SOFTWARE
PhotoImpact 10  -  Can also be done on other versions.

SKILL LEVEL
Beginner & Intermediate

FEATURED TOOLS
Airbrush

USEFUL TOOL
Digital tablet and pen.  I use the Wacom Intuos3 4x5.  This tutorial can be done without it.  I have always indicated a range for the brush sizes, and if you are using a mouse, you will have to change the brush size frequently within that range to get the results you want.  If you have a tablet, use the largest setting indicated, and set it for size & transparency.

STEP 1

New image, 200 x 300; white background.  If drawing the entire face, image should be 700 x 900.

Airbrush, round, Size: 10  Transparency: 0  Soft Edge: 50
If you want to paint the nose as an object, also click "MODE" in your Attribute Bar.  There are reminders in each step. 

BASE DRAWING - Using your reference photo, or live model, as a guide,  sketch out some of the edge markings of your face.  You can paint in MODE over an existing photo, which means that your painted lines will become an active object, "floating" above the base image.  When you're satisfied with your drawing, slide the active object onto a blank canvas, 700 x 900. 

As you paint, the color will be applied very lightly, and you will have to go over and over areas until they have the depth you want. The advantage of using the airbrush over other brushes, is that you can keep the edges as soft was you want, which makes blending so much easier. More on that at the bottom.  Save.

SOME NOTES ON NOSES:

It won't come as a surprise to you if I tell you that noses come in all shapes and sizes.  That means the nose being demonstrated here is just one, unique one, and not some universal nose.  And your painting will most likely not look like mine, nor should it.  But some things should be said about noses in general, that will always make it easier for you to draw or paint them.

A- The nostrils are usually darkest part of the nose, because light is usually coming from above, and they are caves.

B- The lightest highlight often does not occur at the tip, but in fact, the bridge of the nose.  But not always.

C- It is usually lightest on the side of the nose where the light is hitting it more directly.  The other side is likely to have more shade.  In flash photography, the on-camera flash illuminates the subject from the front, thereby flattening it and removing all indications of form.  I advise against using flash photographs for painting portraits.

D- Evaluate the topography of the nose -- where is the furthest point from the face (the tip of the nose), and if there is a hump, does that occur midway between the plane of the face and the tip?  Or is it closer to the plane of the face?  All this will affect where the highlights and shade falls.  The same is true for the nostrils.  Keep looking, evaluating, determining distances and proportions, etc.

E- Skin is very thin and translucent - we can even see blue veins through it.  This affects the skin tones everywhere.

And now, let's get started!

STEP 2 - Painting the Middle Tones

Airbrush, round, Size: 10 -20;  Transparency: 70; Soft Edge: 50
Hex #ED9C71.  [MODE] 

First paint the harder edged portions of the nose, left side, then

Size 30  Transparency 80
Paint the softer, paler shadow on the opposite side, soften edges toward center of nose.   SAVE.

STEP 3 - Painting the Light Tones

Airbrush, round, Size 30  Transparency 80  Soft Edge: 50 
Hex #FCCFAD.   [MODE]

Higher values -   Fill in the nose, keeping outer edges soft for later blending. Save.

OPTIONAL PREPARATION

Although we are painting only the nose in this tutorial, if you plan to do all of the tuts in this series, I suggest you make a simple, non-fussy sketch of the head of your subject.  If you don't have a photo you like, or a person willing to sit for you, grab a mirror.  All artists have one model who is available whenever they want to paint!

Making this head first will keep all of your facial features in proportion to each other, and facing the right way.  Even a tiny turn, rotation, or tilt of the head can make one feature look completely out of place!

Note:  If you've already painted your lips, draw a face to fit them, and then place it where it looks best to you.  At this point, it would be better to resize the drawing, which we will paint over, than to resize the lips.

STEP 4 - Painting the Dark Tones

Airbrush, Size 15 - 30  Transparency 80  Soft Edge: 50 
Hex #7B3420  [MODE]

Softly brush in the darks as shown -- a very light amount down the left side of the nose, then in light arcs around the left nose WING, the left side of the tip of the nose, and the reverse of that arc in the left eye region of the nose.  A very small amount under the nose center, and under the right wing of the nose, and a bit of the nostrils.  If you think necessary, put a tiny amount into the light depression at the right side of the tip of the nose. Save.

PAINTING FACES  2  -   NOSE

This is the second in a series of five tutorials about painting the human face.  Please read everything before commencing.

Trying something new, here:

Rather than just describe where to apply paint with the airbrush, I thought I would fill each color I'm spraying with a purply-blue, so that you can see exactly how much of it I'm applying, as well as the shape of the area, the relative softness or hardness of the edges, etc.  Please let me know if this helps.

Some Questions and Answers:

Why did I choose this facial position?  We are painting a nose in a very unusual position -- one that is facing us "dead on."  In other words, the nose is pointed in our direction, and therefore it's length is pretty much unknown to us because of a phenomenon artists call "forshortening."  Another problem with our view is the lighting.  It is also almost "dead on," meaning that there are fewer areas of shade and shadow, since an evenly lit face floods the face with light.  So there aren't even any shadows to give us a clue to the length of the nose. 

So why would I choose this position?  The answer is that the very things that make it difficult (and less interesting, artistically) are things that make it an excellent teaching tool.  You have to learn how to create FORM with little visual information.  And with such little information to paint, you can see that we still end up with a very credible nose!

Why are we using the airbrush?  Human skin, particularly caucasion skin, is widely regarded as the most challenging and most rewarding thing for a painter to master.  Throughout art history, artists have learned their craft by painting the nude.  This remains true today because a painter who has mastered human skin can probably paint anything.  The reason it is challenging is that it is translucent, and much of what goes on beneath the skin colors the skin we see.  As you learn to see more like an artist, you will notice not only the peachy-pink tone we all think we see, but yellows, greens, purples, and blues, among skin tones.  Start looking at the faces you see with an eye to that!

But how does one portray this translucence?  We know that if we just paint thick gobs of green and blue on the skin, it is likely to look very unconvincing (except in the hands of masters).  That is why portrait painters throughout the ages have painted skin by glazing very diluted layers of paint over each other, waiting for each layer to dry before applying the next one.  This method does create the translucency of skin that is so unique among painting subjects.  In a digital format, we can get the very thinnest of paint layers on only with the airbrush.  And we don't even have to wait for it to dry! 

And if you associate the airbrush with graphic design, T-shirt artists, and automobile embellishment, take heart.  There are plenty of fine artists who use the airbrush, spraying OIL paint, exclusively for their work.  It is loved especially by photo-realists.

(Remember that the blue here just shows position, shape, translucency, and soft edges of the current color being used.)