How to Draw a Lizard

 

In this article, we will discuss a charming reptile: the lizard. You might think studying this small animal would be easy... but there's actually a multitude of species that can be classified in this group!

 

 

UNDERSTANDING THE LIZARD

 

 

Lizards are small reptiles, and there are a large number of species. The generic term "lizard" encompasses a large number of animals that share some common elements:

• They have 4 legs.
• They have eardrums without an external auditory canal.
• They have bodies covered with scales, and they shed.

 

 

Lizards can be very different from each other, whether it be in size, patterns, or proportions. So, monitors (including the Komodo dragon) are also part of the order of lizards in a broad sense.

 

We won't study the entire diversity that makes up this group. Instead, let's discuss the classic small lizard.

 

 

It is important to note that, beyond the basics, we can observe variations in:

 

• The proportion of the head relative to the rest of the body,
• The proportion of the tail in relation to the rest of the body,
• The shape of the tail, whether it is more or less thick,
• The size of the eyes and the thickness of the upper orbital arches,
• The shape of the scales,
• The shape of the fingers,
• The shades and patterns of scales.

 

 

I told you that this wasn't going to be a simple subject to draw...

 

 

 

 

THE LIZARD'S SKELETON

 

Let's begin with a quick observation of the skeleton of a small lizard from a side and top-down view.

 

 

 

All lizards will have a similar structure:

 

• A triangular head (orange zone),
• A fairly developed neck (yellow area),
• A slender body (blue area) based on a flexible column,
• A tail directly in line with the lower back (green area).

 

 

For most small lizards, the chest area (blue) is a bit longer than the head + neck area (orange + yellow). The tail, on the other hand, is longer than the other segments combined.

 

The front and rear legs are positioned at the beginning and end of the torso (red arrows).

You will notice the triangular shape of the skulls (simplified diagrams in purple).

 

 

 

 

Another thing, lizards' limbs are constructed on the same scheme as our legs and arms. Like us, they possess 5 fingers on each limb. Their shoulder blades and pelvises, however, allow them a great range of movement.

 

 

 

 

DRAWING THE LIZARD'S FLESH AND SCALES

 

 

Now let's observe a small lizard, one that's as common as they come (the kind that basks on stones in summer!).

 

The construction seen on the skeleton is:

 

• A triangular head (in red),
• A clearly visible neck (in light green),
• An elongated body (which widens a bit towards the hindquarters, that's its little "belly"),
• A long tail (in orange) in continuity with the back.
• Limbs (in blue) placed at the beginning and end of the abdomen.

 

 

Here we can already see the "ears" of the animal (black area/black arrow), a small, slightly depressed area covered by darker skin. Note that it is located right at the edge of the head at the junction with the neck.

 

I have grouped the "head" and "neck" areas in red so that you can see that it is a bit shorter than the chest area (in pink).

 

 

 

On reptiles, the overlapping scales are arranged in a staggered pattern. This means that the "lines" of scales follow one another with an offset. This system can be clearly observed in drawing [A²] (with drawing [A'] being the tilted version).

 

I will create a first row of scales in orange and mark the center of the scales with orange lines. Below, I will draw new scales, whose center (green line) is offset and lies between the orange lines. I will continue with yellow scales, which align with the orange scales. The next scales, in blue, align with the green scales... and so on.

 

 

Laure-Hélène offers another method in her article on learning to draw a snake that you can also consult.

 

The principle (diagram [B]) is to create a grid that follows the movement of the animal and collects scales at the junctions.

 

But you can/must (depending on the species and/or areas) also opt for a scale pattern that does not overlap, pattern [C].

 

In this case, we're talking about scaly patches, like you can see on certain tortoises, for example.

 

 

DRAWING THE LEGS

 

As previously mentioned, lizards have 5 fingers on each foot. You can assume that their "hands" and "fingers" are like yours, except that the last phalanx will be "the claw." It's a fair simplification of the matter.

 

 

Here are the first 2 drawings. The drawings at the top show you the fingers of a common lizard. The red dot indicates the "interior" side. Notice how the penultimate finger on the hind leg is long and how the last finger, the one furthest toward the outside, is positioned behind the "hand." On the front leg, there is a difference in the length of the fingers, but it is less pronounced.

In the two drawings at the bottom, we can see a gecko's foot with an obvious difference. The fingers are round, of the same length, and quite short. There is also no major difference between the front and rear feet.

 

 

 

 

THE LIZARD'S HEAD

 

Now we will see that across different varieties of small lizards, the construction of the head remains the same.

 

We observe the following on the 3 animals:

 

• A triangular base (in red),
• Small nostrils located at the end of the head, which are aligned with the axis defined by the corners of the eyes (blue line). The eyes (blue arrow) are round and placed about in the middle of the length of the head.
• The jaws (green line) are long and end "after" the eyes (green arrow).
• The ears (in purple) are positioned a little behind the jaw joint.

 

 

 

 

DRAWING THE EYES

 

We tend to think of reptile eyes as "slit," but in reality, the pupil rarely forms a simple line (as in the drawing on the left). Often, we observe a dark and round pupil (as in the drawing on the right).

 

The colors of irises are varied and complex. Each species will need to be observed on a case-by-case basis. For classic lizards, shades of orange remain a safe choice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DRAWING A LIZARD STEP BY STEP

 

 

So now that we have observed common lizards, we are going to draw... a gecko!

Well, I admit, it might have been more logical to draw a classic little lizard! But with our knowledge and observations of the animal, we will do just fine.

 

In the legs section, you were able to observe the unique characteristics of the gecko's limbs. We will start with a reference photo.

First, let's look at the animal.

 

 

The head is triangular, and the body is elongated with limbs well-positioned at the beginning and end of the body. The proportions vary a bit. The head is quite wide, and the neck is not particularly long. It should be noted that the length of the thorax is slightly longer than the combined lengths of the head and neck. The tail is shorter than on a "common" lizard, it is generally equal to the other lengths combined.

 

Let's get started.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 1: I will draw the triangle of the head, slightly rounding off the tip.

 

Step 2: I will round the corners and quickly close the shape while starting the neck.

 

Step 3: From the snout, I will draw the line of the spine (in red), which will serve as a guide and structure, whether for the tail, ensuring it aligns well with the back, or for symmetry. I will shape the body by slightly bulging the sides (lines/arrows in purple).

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4: I will form the legs, arms and forearms, thighs and calves. I will place them right after the neck and just before the tail.

 

Step 5: I will trace the fingers. For the hind legs, fingers 1 and 3 will be a bit longer and fingers 2 and 4 a bit more spaced out. For the front feet, as with humans, the middle "finger" will be a bit longer. I will just slightly modify the position of the fingers on the right front foot as they are bent in the photo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 6: I will draw the eyes and nostrils (pink construction line). On the gecko, the eyes are quite large and in the middle of the length of the skull (green line).

 

Stage 7: I will redraw over my construction line. I will make the scales more pronounced in certain areas by creating some irregularities in my line (red arrows).

 

Note that we are not aiming for a hyper-realistic drawing, so I'm not getting lost in defining the scales.

 

 

 

 

 

ADDING COLOR TO THE DRAWING

 

 

Step A: I will use a fairly soft brown.

 

Step B: I will lighten the legs, the tail, and the edge of the flanks. I will darken the back a bit with a brown mixed with green and use this shade on the head as a darker tone.

 

Step C: I will draw the main scales and darken the eyes.

 

Step D: I will speckle the skin, apply a lighter color, and position the animal on a base.

 

 

 

So, remember that lizards are both similar and different from each other! You might be thinking: we're not there yet! But if you know the basics of a small lizard, you ultimately know enough to draw all types of lizards by applying your knowledge to a simple observation.

 

 

Get your pencils ready!

 

 

 

Illustrator and Writer: Elo Illus