Free Guide

How to Draw Anime Noses: A Step-by-Step Guide by Japanese Pro Artists

The short answer: Put the nose on the center line of the face, inside the gap between the eyes. On a semi-realistic face that gap is about one eye wide. Join the inner corners of the eyes to the middle of the bridge to get a small triangle, build the nose on it, and then decide how much of it to actually draw. The more stylized the face, the smaller the nose.

If your noses keep coming out too big, crooked, or floating somewhere between the eyes and the mouth, the shape usually isn't the problem. The placement is. Everything here comes from a real Anime Art Academy lesson: one semi-realistic face, then a more stylized one, with every way the teacher draws the nose on each.

The same anime face drawn three times, each with a different nose: a thin bridge line, a bridge with a shaded tip, and a single dot Real lesson material
The same face, three different noses. Change the nose and the whole face reads differently.

The three stages at a glance

Anime eyes with a blue center line and a red triangle guide between the eyes, with a nose sketched over it 01
Place the noseCenter line, a gap one eye wide, and a triangle guide between the eyes.
Semi-realistic anime face with the nose outline and nostrils inked over a faint guide 02
Semi-realistic nosesThree ways to ink the same nose, from the full outline down to just the tip.
Stylized anime face at an angle with a light blue box guide and a nose drawn along the bridge 03
Stylized nosesA smaller nose on a box guide, and 7 ways to draw it.

Step 01 · Place the nose

Where does the nose go on an anime face?

On the center line, inside the gap between the eyes.

Start with the center line of the face. Then look at the space between the eyes. On a semi-realistic face it's about one eye wide. Remember that one number and spacing the eyes gets a lot easier. The nose lives inside that one-eye gap.

Now connect the inner corners of both eyes to the middle of the bridge. That red triangle is your guide. Sketch the bridge, the rounded tip, the wings and the nostrils over it, so you know where every part of the nose is before you decide what to ink.

Red-pen checkIf the nose slides off the center line, the whole face looks tilted. Check it against the guide before you ink anything.
A pair of anime eyes with a blue vertical center line between them
01

The center line

The blue line is the center line of the face.

A blue eye shape placed between the two eyes to show the gap is about one eye wide
02

One eye apart

On a semi-realistic face, the gap between the eyes is about one eye wide.

A red triangle joining the inner corners of the eyes to the middle of the nose bridge, inside the one-eye gap
03

The triangle guide

The red triangle joins the inner corners of the eyes to the middle of the bridge. The nose goes inside the one-eye gap.

The full nose shape with bridge, tip, wings and nostrils sketched over the red triangle guide
04

The nose on the guide

Sketch the whole nose over the triangle. You'll draw your final lines on top of this.

Step 02 · Semi-realistic noses

How do you draw a semi-realistic anime nose?

Decide how much of the sketched nose to ink. There's more than one right answer.

There are several ways to show a nose, so pick the one you like. The teacher shows three on the same face. The first traces the outline and the nostrils, and you can read the shape of the whole nose. The second is the same idea, simplified. The third draws only the tip.

Then erase the guide lines. The face suddenly looks cleaner, even when all that's left is one small mark at the tip.

Red-pen checkThe guide is for you, not for the viewer. Ink only the lines your chosen style needs, then erase the rest.
Nose drawn by tracing its outline and the nostrils over a faint guide
05

Outline and nostrils

Traces the outline and the nostrils. You can read the shape of the whole nose.

A simpler version of the same nose with fewer lines over the faint guide
06

Simpler

The same idea as 05, with fewer lines.

Only the tip of the nose drawn as a small mark over the faint guide
07

Just the tip

Only the tip of the nose is drawn.

The same face with the guide lines erased, leaving only a small mark at the nose tip
08

Guide erased

With the guide gone, the face looks cleaner.

Step 03 · Stylized noses

How do you draw a stylized anime nose?

Make it smaller, build it on a box guide, and choose which edges to show.

The more stylized the face, the smaller the nose. Put a guide on the face first. For your sketch, use only the part of the guide traced in black in picture 11. Every version below starts from that same sketch.

Then choose what to show. Trace the bridge and push the side that catches the light, and the nose still looks 3D on a simple face. Draw the bridge and the tip together and it's easy to tell which way the nose points. Or go all the way down to a single dot, the tiny nose you've seen on plenty of shoujo heroines. Eyes and mouths aren't the only things that change a face. The nose does too.

Red-pen checkOn a stylized face, a big nose is usually the first thing that looks off. Shrink it before you change anything else.
A stylized anime face turned slightly to the side, with eyes and mouth but no nose yet
09

A more stylized face

The more stylized the face, the smaller the nose.

A blue box-shaped nose guide drawn between the eyes of the stylized face
10

The guide

Put the nose guide on the face.

Part of the nose guide traced in black to make a simple box sketch
11

The sketch lines

The part traced in black is the sketch you'll use for every nose below.

Stylized nose drawn along the bridge, stressing the side where the light hits
12

Bridge and the lit side

Traces the bridge and stresses where the light hits. Stylized, but still 3D.

Stylized nose that only shows the part below the tip
13

Below the tip

Stresses the part below the tip.

Stylized nose with both the bridge and the tip drawn
14

Bridge and tip

Stresses the bridge and the tip. It's easy to see which way the nose points.

Stylized nose drawn as a single line along the bridge
15

Bridge only

Traces only the bridge.

Stylized nose drawn as a longer line running from the tip down under the nose
16

Long line under the tip

A longer line from the tip down to under the nose.

Stylized nose showing only the nostril and the outline of the wing
17

Nostril and wing

Stresses the nostril and the outline of the wing.

Stylized nose drawn as a single dot at the tip
18

A single dot

Just one dot on the tip.

Guide on, guide off

Keep the guide light and erase it at the end. Here only the tip was inked, and that one small mark is enough.

Semi-realistic face with the faint nose guide still showing and only the tip inked

With the guide still showing.

The same face after the guide is erased, with a clean small mark at the nose tip

Guide erased. The face looks cleaner.

Where people usually get stuck

My anime nose looks too big. Why?

On a stylized face the nose has to shrink. Draw fewer lines, too: just the bridge, just the tip, or a single dot can be enough.

Where exactly does the nose start?

Between the inner corners of the eyes. The top of the triangle guide sits there, and its point lands on the middle of the bridge.

Which nose style is the right one?

There isn't one. A fuller nose gives the face more depth, and a simpler one makes it cuter. Try a few and find the one that fits your character.

Anime nose drawing FAQ

How far apart should the eyes be when I draw the nose?

On a semi-realistic face, leave about one eye's width between the eyes. The nose goes inside that gap, on the center line of the face.

What are the parts of a nose called?

The root is where the nose starts between the eyes, the bridge runs down from it, and the tip is the end of the nose. The wings are the rounded sides around the nostrils.

How do I draw a simple anime nose?

Put a small guide on the face, then draw only one part of it: the bridge, the tip, or a single dot on the tip. Erase the guide when you're done.

How do I get feedback on my nose drawings?

When you join an Anime Art Academy course, a professional Japanese artist gives you personal advice and draws red-line corrections directly on your drawing. There is no limit on how many times you can submit. The only rule: post one drawing at a time, and wait for your teacher's reply before posting the next.