Artistic Anatomy Part 4: Eye & Nose Muscles

Continuing the artistic anatomy series—frontal skull bones, brow & forehead muscles and brow & forehead planes—brings us to the eye & nose muscles:

Eye Muscles:

Orbicularis oculi
L. orbicular—small disc + oculi—of eye
origin: medial rim of orbit
insertion: lid-slit skin
action: closes the eye; pulls the skin of the brow down and medially, pulls the skin of the cheek up and medially creating "crow's feet" wrinkles






Levator palpebrae

L. palpebra—eyelid
origin: rear roof of orbit
insertion: skin of the upper lid
action: raises the upper lid







Nose Muscles:
Procerus (Pyramidalis nasi)
L. procerus—prolonged
origin: nasal bone
insertion: skin between the eyebrows
action: pulls up on the skin of the nose, down on the skin of the brows creating horizontal wrinkles across the bridge of the nose.






Nasalis (Compressor nasi)

L. nasus—nose
origin: maxilla behind the wing of the nose
insertion: cartilage of the nose
action: lowers and compresses the wing of the nose






Next step: the muscles of the mouth.