we find the important

shadow under the nose 4. Then we add the shadows

Once again I have labeled the turning points just to make it easier to see what is happening. This one is a little bit more complicated because you have the line of the shadow and the line of the nose right beside each other. In a situation like this I always focus on the line that is easiest to see. Nine times out of ten that will be the line of the feature instead of the line of the shadow, because the edge of shadows tend not to be as defined.



The next step after you identify the turning points is to sketch the outline of the nose using the turning points like reference points and connecting them with straight lines. To make it easier to see what is happening I have marked the turning points I have used on the image on the left.

Once you have found the outline of the nose, the next step is to use this outline as a reference, to help you find the nostrils and shadow under the end of the nose. To make this process as easy as possible, I again use turning points and focus on the edge of the shadow, instead of the various tones within the shadow. Once I have found the edge of the shadow I simply used a flat, single toned shadow to help me identify what is going on.



The next step is to start to bring more detail into your drawing by breaking the shadows down into their section. As I am doing this notice that the edge of the nostrils stays crisp and sharp. Also notice the importance of the shadow under the nose, in creating the shape of the nose. The same as the noses we were drawing before, the shadow under the ball of the nose gives the nose its shape.

The last step is to simply remove the noise in the image by blending the shadows. This gets the shadows to sink back into the page instead of jumping forward. Let’s take a close look at the nostril on the left, and I will explain exactly what I mean. In the image above you can see that there is white specks showing through, which gives the impression that the shadow is actually coming forward. In the image on the right you will notice that these spots have in fact been blended together, so they no longer show through. This gives the impression of the shadow sinking backwards.



In order to achieve this effect, all I have done is run my smudger along the top edge of that shadow, making sure not to smudge the edge. Remember all drawings are going to be slightly different. But if you follow the steps laid out above you will notice amazing improvements in your drawing ability. So practice hard, and remember to have fun. To your drawing success,

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Lesson #2 Secrets To Drawing Realistic · PDF fileThen below that you have the bridge of the nose, which rises slightly to the ball of the nose. Then of course you have the two nostrils