Will you draw a jungle scene? A desert view? A lush meadow? Once you’ve done some research and found solid reference photos, pull them into your Adobe Fresco file so you can refer to them while you work. Think about the setting and atmosphere you want to create. Before you start, consider what’s compelling about the species you want to draw. “What is it that makes that little snake charming versus what makes a boa constrictor powerful and intimidating?” says illustrator Kevin Jay Stanton. Once you know what type of snake you want to draw, find a series of good reference photos. From the tiny Barbados threadsnake to the giant green anaconda, there are many options. There are more than 3,000 species of snakes around the world. Whether you want to make a cute cartoon or a highly realistic snake drawing, the same basic principles apply.Ĭonsider the kind of snake you want to draw.
Understand their musculature, form, and movements to successfully draw a snake. With their distinct lack of arms and legs, snakes move in ways that can seem alien to us.
You probably even made snakes out of Play-Doh in kindergarten too.īut there’s more to snake drawing than wavy lines. From the serpent in the Garden of Eden to the countless snake characters in Disney movies or Harry Potter books, snakes are common symbols in literature, art, religion, and mythology.