How to Draw a Realistic Nose (Front & Side View)

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Easy steps for drawing & shading noses for new artists

Co-authored by Aimee Payne, MFA Reviewed by Kelly Medford

Last Updated: October 17, 2024 Fact Checked

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Drawing a Front-Facing Nose

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Drawing a Nose from the Side

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Drawing an Angled Nose

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Tips

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Things You'll Need

Noses: everybody has one, and they come in tons of different shapes, sizes, and curves. Though making a nose drawing may seem daunting at first, taking it step by step will make the process simple and fun. This article covers how to draw a nose from the front, at an angle, and in profile to help you master this challenging facial feature. Plus, we spoke with Professional Artist Kelly Medford to learn more about drawing and shading.

How to Draw a Nose from the Front

Use a very light line to draw a circle in pencil.
Draw 2 curved lines up from the side to make the bridge.
Make an arc and a curved L-shape on each side to form nostrils.
Lightly add guidelines and shade around the contours of the nose.
Use an eraser to remove color and highlight higher areas of the nose.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Drawing a Front-Facing Nose

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1
Sketch a big circle in the center of your paper. This circle represents the tip of the nose and will be the guide for the rest of your nose. That means the circle size determines the size of your final nose. For now, draw it as big as you feel comfortable. Use a light touch since the circle is just a guideline; you'll be erasing most of it later.
- Artists use basic shapes to help visualize how to draw objects. Once the drawing is further along, they erase any lines they don’t want to be visible in the final drawing. Medford says, “One challenging thing about drawing can be to draw things as they actually are rather than how we think they are. That might sound silly, but learning to draw is really about learning to see.”
- Use sketch paper instead of plain printer paper. Sketch paper has a better texture (or tooth) that holds pencil marks and can withstand more erasing.
- A 2B pencil has a soft, dark lead that’s good for drawing.
- 4B and 6B pencils are darker than 2B, with 6B being the darkest.
Start these lines just inside the edges of the circle so the drawing looks a bit like an upside-down microphone. Make sure to sketch the lines very lightly. This section of the nose doesn’t usually have harsh lines.^{[1]
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3
Draw curved lines on each side of the circle to form the nostrils. The first line extends from the lower third of the circle, curving downward. This forms the top edge of your nostril. The second line is a curvy L-shape, wrapping slightly around the nostril. This line forms the outside edge of the nostril. Medford says, “In pencil, you can make a light rough outline, going quickly rather than slowly, searching for the overall shape.”
- Repeat the drawing on the opposite side.
4
Lightly create preliminary shading and guidelines around the nose. Connect the bottom of the nostrils lightly to the bottom edge of the circle.^{[2]
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Research source} Draw a line through the bottom third of the circle, connecting the two nostrils (you'll shade this in later).
- Flare the lines out slightly at the top where your nose connects with your brow.
5
Create shading guidelines in the center of your first circle. Draw two vertical lines from the top of the circle (where it meets the bridge of the nose lines) and connect them to the horizontal line 2/3rds of the way down. When you hit this horizontal line, turn the lines diagonally inward so that they follow the curve of the circle back down.
- The guidelines help give the top of the nose dimension.
- These are only guidelines, so don't worry about shaping the nose perfectly yet. You'll do this through shading.
6
Shade all along your guidelines. The lines you drew are there to provide the blueprint for your shading. Simply start by lightly shading all along the lines, using thicker shading for bigger noses. Medford recommends, “You can shade using a lighter pencil, like an HB or B, and shade very lightly by turning the pencil on its side and giving the entire sphere the same light shading all over.” Once the light shading is done, use a harder pencil and start shading even darker, sticking closer to your shade lines than before.
- This is your chance to shape the nose, so break from the guidelines where needed to get the design you want.
- Find and keep filling in the dark spots – such as inside the nostril.
- Add a little white to the highlights, like the tip of the nose or the bridge.
- Use a picture to help your shading if you're just starting. That said, your guidelines give more than enough help.
Add more pencil marks to make shading darker. Use a kneaded eraser to gently remove pencil marks for highlights. Lightly rounded edges and softer shading generally lead to a more feminine nose. Hard edges and sharp lines lend the drawing a more masculine flavor.^{[3]
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Research source} Keep practicing to learn how to form the noses just how you like.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Drawing a Nose from the Side

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The first circle forms the profile of the nose, and the second is the profile of the nostril. You can slide this second circle up and down to easily change the final shape of your nose.^{[4]
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This little hook naturally comes off the edge of the smaller circle and curls back on itself inside the larger circle. This is the outline of the nostril opening.^{[5]
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The first line is a diagonal line coming off the edge of your bigger circle, and the second curls slightly off the bottom of the bigger circle. These attach the nose to your face – look in the mirror if you're unsure what parts these correspond to on a real face.
Look at a real nose in profile. The semi-circles of shading around the nostril end where the nostrils meet the bridge of your nose. While you'll be shading along the guidelines, you don't need all of them. Erase what you don’t need with a kneaded eraser.^{[6]
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5
Use your guidelines to start shading. Focus on the guidelines to tell you where to shade your drawing. Pay particular attention to the outside edges around the nostril, filling it in to get a nice, dramatic shape.^{[7]
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- Medford says, “Try to make your transitions as smooth as possible. Using the side of the pencil can be an easy way to make smoother transitions.”
6
Use a kneaded eraser to lighten areas for highlights. “To make the drawing lighter in areas, you can use a kneaded eraser to just dab at the areas where it has gone too dark and pick up some of the excess graphite,” Medford advises. The three main areas to highlight in a profile nose are just above the tip (the rounded bulb at the end of your nose), the top of the bridge, and the small circle of light at the center of your nostril (the part of the nostril closest to the "camera" in your image).
- Kneaded erasers are soft and pliable erasers that remove graphite from paper without leaving crumbs.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Drawing an Angled Nose

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1
Start with a big circle in the middle of the page. A normal circle is your guide, once again, for forming the nose. Or, try flattening the first circle a little for more dimension.^{[8]
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- Almost all of the steps are nearly identical to those outlined in "Front-Facing Nose," but they are slid to the left or right to put the nose in profile.
The first one hits about the dead center of the circle. The second reaches almost to the far right edge of the circle. To draw the nose from the other side, simply flip these lines. Both lines continue a bit into the circle.
The line runs through the bottom 1/3 of your circle, slid slightly to the left. This line is the length of your circle but shifted over so the left end is outside the circle. The right side doesn’t quite touch the right edge.
Put your left nostril at the end of your horizontal line, then draw a concave line for the top of the nostril right where your horizontal line ends. When the nose is turned, you barely see the far nostril, so sketch a little backward "J" close to the circle for the right nostril.^{[9]
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This arc extends diagonally from the bottom of the L-shaped nostril on the left to the bottom-left side of your circle.^{[10]
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6
Start shading along your guidelines. Medford suggests that you notice how the light and shadow gradate not only from top to bottom, but also from one side to another. Shade anything near the lines heavier than anything far away. Start with light, easy shading around the lines, filling in the blocks of shading and the general contours of the nose. Then use a thicker, harder pencil to add in your blacks and darkest patches along your guidelines, paying particular attention to the nostrils and the long vertical lines forming the bridge of the nose.
- Keep the space between the two vertical lines and the space above your horizontal guideline mostly white.

Community Q&A

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Question

Is it better to shade with pencil or charcoal?

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Start with pencil. It is much easier to control than charcoal. After you've had some practice with pencil, you can decide whether or not you want to move onto charcoal.

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I had a hard time drawing a nose so I left it for last. Will method 1 still work?

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Yes, but you might have to erase some of the stuff around it and work it into the picture. I always leave the nose and eyes for last and it still works.

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Can I just use mechanical pencils?

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In the beginning, you can use mechanical pencils, but I suggest moving to graphite pencils eventually for higher quality drawings.

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Tips

Drawing from pictures is a great way to practice and learn the intricacies of shading.

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Art class is a great way to learn about shading, blending, and more. Or, practice at home by looking at the steps or videos on YouTube.

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