Human faces II:

The nose takes prominence

The basic shape and outline of human faces were shown in Lesson 3 entitled 'Giving shape to faces'. One of the many things about recording the human face is the way we all differ from each other in every feature, (identical twins excluded).

Most of us have uneven faces. One side is by no means symmetrical with the other. So, drawing it requires careful study.

As explained before a pencil, can be used to give a good idea of the slope and angle of the subject being drawn. (See prior lessons for details)

Nose construction

Once you are able to accurately draw facial features, the whole face can be undertaken with confidence. It is far simpler to break the job down into stages than to try to master the whole thing at once.

The nose is the most obvious part of the face with which to start. Noses come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, as do cheeks and other parts of the face.

Noses can be crooked, straight, droopy, small, long, thin, fat, or any other shape. A careful study is required before putting pencil to paper. Figure (1) gives an example taken from life.

Notice how, whilst, the overall shape of each nose varies considerably from person to person, the nostrils are essentially much the same. They mainly differ only according to the angle from which they are viewed. Observe Figure (2). Carefully study the noses on Figure (2) then draw them as a practical guide.

Draw them with fast, bold lines and don't worry about mistakes. Study the additional examples in Figure (3) - line drawing of the female nose and Figure (4) male nose. Figure (5) side of male face and Figure (6) side position of female face. You may first draw by pencil and later by pen and ink.

The more you practise, the more you improve in quality.