Simple Step by Step Guide to Drawing Noses for Beginners

Noses. They can be pretty weird to draw sometimes. And hard. I know how it is to look at a face you’ve been drawing, and everything looks great. Of course, except the nose. Here are some things that have helped me draw noses. I have some pictures for examples, but your page doesn’t have to look exactly like mine. As you draw noses, realized that each one is different. Keep in mind, drawing from a reference photo is really helpful. References are like a map telling you where and how to shade.

Here are some steps you can follow. More detailed description and photos will be below.

Lightly sketch two or three circles as simple shapes for the foundation of the nose.

Following the general shapes, draw the nostril openings, the sides of the nostril, and a small line for the bottom of the 'ball' of the nose.

Once you are generally happy with the previous step, lightly erase your sketch. (If you sketched lightly enough, you can skip this step).

Shade the nose, blending in between each layer.

Using an eraser or white pen, make the highlights.

Keep practicing. Reference photos are very helpful if you don't know where to shade.

This image shows the first two steps. Each angle uses different circles. In your sketch, it may be helpful to draw a light curved line where the highlight is.

This picture shows the final steps. You don't have to lightly erase your first sketch if it was light enough. For shading, you can usually shade each 'circle' as if it was a circle, with where the shadows and highlights are. Of course, it will not be exactly the same, but this can be helpful. I will say it once more, USE REFERENCE. If you practice using reference, eventually you will not need it to draw a nose, but reference is always helpful.

I hope this article has helped you. Noses are pretty difficult, but I hope this gives you somewhere to start. Keep going! God bless!

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