How to draw a snake - a free snake drawing guide

Lay out your paper pencil eraser sharpener blending stump or tissue ruler and your snake reference so everything is easy to reach.

Look carefully at your reference and choose whether your snake will be coiled stretched or curved.

Mark two small dots on your paper to show where the head and the tail will be.

Draw a light curved center line between the dots to set the snake’s spine and overall flow.

Draw two parallel curved lines on either side of the center line to make the body width and shape the head and tail.

Erase extra guide marks and tweak the outer lines until the body shape matches your reference.

Draw the head details by adding small light shapes for the eyes nostrils and mouth.

Lightly draw faint horizontal or diamond guide lines across the body to plan where the scales will go.

Draw the scales along your guides keeping them slightly larger on the center and smaller toward the edges.

Step back compare proportions to your reference and lightly correct any scales or contours that look off.

Decide where the light is coming from and shade the side opposite the light with soft pencil strokes to show roundness.

Use a blending stump or tissue to smooth the shaded areas so the body looks round and natural.

Add darker accents under the belly behind the head and between scale rows for texture then use your eraser to lift tiny highlights on the top of the body and a few scales.

Share your finished snake drawing on DIY.org.