adult noses in profile

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IN PROFILEBrenda Hoddinott

P08 INTERMEDIATE: PEOPLE

In this project, I show you some easytechniques for drawing the threebasic types of adult noses in profile,by following only three simple steps.

This project is divided into the following four sections:

INTRODUCTION: Adult noses come in so many different shapes and sizes, that clumping them all into only three categories is very challenging.

STEP 1: ESTABLISH PROPORTION: You sketch the proportions of a generic profileview of each of the three basic types of noses.

STEP 2: OUTLINE SHAPES: You outline the shapes of the noses more precisely.

STEP 3: SHADING FORMS: Shading the lower section of a nose is like shading threeindependent circular forms. Defining the upper section is similar to shading arounded wedge-shaped form or half an oval.

Supplies include 2H, HB, and 2B pencils, erasers, and good quality drawing paper.

7 PA GES 7 I L LU ST RAT I O N S

This lesson is recommended for artists with good drawing skills, as well as students of home schooling,academic and recreational fine art educators.

Published by Hoddinott Publishing for Drawspace.com, Halifax, NS, Canada - 2008


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Copyright to all articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within this document belong to Brenda Hoddinott and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever

without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott. E-mail [email protected] site http://www.drawspace.com

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Figure 801

Figure 802

Shape refers to the outward outlineof a form. Basic shapes includecircles, squares and triangles.

Forms are created in drawings by

adding shading to transform a shapeinto three-dimensional structures,such as a circle becoming a sphere.

Proportion is the relationship in sizeof one component of a drawing toanother or others.

I NTRODUCTI ON

Adult noses come in so many different shapes andsizes, that clumping them all into only threecategories is very challenging.

Before you draw a nose, you should becomefamiliar with its different parts (See Figure 801).Find a mirror, examine your own nose, andidentify each of the following:

1. Bridge (sometimes called the nasal bone ) isthe section of the nose where the upper bonysection joins the cartilage. While barely visibleon young children, the bridge on an adult noseoften protrudes as a noticeable bulge or bump.The contoured shape of the bridge is most

obvious when the nose is viewed in profile.2. Ball (also called the tip ) refers to the largest,

central rounded form on the lower half of thenose. The ball is not necessarily spherical. It can also appear oval-shaped, triangular, oreven rectangular (with rounded edges of course).

3. Wings are two soft, rounded (often triangularshaped) forms extending from the sides of theball of the nose.

4. Nostrils are the openings on the lower sectionof each side of a nose.

5. Base of a nose (also called a septum ) is inbetween the nostrils and connects with thelower face above the upper lip.

All adult noses fall somewhere into one of the following three types (Figure 802):

Upturned noses angleupward and the ball ishigher than the wings.

The ball and nostrils of straight noses line uphorizontally with thewings.

On down-turned nosesthe ball is lower than thewings creating adownward angle.
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Figure 803

TERRIFIC TIP!

Noses come in an infinite array of shapes. When drawing a face, you need to closely observeyour subjects nose to determine the shapes of i ts individual parts.

To accurately establish the proport ions of a nose, you first sketch the overall size and locationof the nose in relation to the face. Then, you visually measure the size ratio of each part of thenose when compared to the whole, and adjust your sketch accordingly.

STEP 1: ESTABLISH PROPORTIONWhen drawn from the side, only two circular forms of the nose come into play, the ball andone wing. Follow along with me and sketch the proportions of a generic profile view of eachof the three basic types of noses. You can draw one at a time or all three at once. Theinstructions are the same for each.

1) Draw a large circle for the ball of each nose (Figure 803).

Leave lots of space above and to the right to add the bridge and wing.

Press very lightly with your 2H pencil so you dont damage or dent the paper. Mysketch has been darkened in an imaging program so you can see it. In fact it is so faint that the sketch lines are barely visible.

2) Add a smaller circle that overlaps the larger one.

This smaller circle represents the shape of the wing of the nose. (Refer to Figure 804).


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Figure 804

TERRIFIC TIP!

An ideal or perfectly shaped nose tends to be highly subjective and differs significantly forindividuals of diverse cultures and ethnicit ies. What is considered perfect to one person iscompletely different than someone elses concept of ideal.

Also, when drawing adult faces, keep in mind that male noses are usually proportionately longerand larger than those of females.

3) Gently pat your sketch lines until they are so faint that you can barely see them.

The proportions are established and the next step is to accurately outline the forms of thenose.

STEP 2: OUTLINE SHAPESIn this section you outline the shapes of the noses more precisely. Do not simply draw overyour sketch lines; rather, examine the outlines of the noses carefully, and more accuratelydepict the shapes of the various forms as defined by their anatomical structures.

4) Refer to the outlines of the circles to draw the shapes of the ball and wing.

Refer to Figure 805. As with most body parts, the individual forms of a nose, arerendered with curved lines.

5) Add the outline of the bridge of the nose, the nostril, and the tiny section of faceunder the nose.


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Figure 805

TERRIFIC TIP!

Your drawings of noses will appear flat, rather than three-dimensional, if you use too li ttlecontrast in values. So, a word to the wise - unless your model actually has a very flat nose,always use a broad range of values.

TERRIFIC TIP!When drawing noses,try and forget that youare drawing a nose.Instead concentrate ondefining the variousforms according to thelight and shadows.

STEP 3: SHADING FORMSSimply stated, shading the lower section of a nose is like shading three independent circular forms. As you add shading to the spheres, keep in mind that the dominant light source is from the left.

Defining the upper section is similar to shading a rounded wedge-shaped form or half anoval.

6) Add light shading to identify the forms of the nose.

Refer to Figure 806. Light from the left creates darkershadow sections on the right.

The curved hatching lines used for shading, follow thecurves of the circular shape.

When shading noses, let your pencils, from light (2Hor HB) to dark (4B), do a lot of the work. You onlyneed to decide where to place all your values.


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Figure 806

Figure 807

7) Use your kneaded eraser to lighten the outlines of the forms.

8) Use crosshatching to complete the shading of the various forms.

Step back from your drawing and have a look at the overall values. Add final touchesto the shading, if needed.


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B R ENDA HODDI NOT T - B I OGR APHY

As a self-educated teacher, visual artist, portraitist, forensic artist, and illustrator, BrendaHoddinott utilizes diverse art media including graphite, technical pen, colored pencil, chalk pastel, charcoal, cont crayon, and oil paints.

My philosophy on teaching art is to focus primarily on the enjoymentaspects while gently introducing the technical and academic. Hence, increating a passion for the subject matter, the quest for knowledge also

becomes enjoyable.>Brenda Hoddinott

adult noses in profile

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