Drawing a Horse with Charcoal

Horses are wonderful creatures. They combine an element of gracefulness with strength and beauty. In this drawing lesson, we’ll take a look at the process of drawing a horse with charcoal on toned, gray paper.

Here’s a look at the completed drawing…

Materials and Surface for Drawing a Horse

Charcoal is an inexpensive, traditional drawing media. Yes, it can be dusty and a little messy, but this is a small price to pay for the forgiveness and versatility of the medium. Plus, if the correct paper is used, then the messiness is greatly reduced.

In this lesson, we’ll use charcoal in various forms to complete the drawing. Vine charcoal is used in the early stages while compressed charcoal is used in the later stages.

Vine charcoal is soft and brittle. It’s easily spread, erased, and manipulated on the surface. This makes this form of charcoal best suited for the initial marks.

Compressed charcoal is darker and harder than vine charcoal. Unlike vine charcoal, compressed charcoal is more difficult to erase. For this drawing, we use compressed charcoal in pencil form.

See also: Charcoal Drawing Techniques

White charcoal is also used to address the lighter values and to produce a variety of grays. This material isn’t truly charcoal and the make up of this material is considered a “trade secret”. However, it does behave in a similar manner as compressed charcoal, so its use is best reserved for the later stages of the drawing.

As I mentioned before, the surface is important for a few reasons. The texture of the tooth of paper plays a role in how the medium behaves. Smoother surfaces will not hold charcoal, making the process messy and dusty. Papers with a heavier tooth will help to hold the material in place, reducing the dust. For this drawing, gray Canson Ingres paper is used. It has a similar tooth as traditional charcoal paper. Both papers feature a laid pattern.

See also: All About Drawing Papers

(The following links are affiliate links which means I make a small commission if you purchase at no additional cost to you.)

• Vine Charcoal
• Charcoal Pencils
• White Charcoal
• White Charcoal Pencils
• Canson Ingres Paper (Gray)
• Blending Stumps

Drawing with Values

To ensure accuracy in our drawing, the grid technique is used. For this approach, a grid is created over the reference image. A corresponding grid is created on the drawing surface. We are then able to observe the visual information in each square and transfer the information to the drawing surface.

Here’s a look at the reference image with a grid placed over it…

A white charcoal pencil is used to create the grid on the drawing paper. Graphite is avoided since it is a different medium and some of the grid lines may be visible when charcoal is layered. A very light touch is used with the white charcoal pencil so that the lines are just barely visible. This will ensure that the grid lines are easily removed when they are no longer needed.

We can begin anywhere on the drawing surface, but since I am right-handed, I decided to start in the upper left corner and work downward and to the right. This helps to keep my hand out of the way as I work.

Due to the nature of charcoal, more than the contour lines are addressed in this early stage. As you can see, some information about the values are added. Since vine charcoal is so easy to erase, we can smudge and move the material around on the surface.

We can continue with this loose application of the charcoal, working our way down the body and the picture plane. At this point, I’m not concerned with the details – just the values, the contours, and shapes.

Once we have the basic shapes and some of the preliminary values in place, we can clean up the background with a kneaded eraser. As you’ll note, this eraser is used for more than just clean up. It is also used to manipulate some of the shapes of values as the preliminary drawing is developed.

All of the remaining grid lines in the background are erased. Since we have the basic shape of the horse defined, we no longer need them.

Drawing the Details of the Horse

Now we’re ready to begin developing the details of the horse with applications of compressed charcoal. We can think of the drawing that we have in place at this point as an “underpainting”. We’ll continue to manipulate the shapes and values as the drawing continues.

Since the eye of the horse is a natural focal point, I decide to begin here. By alternating between white and black charcoal, we can slowly broaden the range of value as we address the texture and subtle details.

As we continue to work our way outward from the eye, we should consider the directional strokes that we make with both the pencils and the blending tools. The hair of the horse flows along the form of the head. This creates subtle indications of direction. Our marks and blends should reflect this. Ensuring that our marks flow in unison with the hair helps to create the illusion of texture and form in the drawing.

For the large shape of light value in the center of the head, a stick of white charcoal is applied. This white charcoal is slightly more intense that the white charcoal pencil and covers a larger area.

It’s easy to assume that every single detail must be included in order to develop a representational drawing. Thankfully this isn’t the case. As long as we capture the general shape and relative value of the subject or objects, then our drawing will be successful. We can see an example of this with the harness and saddle.

In this area, the details are suggested rather than replicated exactly. This ensures that attention is not pulled from the head of the horse. The harness is a supporting element and not the “star of the show”.

We’ll slowly work our way over to the snout of the horse, gradually building out a range of value. The snout of the horse protrudes out. This creates a bit of distortion called foreshortening. Since a grid was used to create the preliminary drawing, this should already be worked out.

However, in order to create an even greater illusion of space, we should slightly broaden the range of value and create more contrast here. Objects that are closer to the viewer usually feature stronger contrast in value and higher levels of contrast.

The details should also be slightly more developed here as well.

Addressing the Background

Once we have refined the drawing of the horse, we can consider the background. In this drawing, the background is acceptable left as the raw, gray paper. However, I decided to add a bit more contrast to make the horse stand out by covering the background with white charcoal.

The application of white charcoal alone is acceptable in the background and creates the necessary contrast. However, by blending with a blending stump, we can make the background recede even further. This increases the illusion of space in the drawing.

Once the background is in place, we’re ready to put the finishing touches on the drawing. Some of the hairs and whiskers are added with a sharp charcoal pencil, overlapping the background.

How to Draw a Horse with Charcoal – Conclusion

Now our drawing of a horse is complete. Here’s another look at the completed drawing…

Charcoal is a wonderful medium for drawing. The rich blacks and forgiveness of the vine charcoal allow us to develop convincing drawings in a short period of time compared to other drawing mediums. The nature of charcoal as a medium also helps us to bridge the gap from drawing to painting. Layering is important with charcoal as it is with opaque painting mediums. Sure, it’s a little messy. But with the right paper and patient applications, charcoal is an excellent drawing medium.

Combining Markers and Colored Pencils

Some mediums simply work well together. One such combination is alcohol-based markers and colored pencils. However, we must consider the order in which we develop a drawing with this combination of media. The markers are typically added before the colored pencils. This means that the marker drawing becomes an underpainting, leaving the details and more intense colors to the colored pencils.

See also: Combining Markers and Colored Pencils

In this lesson, we’ll take a look at my process for combining markers and colored pencils to create a realistic drawing. We’ll draw a deceptively complex candy bar. Here’s a look at the completed drawing…

Materials and Surface for this Drawing

Before we dive into the drawing process, we’ll first take a quick look at the materials and the surface we’ll use. While you’re free to use any brand of markers and colored pencils, it’s important to use alcohol-based markers. These markers differ from their water-based counterparts in both performance and price.

Alcohol-based markers produce translucent marks that build in intensity with each stroke layered. Water-based makers do not behave in this manner and instead, produce fairly opaque marks with one pass. This means that alcohol-based markers give the artist more control, but this added control does come at a higher price. (The following links are affiliate links which means I make a small commission if you purchase at no additional cost to you.)

• Staedtler Lead Holder with 2H Graphite
• Alcohol-Based Prismacolor Premier Markers
• Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils
• Canson Marker Paper
• White Gouache

Marker paper is semi-translucent. This is an advantage for illustrators wishing to transfer sketches or photos to the surface. This paper is designed to absorb the applications made by the markers, reducing any bleeding that may normally occur on standard drawing paper.

See also: All About Drawing Papers

This paper, however, is fairly smooth with a relatively weak tooth. This means that the number of layers of colored pencil applications that you can add is reduced. This will not be an issue since we are using the marker applications as fairly developed underpainting.

Sketching the Candy Bar with Graphite

Clearly, a photo reference is used to create the drawing. In this case, I simply purchased my favorite candy bar from the store, took a delicious bite, and snapped a photo. Here’s a look at the reference image…

The Contour Line Drawing

Since we’re striving for realism in this image, we’ll first transfer the subject onto the marker paper. There are several ways to do this. In this case, I chose to use a light board. But even with a light board, some of the details are lost. For this reason, I refined the contour line transfer by observing the reference photo.

A note on tracing – I won’t go too deep here into the process of tracing and the unnecessary debate on its usage in the art creation process. The reality is that tracing (or some form of ensuring accuracy in a contour line drawing) is used often by professional artists and illustrators. It has been used throughout history as well.

See also: Is It OK to Trace in Art?

Even though the contour lines have been transferred, the drawing must still be developed through careful observation and mark making with markers and colored pencils. If your goal is to develop your observational drawing skills, then yes – you should not trace. But this is not the focus of this work. Our goal is realism.

Since we want the contour line drawing to be fairly light, a 2H graphite pencil is used to trace the image and then refine the drawing freehand. Here’s a look at the contour line drawing…

Creating an Underpainting with Markers

As it is with other forms of mixed media, we’ll use the strengths of each our mediums to make up for the weaknesses of the other. In this case, the markers cover areas quickly but it is difficult to develop delicate details due to their tendency to bleed. Colored pencils, on the other hand, are slow to cover larger areas but are excellent at developing details.

Since the colored pencils can be used over marker applications, it makes sense to use the markers to develop an underpainting. We can then apply colored pencils over the top, allowing bits of the marker underpainting to influence the color.

Generally speaking, we’ll think in terms of value and shape to develop the marker underpainting. We’ll observe the shapes of different values of color and attempt to mimic or even exaggerate what we observe in our drawing.

For the most part, we’ll choose at least three colors for each section on the candy bar. One color should be a midtone with a lighter and darker version. This will provide us with a range of value for each color. Of course you’re free to take this further with a broader range of tone.

We can begin anywhere we wish. In this case, I chose to start with the brown sections of the wrapper. From there, I progressed on to the text.

As we continue to develop the marker underpainting, we’ll address the exposed chocolate and filling. For the chocolate, similar colors are used as those applied to the wrapper. However, we need to ensure that the final color contrasts that of the wrapper. To achieve this, we’ll start with a different base – Light Tan. We’ll also push the chocolate to be more red by allowing the Sienna Brown to dominate.

As we did with the wrapper, we’ll gradually bring out the form and texture of the chocolate by layering shapes of colors of differing values.

For the delicious filling, we’ll focus on using colors that are more yellow – even though the colors in our reference are fairly muted. Browns are used to create contrast which leads to the illusion of texture. Since this areas features moist caramel, some open areas are left to give the impression of highlights.

It’s only natural that we assume that “white” parts of a subject should be also be white in our drawing. However, if we look a little closer at “white” areas, we’ll often notice a bit of color. Sometimes, these light values are cooler and sometimes they are warmer. Often, we can determine whether we want them to be warmer or cooler.

Many times, we can address these “white” areas with grays. Grays can be warmer or cooler depending on whether the black used to mix them is dominated by brown or blue. Professional colored pencil and marker brands offer a range of grays – some cooler and some warmer. Prismacolor labels their grays with percentages based on the intensity of darkness. For example, 70% Warm Grey is a darker and warmer gray compared to 20% Cool Grey.

See also: Warm vs. Cool Grays

For this drawing, I chose to work with warm grays in the “white” areas. I decided to work with warm grays due to the fact that most of the other colors are warm. We can see this warmth int the browns in the wrapper, the reds in the logo, and the blues in the text.

Now, you may say, “The blues? Aren’t they cool?” Yes, blue is a cool color. But blue can lean warmer or cooler. In this case, the blues we’re using lean warmer. Ultramarine is a warmer blue than Cerulean, for example. This means that working with warmer grays will help to unify the image.

In the “white” areas on the wrapper and for the shadowed areas, 20% Warm Grey is applied, creating subtle shifts in value and color. This may not seem as though this color makes a big difference, but when the final highlights are added, we’ll notice the contrast.

We’ll continue on developing the marker underpainting by addressing the details of the wrapper and increasing the contrast in areas. You can take the underpainting as far as you wish. The more refined and detailed your marker underpainting is, the better your final drawing is likely to be.

Layering Colored Pencils

With the marker underpainting complete, we’re ready to layer colored pencil applications over the top. The colored pencils will allow us to develop the details while intensifying colors and broadening the range of value. The addition of colored pencil applications will also add depth to the color which leads to more convincing realism.

We can begin with colored pencil applications anywhere we wish. In this case, I chose to start in the same place I began with the markers – on the brown parts of the label. As we did with the markers, we’ll focus on using several colors for each section. Again, we’ll choose a midtone and a lighter and darker version. In some areas, a broader range of value and color are used. Remember, more layers = more depth = more realism.

It’s important to note that “black” is not used in this drawing. Instead, a more natural black is created by mixing colors. Dark browns are first used to address the darkest areas on the wrapper. In order to make the shadows as dark as they need to be, Indigo Blue is layered over the top. The dark blue and brown mix to create a more natural looking black, which appears as a more natural looking shadow.

We’ll continue on by addressing the photos on the wrapper. For these types of details, it’s best not think about what you are drawing, but instead focus on the colors and shapes that you observe. If you stay true to what you see, then the result will be quite convincing.

One of the factors that affects the realism of a drawing is the subtle nuances of value. In reality, we often don’t notice these subtle shifts of value and tone. But in a drawing, we can exaggerate them to a degree, making the drawing more interesting and realistic.

In this case, you’ll notice that I am exaggerating the changes in value on the candy bar wrapper by increasing the contrast between colors that are mostly very similar. This can be achieved by “beefing up” the highlights and darkening the colors around them.

We’ll next address the blue text and red portions of the logo, again using a range of color with slightly different values. As we intensify the color in these areas, we’ll also refine the details and sharpen the edges.

Just as we did with the marker applications, we’ll address the “white” areas with a warm gray. Most of these “white” areas are addressed with 20% Warm Grey and then burnished with a colorless blender to smooth the texture.

One such “white” area can be found where the wrapper is torn. Here we see some of the text showing through. The blues and reds here should be slightly different than what is observed on the main portion of the label. Instead of layering a combination of colors, as we did with red and blue areas, we’ll only use one light layer of the color. Gray and white is layered over the top, along with a bit of the colorless blender to smooth the application.

Working our way from the left to right, we’ll next address the chocolate and the filling. Again, we’ll use a collection of colors that compliment and add complexity to the colors found in the marker underpainting. Lighter values are used for the raised portions. Reddish browns are used for the midtones and darker browns are used for the recessed areas and shadows.

This same process is used for the filling. We’ll begin with the lighter values since it’s easier to make an area darker. Again our colors are slightly more intense than the colors we observe. The observed colors are rather muted. By exaggerating the colors slightly, our drawing is more interesting.

Darker areas within the filling are carefully added with touches of dark brown.

Finishing with Strong Highlights

Strong highlights are difficult to achieve with colored pencils alone. When working on white paper, we could preserve the strongest highlights by leaving these areas open. But this is also very difficult to do – especially when using more than one medium. These highlights are essential in creating a realistic drawing, so they must be included. These highlights are the result of light reflecting off the reflective wrapper and moist areas in the filling.

Thankfully, we can use gouache directly over the colored pencil applications to develop very strong highlights. Gouache is opaque watercolor. But unlike traditional watercolor, gouache can be applied over wax-based colored pencils.

Using minimal amounts of water, white gouache is applied with a small round brush to accentuate the strongest highlights. The result is the illusion of a reflective candy bar wrapper and moist, candy filling.

Realistic Drawing with Colored Pencils and Markers – Conclusion

Now our drawing is complete. Here’s another look at the completed drawing…

As you can see, this process does require patience. You are essentially drawing the subject several times with different media. But with each layer, you become more familiar with the subject. The time you invest in the drawing does pay off in the end so work slowly and take your time. Breaks are essential.

Some animals, such as fish and reptiles, can’t be imagined without scales. These small rigid plates provide protection and coloration. In certain cases, they also aid in locomotion.

These creatures boast beautiful scaly mosaics on their bodies. Butterflies and moths have membranous wings that are covered with delicate scales. Pangolin, also known as the scaly anteater, is a mammal with large scales protecting its body. Even birds have scales on their toes!

As we can see, this type of covering is widespread in the natural world. If animals appear in your art quite often, it may be useful to learn more about this texture.

Some artists find it difficult to draw scales, and for good reason. Simply observing all those small elements can be overwhelming!

From a scientific standpoint, scales present an impressive variety in shape and structure. There are specific types of scales that belong to animals of a particular class.

This tutorial is a summary of valuable information on the topic of drawing scales. We’ll focus on the practical aspects that you can apply to your art. It doesn’t matter what art medium you choose to use.

In the first part of the lesson, we’ll observe the most common types of scales. We’ll also learn a few methods to analyze this texture. I’ll show you a couple of ways to draw scales in rows. Achieving a realistic result may be easier than it seems!

The second part of the tutorial is purely practical. We’ll create two samples of texture using colored pencils. The scales we’ll draw are those of a lizard and a snake.

Reptilian scales are the focus of this lesson, but you’ll also find some advice that is useful for other types of scales. It applies to drawing fish scales and, in general, any scales that you can imagine.

The Shapes and Structure of Animal Scales

We’ll first take a look at the basic shapes and structures that we can observe with animal scales. Understanding what we’re seeing will help us when it’s time to draw.

See also: Drawing Construction – Drawing with Shapes

Mind Tricks

What animal appears in your mind when you think of scales? Most likely, your first association will be a fish. Usually, we imagine the pattern of fish scales as a set of close-fitting semicircles.

This simplified model is true for the scales of cycloid type. Such scales resemble small disks that overlap each other.

See also: How to Draw a Fish with Pen and Ink and Add Color Digitally

This abstract example invites a couple of interesting conclusions…

1. The human mind has a great ability to simplify complex forms and patterns. Artists develop this skill to a high level, as it helps to create credible illusions on paper or canvas. We easily recognize real objects in stylized drawings. Adding details from memory or imagination also comes naturally.
2. Our mind has storage of visual images and ready-made associations. We often choose the first option that shows up and content ourselves with it. This method definitely helps us to save energy!

However, the most obvious option usually isn’t the only (or the correct) one. Further research and brainstorming may bring some surprising results!

The process of exploration broadens our horizons. It provides additional options and data, which often leads to a more credible result. Sometimes we don’t learn new things but rather refresh our existing knowledge.

In this case, research suggests that fish scales exist in a variety of forms.

Ctenoid scales are similar to cycloid ones in shape, but their outer edges are toothed. (Cycloid scales have smooth outer edges.) Trout, herring, and carp scales belong to the cycloid type. Perch, bass, and sunfish present the ctenoid shape.

Ganoid scales are diamond-shaped. They can be found on gars and sturgeons.

Placoid scales are plate-like and have a small outgrowth. This type of scale belongs to sharks.

Reptilian scales present a similar variability. We’ll talk about them in greater detail in the next section.

Variety of Scales in Nature

Scales can be divided into several categories, depending on their visual appearance. My classification is derived from observation and is not rigorously scientific. This system is a practical attempt to categorize the abundance of natural textures.

By the way, observing a variety of references and then creating your classification may be a great exercise.

The scales’ size (and its consistency) is among the most important variables. The location of these elements also affects their size. Most often, bigger scales are found on the head, feet, and tail. Smaller ones cover the areas around the joints for flexibility.

Before you start drawing a sample of a texture, it may be useful to recognize what part of the animal’s body you are attempting to depict. Are those big, diverse scales from the chameleon’s neck or extra broad scales from the snake’s belly? It’s up to you to decide on the subject.

The shape characteristics vary, too. Here are some extremes:

• Round – angular
• Even – irregular
• Long – short

The arrangement of scales can be orderly/symmetrical or irregular.

General skin relief is another important variable. Rows of scales can overlap each other, creating prominences that create highlights and shadows.

In the image below, you’ll find a visual presentation of this classification.

Relief and Height

An individual scale also has a height. Some examples are relatively flat. In this case, the scale’s surface is smooth, making the element resemble a disk or a plate.

Scales may be granular. These elements appear bumpy.

Another variation is keeled scales. They have a center ridge.

All these types can be found in reptilians. Sometimes, scales have pits and other fine structures too.

In the image below, you’ll find schematic drawings of scales in a cut view. They present different kinds of relief depending on the height and form.

The Rhythm of Scales

Careful analysis is key to drawing scales and here’s a conceptual example of such an assessment.

The first step is to observe the size and shape of the elements, as we’ve done in the previous chapter.

Now, digress from the scales and look at the negative space that serves as a background. Is there any component that appears to dominate? What has attracted your attention – the elements or the area surrounding them?

Observe the gaps between the scales. Do they form an intricate pattern? Try to notice the unique rhythm of this texture.

The image below illustrates this concept. The red lines follow the borders between the close-fitting scales (a), showing the pattern’s variability and movement. The horizontal borders have a monotonous character.

The example b demonstrates the negative space between the elements.

How to Draw Scales on a Form

After you’ve found the rhythm of the texture, imitating it with lines on paper becomes easier. Using subsidiary lines is one of the ways to create a framework. Such lines are especially helpful when you’re adding scales to a three-dimensional form like a cylinder or a sphere.

To practice drawing rows of scales, I recommend the following exercises…

The First Exercise

This method works great for non-overlapping scales.

1. Start with a form. Mine resembles a cylinder. It doesn’t have to be perfect. This form serves just as a basis. I imagine that it is a fragment of an animal’s body that I should cover with scales.
2. Add the lines that approximately follow the contours of the form.
3. Then it’s time to add the first row of the scales. In this case, scales have a shape of an irregular hexagon. The elements won’t overlap each other. Note that the elements conform to the contours of the cylinder. In its central area, the scales are fully visible, but they become reduced at the sides of the form.
4. Add the next rows, one by one. Each new scale is placed between the prominent angular edges of the existing elements. You can vary the width of each row, making your texture more organized or irregular.

The Second Exercise

The following method may help you to arrange wide overlapping elements (like scales of the cycloid type.) In this case, we’ll need two sets of subsidiary lines.

1. Start with your initial form.
2. Add two sets of diagonal lines. The guides follow the form. There is a moderate twist near the sides of the cylinder. The intersections create diamond-shaped boxes.
3. Fill the resulting shapes with semicircles – the scales. I start with the row that is closest to the viewer.

Note that the character of scales affects the outer contours of the form! In the image, they are marked with red color. The contours become slightly irregular.

The Values – How the Main Form Affects Single Scales

Scale texture is a combination of small elements, where each element is affected by the light source. If a covering has elongated ridges, bumps, and other prominent components, this principle becomes especially important.

In such a case, each element will have areas of light, shadow, and midtone – just as normal objects. Also, overlapping scales cast shadows on their neighbors. If we draw a texture in detail, we should give the prominent elements the relevant illusion of volume with the help of values.

The texture conforms to the main form of the object and repeats its contours.

In other words, scales are found on the skin of an animal, and skin wraps around the body. The body is the main form. It is affected by the light, its direction and character. There will be areas of highlight, light, midtone, core shadow, and reflected light.

When you’re drawing scales on an animal, it’s necessary to consider the values and their location on the main form. They determine the average tone of the texture in any given area. In the image below, you’ll find an illustration of this concept.

Here we have a cylinder with scales on its surface. The light comes from the upper-left corner of the scene. It is soft, so we won’t see any harsh, chopped shadows between the scales – even if the texture is observed close-up.

The light affects both the main cylindrical form and the individual scales. In general, the upper-left areas of the elements will be lighter, as they have more chances to catch the light.

The values of the main form affect the texture. An enlarged scale from the cylinder’s brightly lit area will look quite different from a scale on a shadowed part of the form.

So in a nutshell, always pay attention to the main form and its values. Don’t get carried away with all those fascinating details of texture found on the scales!

A Note on Coloring Scales

As we know, scales provide coloration. In certain cases, the pattern can be quite complex.

Sometimes the change of color happens as if within the scales. The borders are crisp and readable, so the pattern resembles a page from a coloring book. (See illustration a in the image below.)

The transition between the colors can be blurred. In this case, the colors go beyond the borders of the scales. (Illustration b.)

How to Draw Lizard and Snake Scales

Now let’s put the concepts we’ve covered to practice and draw a couple of animal scales.

We’ll need a graphite pencil to create an outline. I recommend an H or HB. Alternatively, you can use a gray pencil from your set of colored pencils.

Keep an eraser at hand to remove any unnecessary lines and excessive graphite.

A ruler will help you to create straight, even borders for your texture swatches.

Below you’ll find my list of colored pencils. The vast majority of them are from the Faber-Castell Polychromos set. The only exception is Chinese White – it belongs to the Derwent Drawing range.

See also: Comparing Colored Pencils

A pencil sharpener is another must-have tool for our project. A sharp pencil is required to create such detailed work.

I’ll be drawing on 200 gsm paper of A5 size. This format is enough for both drawings, as the size of each texture sample is 6.5 × 6.5 cm (2.6 × 2.6 inches.) The paper has a subtle texture.

Drawing Lizard Scales

With a graphite pencil and a ruler, I create a square to indicate the borders of the swatch. Then I fill its inner space with rounded shapes – the scales.

It’s possible to divide the scales into three groups, depending on their size. I prefer drawing the larger elements first. The scales of medium and smaller sizes will be arranged within the remaining space.

In my sketch, larger elements have smoother, more rounded contours. The smaller scales are slightly angular.

With colored pencils, achieving sharpness on fine details may become a challenge. That’s why I avoid adding tiny, dot-like elements. Even the smallest scales are large enough and are accessible for a sharp pencil tip.

It’s time to create a colored base for our texture swatch. Before we proceed to colored pencils, it might be a good idea to lift excessive graphite with an eraser. (A kneaded eraser is the best option.)

I use May Green at light pressure to cover the central area of the square. The pencil moves in small circles. I add another layer to the scales, applying increased pressure. A small area in the upper right corner also gets this vibrant green color.

Then I vary the coloring of the lizard skin, adding other hues. The neighboring areas become covered with Cadmium Yellow, Dark Red, and Cobalt Turquoise accordingly.

The layers may overlap to create interesting nuances.

Let’s assume that light is coming somewhere from the upper-left side. It is soft and diffused.

The larger scales are quite prominent. Their tonal pattern conforms to the direction of light. The scales’ upper-left areas will be brighter, and their lower-right sides will be slightly shadowed. I make sure that the darker areas of the larger elements get a solid covering.

I add Cadmium Yellow to the lighter areas of the larger scales. This is relevant for the green, red, and blue elements. The inclusion of this warm hue will accent a shift in color temperature.

I add Deep Cobalt Green at light pressure to the shadowed parts of the prominent scales. Then I cover the whole area between the elements. The pencil tip is sharp.

I increase the contrast with Payne’s Grey, adding it to the darker areas of the swatch. I cover the space between the scales. The perimeter of the swatch also becomes slightly darker.

It’s possible to apply this shade to the scales’ core shadows. In this case, the pressure should be very light. Such shades can darken and desaturate bright colors in no time.

I burnish the scales with Chinese White, removing the graininess of pencil strokes on the slightly textured paper. I focus mostly on the lightest parts of the elements, as the white pencil also lightens the underlying colors.

I add some Cobalt Turquoise to the periphery of the swatch to give it a more unified look.

I also create an exchange of subtle color nuances, using Dark Red, Cadmium Yellow, and Cobalt Turquoise. This technique is similar to adding reflections to shiny objects of contrasting bright colors.

For example, I add some Dark Red to the yellow scales that are close to the red ones. Cobalt Turquoise is applied to the green elements, and Cadmium Yellow – to green and red ones. This simple trick also helps to unite the swatch visually.

Drawing Snake Scales

I start with a graphite pencil underdrawing. The scales are quite large and are approximately the same size.

Some crossing subsidiary lines may help you to recreate the rhythm of this texture. Draw two sets of parallel lines that are going in both directions. Then, place the scales into the resulting rhombic shapes.

I cover the central scales with Burnt Siena. The lines are soft. The majority of them have a vertical back-and-forth direction. The strokes conform to the contours of each scale.

The color pattern is slightly blurred. It goes beyond the borders of the individual scales.

I add Raw Umber to the remaining space of the swatch.

Let’s agree that soft light is coming from the upper-left corner, just as it was in the previous example. The left sides of the scales, closer to the lower tip, will be slightly brighter. I apply an additional layer of pigment to the shadows between the scales.

The lower prominent ends of the scales remain lighter. This contrast strengthens the recognizable rhythm of the texture.

With Payne’s Grey, I increase the contrast. The shadows between the scales become darker.

The outer part of the swatch gets a subtle dark gray covering, too. This trick imitates a vignette photo effect.

I carefully touch the right sides of the scales, accenting the transition of values. The pressure is very light.

The strokes look grainy. I burnish the colored pencil layers with Chinese White.

Now the covering is smooth and polished, but the colors look slightly faded. We’ll restore the vividness and contrast in the next step.

I apply Burnt Siena as a thin layer to liven up the richness of browns.

With Payne’s Grey, I deepen the shadows and accent the details.

As a finishing touch, I apply Cobalt Turquoise near the inner borders of the swatch. I also add it to the shadowed areas between the scales. In small amounts, this hue often makes the drawing more realistic.

The swatch is complete!

A Couple of Words on Drawing Scales as a Texture in a Finished Artwork

In our practical part of this lesson, we were depicting scales as a flat, abstract, close-up fragment of texture.

Such exercises allow us to focus on the external structure. We explore the connection between the relief and values – and also notice color nuances. We don’t have to think about the main form’s values and their visual impact on the texture.

But what if the task changes? Let’s imagine that now the goal is to depict a three-dimensional object instead of its fragment. In this case, we can’t – and shouldn’t – draw all the details of texture.

When we’re portraying a scaly subject in full view, we aim to convey its perceived qualities in a stylized manner. Simplifying a texture means that we abandon the unnecessary visual information. We should keep only the larger, more significant elements and give just a hint at the less important details.

Rhythm helps a texture stay recognizable in any form. If we look at scales from a distance, we’ll notice how the gaps between the elements form a pattern.

In some cases, this pattern may seem irregular, but it still exists and can be imitated. In other examples, scales are arranged in a strict, symmetrical order.

To determine the key features, squint your eyes and look at your photo reference or subject of texture (make sure that your eyes are relaxed and don’t strain them). This trick helps to evaluate any subject.

In the image below, you’ll find an illustration of this concept.

The upper image demonstrates a smaller, distant version of our lizard scales’ texture swatch. The lower image is blurred in a digital program to convey an effect of a squinted look.

The larger elements become more prominent visually. Also, we can notice a hint at an irregular rhythm.

Drawing Animal Scales – Conclusion

Congratulations – we’ve completed our journey into the world of scales! I hope that this lesson was interesting and informative. Hopefully you see that drawing scales isn’t as complex or difficult as it may seem. It simply requires a bit of analysis and informed mark-making.

I wish you much inspiration for your future creative projects!