How to Paint a Lizard

Give your lizard painting a creative skin pattern.

Painting a lizard is a wonderful way to show off your artistic talent. The slick, slender bodies of lizards make them useful for testing your creativity in shaping and positioning the reptile on canvas. Do not forget to use your pet lizard or a favorite reptilian image as inspiration for your design.

Things You'll Need

• Paint
• Brushes
• Canvas
• Easel
• Photo of a lizard, or a live lizard

Instructions

1. Paint the outline of your lizard. The curvature of the body should resemble an upside down, disfigured horse shoe. Make the end of the left side a tip, indicating the tail. Gradually increase the thickness of the body as you circle around to the right side in a "U" shape to the head. Lizards have no distinguishable necks. Paint a dark, vertical line to differentiate the head from the rest of the body.

2. Paint the outline of the two foreground lizard legs. Situate one leg near the bottom of the "U" curve bend -- where the tail meets the body -- and one near the head. Shape the legs like small bullets and add short, toothpick-like lines as toes. You may need a smaller brush to properly detail the legs and toes.

3. Paint webbing around the toes and add jagged, crescent-like sketches to indicate sections of scales along the entire surface area of the tail and body.

4. Paint the detail of your lizard. Add black beady eyes, a thin line for the mouth, complete with a short, curvy tongue extending outward. Fill in the scales and legs with various shades of green and brown or whatever colors you desire for your lizard.

References

• Drago Art: Lizards