How to Sketch a Snake, Snake Head

Artist: finalprodigy / August 12, 2011
How to Sketch a Snake, Snake Head

Step 1.


Start out by picking your pencils; I picked four this time around. I used the 2H for light shading/lines, the HB for initial sketches, and the B and 2B for dark shading/lines.

Step 2.


Start out with a clean sketch of the snake. Use the guidelines if you need to.

Step 3.


Once you have your sketch done shade in the background. The easiest way to do this involves outlining the snake with a 2B pencil then shading in the background by crosshatching with HB-2B pencils.

Step 4.


Now to work on the scale patterns. Start out by sketching the lines with an HB pencil.

Step 5.


Now use a 2H pencil to go over the lines from the previous step. Shade in the scales using a 2H. Try to figure out where the lighting is coming from and shade accordingly. In this drawing the light is coming mostly from the top right.

Step 6.


Now use the 2H or B to define the dark lines of the eyes and nostrils.

Step 7.


Finish up the eye shading using 2H and HB pencils.

Step 8.


Now start work on the side of the head by sketching in the scales.

Step 9.


Fill in the scales using the 2H again.

Step 10.


Time for the most complex part. Sketch in the concave scale and the rest of the head.

Step 11.


Use the 2H and B pencils to work on the dark shading first.

Step 12.


Add in the rest of the shading using a 2H pencil. It's pretty much smooth sailing from here.

Step 13.


Now sketch in the body scales. These are basically just curved cross hatching lines.

Step 14.


Now roughly shade in the part of the snake that's further away. Don't get too caught up in detail, unless you want to do so.

Step 15.


Now, define the foreground scales a little more using a 2H.

Step 16.


And finish up the drawing by shading the scales in. This tutorial should be a real challenge so don't give up if you don't get it right the first time; just have fun with it!

Comments (1)
wolfsforever · 4 years ago
T_T
  reply
Details
Artist: finalprodigy
Date Added: August 12, 2011
Steps: 16
Favorited: 20 (view)
Views: 0 in last hour, 6 in last day, 62 in last week, 43656 total
Comments: 0
Tags: draw snakes, draw realistic animals, how to draw realistic, draw realistic, how to draw snakes
Description: Hey everyone, it's been quite a while since I drew my last snake tutorial so this one is pretty special. I have fallen in love with Emerald Tree Boas because of this drawing; they're just so much fun to draw! Get your pencils and paper ready!

Contest Submission Form