How to Paint Snakes in Photoshop

Snakes slink on-screen with Adobe Photoshop painting tools.

The iconic Indiana Jones may have been scared of them, but snakes slither their way across every part of the world, from urban to rural settings. One way to wrangle snakes without fear of venom is to paint your own. Use Adobe Photoshop to make snakes on-screen, with tools to create the finest detail to distinguish snake breeds, age, size and color. Draw snakes to symbolize a "Keep Out" message, illustrate an educational project or just create a new slithery species.

Instructions

1. Open Adobe Photoshop. Pull down the "File" menu. Click "New." Enter "MySnakes" into the "Name" box. Enter dimensions into the "Width" and "Height" boxes, such as "6" and "4" respectively. Select "inches" from the two drop-down menus. Click the "OK" button.

2. Double-click the "Color Picker's" top-left box at the bottom of the "Tools" pane. Choose a body color for the first snake. Click "OK."

3. Click the "Brush" tool on the "Tools" pane. Pull down the "Brush" menu on the toolbar at the top of the work area. Click the solid, round circle brush head. Slide the "Size" bar to "35."

4. Draw the snake's body on the canvas by outlining an "S" shape, spiral or curlicue, or a slightly curved line for a non-curled snake. Click the "Paint Bucket" tool on the "Tools" pane and click inside the snake's body to fill it with color.

5. Click the "Color Picker" and choose a red, yellow or black paint color. Click the "Brush" tool again. Click a single dot on the snake's head for the eye.

6. Change to a new color in the "Color Picker." Pull down the "Brush" head menu and reduce the "Size" slider to "10." Draw designs on the snake, such as diamonds, rings or scales.

7. Select a pink color from the "Color Picker." Reduce the "Size" slider to "5." Draw the snake's forked tongue coming from its mouth. This step is optional.

8. Change brush sizes and colors and add additional snakes to the "snake pit" canvas on the Photoshop screen, as desired.

References

• University of Washington: Adobe Photoshop --Painting