How to Draw a Rattlesnake
Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Rattlesnake" video to draw at your own pace.
For the first few steps, don't press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin.
Step 1: Draw a small circle as a guide for the rattlesnake's head. The circle doesn't have to be perfect. It's just a guide.
Step 2: Draw two arcs to the left of the rattlesnake's head as guides for the open mouth. The top arc should be wider than the bottom arc. The farther apart they are, the wider the open mouth will be.
Step 3: Draw a wavy s-shaped line to the right of the snake's ead as a guide for the top part of the long body. The curvature of the guide line for body is a little tricky, so it's divided into separate sections to make it easier.
Step 4: Keep drawing the guide line under the rattlesnake's head. The line should curve and be similar to the number 2. You can stop at this guide line for a simpler drawing. If you take away the top curve, your picture can look like the profile image on the How2DrawAnimals.com Youtube channel.
Step 5: Continue drawing the line at the bottom and curve it on the left side to finish the guide for the rattlesnake's body. The end of the line should curve up, as this will be the rattle. Remember to pause the video to get the curves of the guide right.
That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.
Step 6: Draw the rattlesnake's eye as a small circle inside the top arc near the top edge. Add a line above the eye for the outer structure. Add a tiny circle on the side to represent glare and a slit in the middle for the pupil. Shade the inside of the eye using a value that's lighter than the pupil. Add the corners of the snake's eye on either side using a dark value.
Step 7: Draw a couple of curved lines near the front of the top arc for the nostril. Draw a small triangle-like shape between the rattlesnake's nostril and the eye for the pit organ that senses infrared thermal radiation.
Step 8: Use the initial arc and circle as guides to draw the top part of the snake's head. Add a curved line above the eye for the bumpy structure. Follow the basic path of the guides as you darken the lines and create the shape of the rattlesnake's head. The line for the mouth should extend inside toward the middle of the initial circle.
Step 9: Draw the rattlesnake's gums, fangs and teeth at the top of the mouth. The gums should be a curved line just below the mouth line. Draw the two fangs as curved, pointy triangle-like shapes up at the front. You can make yours longer if you'd like. Add some smaller teeth near the back as well.
Step 10: Draw the rattlesnake's lower jaw using the arc at the bottom as a guide. Follow the basic path of the guide but make the shape curvier as you darken the lines.
Step 11: Add the rattlesnake's gums and teeth above the top line using a series of curved lines.
Step 12: Use the initial curved line as a guide to draw the top part of the rattlesnake's body. Follow the basic path of the guides as you darken the lines and make the shape thicker. The top of the body should curve away from the snake's head and act like a spring ready to strike. Sketch lightly at first, then darken the lines when you get the shape right.
Step 13: Continue adding the middle section of the rattlesnake's body by using the initial line as a guide. Pick up where you left off and extend the lines that make up the body farther down as you follow the path of the guide. Make the shape of the snake's body thicker the closer you get to the middle at the bottom. Sketch the shape lightly at first and only darken the lines when you get the structure right.
Step 14: Finish the rattlesnake's body by using the initial guide to draw the bottom part of the rattlesnake. The lower part of the body curves back behind the middle section, so make sure these lines don't overlap. Leave a small section open on the line at the top close to the tip of the tail because this is where the rattle will go.
Step 15: Draw the rattle using the tip of the initial line as a guide. The rattle is made up of many tiny wavy lines sitting on top of each other. Follow the path of the guide line as you draw the rattle. The wavy lines for the rattle should get smaller the higher up they go.
Step 16: Erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines for a cleaner look. Don't worry about erasing all of the guides. It's okay to leave some behind. Re-draw any final sketch lines that you may have accidentally erased.
Final StepAdd some shading to your rattlesnake drawing to give it more dimension and volume. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. Continue adding the value until the entire body has the appropriate shadows.
Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps ground the rattlesnake so it doesn't appear to be floating.
You can add even more value throughout your rattlesnake drawing for extra detail. Alternate between a light and dark value to give the rattlesnake a diamondback pattern. The key is pressure control with your pencil. Push harder for darker values, then push softer for the medium value. Start adding the diamond-like shapes with a dark value until the entire backside is covered. The diamond pattern wraps around the body, therefore only part of each diamond shape is visible from this perspective. It's okay if the diamond shapes aren't perfect. The small imperfections make the skin pattern more organic. Leave a very light border around each diamond shape as you add the value to the rest of the body. Shading can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. It's always a good idea to use reference if you want a more accurate drawing. Don't forget to pause the "How to Draw a Rattlesnake" video after each step to draw at your own pace.
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