Facial Features
(continued)
THE NOSE
It’s important to have a clear understanding of the forms and proportions of the nose. It is often the area of the face that is
closest to the viewer, and therefore, it has to be rendered with clarity. If clarity of form is achieved, the nose becomes a device
that brings this part of the face closer to the viewer spatially, allowing the other parts of the face to recede.
With a view of the nose from this angle (a), you can see some of the distinct surfaces, or planes, of the nose. The underside
of the nose is at a dramatically different angle from the two sides and the frontal plane; therefore, when the head is lit from
above, it receives the least amount of light. Because the nostrils are deep recesses on the underside plane, in most cases,
they will be darker than the general tone of the underside of the nose.
It is always crucial when rendering the features to think of the basic planes of the form and how they relate to the light
source. In this case, the light is coming from above and in front of the head. The greatest concentration of light is indicated by
the highlight, which is where the lower-right side of the front plane meets the lower-right side of the bottom plane.
This diagram demarcates the main planes of the nose (b). Even though there is a great multitude of nose types and sizes,
they can usually be broken down into these basic planes. Of course, the sizes and proportions of the various planes, relative
to each other, will differ from nose to nose.
a b