Now it's time to move onto the nose! The nose is much harder to explain than some of the other features.. partially because it is a projection. If you look at your nose in the mirror you'll notice that there is no "solid" definition to the bridge of the nose, only the base (where the nostrials are). That's why the nose can be a little tricky to draw. But before we go into that, let's take a look at how the nose is constructed ^_^

As you know the nose is mostly composed of cartilage. The only part that is bone is the Nasal bone

The nasal bone is a projection that lies between the two orbits (eye socket) and is below the superciliary crest. If you take your thumb and your index finger and pinch the projection between your eyes you should be able to feel the nasal bone. Depending on your heritage the projection will be more or less aparent.

When we look at the fleshed out nose it fades in from the superciliary crest into the projection.

The base of the nose makes an upsidedown tirangle shape.

When we add the nostials on, the base of the nose makes a larger triangle shape. Two important things to remember about the nostrails: 1) the nostrails are located just above where the nose connects to the face. If you look in the mirrior you'll notice that there is a small ridge of skin that forms the nostrial. And 2) Nostrials are not black. They are a cavity, so they're dark as the go deeper into the nose. But they are not black holes.. I mention this because if you make the nose black holes it draw's ALOT of attention straight to the nose, inparticular.. the nostrails. And usuallyyyyy that's not where you want the attention to be ^_-

Now this is a quick illustration of how the skin shapes around the nose. Between the eyebrows (superciliary crest) is relaitively flat. When we move down inbetween the eyes, the shape is more dramatic. When we move down to where the nose and the cheek merge, the nose is MUCH less defined. The bridge of the nose fades into the cheekbones. The projection is still there, but it's fairly soft compared to the other two sections of the nose. The base of the nose is the largest part of the projection. You should check out how your nose if formed in the mirrior. One of the best ways to figure the nose out is to draw your nose by looking in the mirrior. The same goes for the rest of the features as well.

Here I've added the nose to the skull. Notice how the defined parts are the bridge between the eyes and the base of the nose.

Now to talk about the comic nose...traditionally the comic nose is a more simplified version of a real nose. In western and european comics the nose tends to a tad more complex, showing the details of the base of the nose. In manga, the nose is generally simplified. Instead of showing the details of the nose, the nose is formed by the shadow (far right). In general comics, the nose varies in size and shape and definition depending on how "real" the style is.

As always the best way to learn how to draw the nose it to draw it from yourself in a mirror, or grab a friend or family member to model for you. Practice drawing it from different angles until you can comfortably draw it.