Drawing Practice: Funnel Nose Type with Construction Variations

Object Drawing Lessons

In this drawing worksheet, “funnel nose” is a name for the stylized construction used on this page, not a clinical or universal nose classification. Build the drawing from a tapering bridge, a rounded tip, and outward nostril-wing lines, then adapt those shapes for front, three-quarter, and profile views. Measurements are hypothetical examples; use consistent guides and units on your own paper.

Construction convention: For these stylized construction tasks, "the tip is widest" refers to the central bridge-to-tip funnel, not to the entire nose including its separate nostril wings. The 1.5 cm tip and wings extending 1 cm beyond each side can span about 3.5 cm overall. The wings may extend outside the central funnel; this is a classroom drawing convention, not an anatomical standard.

Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.

Defining the funnel nose form

The funnel nose type is built from a tapering bridge that widens at the base into a rounded tip, with nostril wings that curve outward. Think of a funnel: narrow at the top, wider at the bottom, with a soft rim. The bridge is not a straight line but a wedge that narrows near the eyes and broadens toward the tip.

Use a simple convention: the wing-base guide is the horizontal level at the bottom of the nostril wings, and the tip-center guide is the horizontal level of the widest part of the tip. Draw the bridge as two converging lines, the tip as a circle or oval, and each nostril wing as a curved hook. Line shapes may be rounder or sharper; your lines may be rounder or sharper as long as the three-part structure is clear.

1. Draw a vertical center line for the nose axis.
2. Mark a wing-base guide for the bottom of the nostrils and a tip-center guide for the widest part of the tip.
3. Sketch two converging lines from the top of the bridge down to the tip circle.
4. Add a circle or oval at the tip, centered on the axis and sitting just above the wing-base guide.
5. Draw two curved hooks for the nostril wings, starting from the tip and flaring outward to the wing-base guide.

Front view construction

In front view, the funnel nose is symmetrical around the center line. For the coordinates below, measure x rightward from the box's left edge and y downward from its top edge. The bridge lines converge upward, the tip circle sits at the tip-center guide, and the nostril wings mirror each other. A hypothetical example: on a 10 cm wide practice box, place the center line at x=5 cm, the wing-base guide at y=6 cm, and the tip-center guide at y=5 cm. Draw a 1.5 cm diameter circle centered at (5,5), so its lower edge is y=5.75 cm. The lower-side nostril points are (about 4.44,5.5) and (about 5.56,5.5): with radius 0.75 cm and vertical offset 0.5 cm, their horizontal offset is about 0.559 cm. Curve each hook outward and down to the wing-base guide at y=6 cm, ending about 1 cm beyond the tip circle's sides.

With y measured down from the top, a larger y-value is lower in the box. For the 1.5 cm circle, the lower nostril points at y=5.5 cm are 0.5 cm below its center; reflect their x-values equally around x=5. The wing-base guide at y=6 cm sits below those points, so the hooks curve outward and down.

1. Draw the center line and mark wing-base guide and tip-center guide.
2. Place the tip circle centered on the axis.
3. Draw the bridge lines from the top of the box down to the top of the tip circle.
4. Add mirrored nostril hooks from the sides of the tip circle to the wing-base guide.
5. Check symmetry by folding the paper along the center line or measuring equal distances.

Angled variants: three-quarter and profile

For a three-quarter view, shift the center line slightly and compress the far side of the nose. The near nostril wing becomes larger and more visible, while the far wing is partially hidden. The tip circle becomes an oval, narrower on the far side.

For a profile view, the bridge becomes a curved line from the forehead area down to the tip, and only one nostril wing is visible as a small hook under the tip. The funnel shape is seen from the side: the bridge tapers, the tip rounds outward, and the nostril wing curves back toward the face.

Use the same wing-base guide and tip-center guide convention. In angled views, the tip-center guide may tilt, but the three-part structure remains: bridge wedge, tip oval, nostril hook.

1. For three-quarter: draw a tilted center line and an oval tip shifted toward the near side.
2. Draw the near bridge line longer and the far bridge line shorter.
3. Add a large near nostril hook and a small far hook.
4. For profile: draw a curved bridge line ending in a rounded tip.
5. Add one nostril hook under the tip, curving back toward the face.

Checking your construction

Check that the bridge lines converge toward the top and that the tip is the widest part of the nose. The nostril wings should flare outward from the tip, not from the bridge. In front view, distances from the center line should match within your chosen tolerance; a hypothetical tolerance is 2 mm on a 10 cm box, but measure your actual tools and paper.

Valid alternatives include a sharper tip, a rounder tip, or asymmetric nostril wings, as long as the funnel structure is readable. The rubric rewards clear construction, not a single perfect shape.

1. Trace the three parts with your finger: bridge, tip, nostrils.
2. Measure left and right distances from the center line in front view.
3. Confirm the tip sits at the tip-center guide and above the wing-base guide.
4. Check that nostril hooks start at the tip, not the bridge.
5. Redraw any part that does not match the funnel structure.

Worked example

In a 12 cm by 12 cm box with origin at the top-left, x measured right and y downward, construct a front-view funnel nose. Put the center line at x=6 cm, tip-center guide and circle center at y=6 cm, wing-base guide at y=7.5 cm, and tip-circle diameter at 2 cm. Start mirrored lower nostril hooks at the lower circle intersections and extend them about 1 cm beyond the circle's sides. State the construction and a check.

Four practice exercises

Common mistakes

• Drawing the bridge as a straight vertical line instead of a converging wedge. Start with two lines that narrow toward the top and widen toward the tip.
• Placing the nostril wings too high, near the bridge. Attach the nostril hooks to the sides of the tip circle and end them at the wing-base guide.
• Making the tip smaller than the bridge base. Widen the tip circle or oval so it is the widest part of the nose.
• In three-quarter view, drawing both nostril wings the same size. Enlarge the near wing and shrink or hide the far wing.

Self-check rubric

• Bridge is drawn as a converging wedge, not a straight line.
• Tip is a circle or oval and is the widest part of the nose.
• Nostril wings start at the tip and flare outward to the wing-base guide.
• Front view is symmetrical within the chosen tolerance.
• Angled views show compressed far side and larger near nostril wing.
• Three-part structure (bridge, tip, nostrils) is clearly readable.
• Valid stylistic alternatives are accepted if the funnel structure is clear.

Questions and answers