The Drawing Board – Noses

Step 1 - I start the nose in the darkest area – the nostril.  I used an 8B pencil with gentle pressure for this.

Step 1

Then with a B pencil, I fill in the rest of the nostril and the darker skin tones.

Step 2

Step 2 – Blend all areas of the nose.

Step 3

Step 3 – After blending, I start fine tuning using a kneaded eraser.  I use the kneaded eraser to pull out the highlights.

The area right above the nostril has reflected light.  Remember to put areas of reflected light in your drawing even if the photo doesn’t show it.  I have found that cameras flatten a subject.  A good rule to remember…know your subject matter well if you want to create realistic drawings.

I usually do the mouth next.  This picture shows very little of the mouth.  I’ll finish it and move to the eyebrows next time on The Drawing Board.