Manga Face: Noses

Even Voldemort had a nose.

It was flat.

But it was still a nose.

           The blue nose in 3/4 view is a sketchy representation of a human's actual nose. On top of the blue, I barely traced the bridge and the inner nostril. I often omit the bridge of the nose on girls to give them a more petite look.

        On a face, make sure your noses are on straight by lining up the tip with your character's temples. This is also handy when placing the mouth, which by magic lines up with the jaw angle.

Below the side profile. as shown in the first head, locate the eyes by drawing a line across from the top of the ear, then you'll be able to create the dip and nose.

         All of my full-on faces have two curving lines to indicate nostrils, nothing else, but the occasional shadow. The Temple/Jaw rules magic works here, too! On guy faces I will generally lower the nose just a tad. If you lift it or drop it, don't let it plummet; make sure it's still in a believable/pleasing location in association with the rest of the features.

RT= My general style

Petite= used only for girls

Minimalist= if my character is further away, or I want to draw more attention to the eyes or mouth

Shadow= I don't use this one a lot, but usually for my androgynous characters.

       
        The straight on noses aren't really unique, but you can add a shadow or change the size to differentiate your character. When your character's are 3/4, as they will be for the most of your manga, or side profile, Then you can add a little more personality.

       It's most valuable to practice drawing a 3/4 view nose, because it's used most frequently. All three views are a cinch when you remember the Temple/Jaw rule:   Nose ---> Temple, Mouth ---> Jaw.
(I tried to think of some mnemonic, but couldn't. :P )

Noses aren't a highlight, but they're necessary- even Voldemort had a nose.