How to Paint Crocodiles
Crocodiles are one of the most feared of the Earth's creatures, and are certainly an interesting subject to paint. The leathery skin, the watchful, sinister eyes and plethora of teeth all combine to help give the crocodile its reputation as a predator that man fears as much as any other. Painting a crocodile will be difficult because of the reptile's uniformity as regards color. But a drawing with accurate shading will certainly aid the painting process.
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Instructions
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Draw the crocodile full length and in profile. Begin the drawing from the top of the crocodile's head and work forwards to the tip of its slightly open upper jaw. Move round to draw the lower jaw. Add its teeth. Note the crooked nature of both jaws and also the crocodile's teeth.
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Depict the stocky, bent legs of the crocodile, and then draw its feet and thin toes. Work round to draw the crocodile's powerful tail, then portray the animal's back up to the back of the reptile's head.
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Work from the tip of the crocodile's tail, drawing its scales, which have a square appearance. Continue up to the tip of the crocodile's snout, and then down to its legs where the scales are noticeably smaller. Shade in the scales correctly. Finish off the drawing by portraying the crocodile's eye. Draw a thin vertical pupil in the middle of its eye. This should stretch from the bottom to the top of the eye.
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Begin your painting by studying the crocodile's color, and mix appropriate shades in your palette. Look at the lightly shaded areas of the crocodile's body, and apply the lightest shades first. Begin by painting the tail, followed by the body, then the legs. Apply increasingly darker shades, painting the tail, body and legs in that order.
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Paint the head of the crocodile by again using the lighter shades first and ending with the darkest shades. Only paint the areas of teeth that have previously been shaded in. Paint the crocodile's eye, and add subtle shades where necessary. Paint the pupil black.
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Tips & Warnings
Observe the undulations of the crocodile's body. Portraying these correctly will give a representation of the reptile's power.
Avoid drawing and painting the mouth and teeth in a straight fashion, as it will look like laziness on the artist's part.
Resources
- Photo Credit Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
