How To Draw Animal Scales - The Virtual Instructor

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.