Reptiles are ancient and amazing creatures. You can learn to draw them all with this collection of easy reptile drawing tutorials.
27 Easy Reptile Drawing Tutorials with Step by Step Drawings
Bearded Dragon Lizard
This realistic sketch will help you capture the likeness of your favorite pet. You will even be able to see the details of the spiky scales around the neck and belly.
Triceratops
The name triceratops means "three-horned head," and you can see this dinosaur's three triangular horns on its head. It also has a crest or frill on the back of its head, above the neck.
Cute Dinosaur
This adorable long-necked dinosaur might be a brachiosaurus, brontosaurus, or diplodocus. You will use long curved lines for its body and "U" shaped lines for its spikes and toenails.
Snake
This snake is poised in an "S" curve, ready to strike! You will use lots of overlapping curved lines to achieve this sketch.
Gecko
Gecko lizards are a favorite pet. Their special toes allow them to cling to ceilings and walls - and even to slippery glass windows!
Sea Turtle
Turtles have a head and flippers extending from beneath a protective shell. Land turtles can hide completely in their shells, but sea turtles cannot.
Snake Face and Head
This venomous snake has two curved triangular fangs. You can also see its "Y" shaped forked tongue. Its neck is bent; it is ready to strike!
Alligator or Crocodile
Do you know the differences between an alligator and a crocodile? Complete this sketch so you can figure them out.
Chameleon
Chameleon lizards can change color to blend in with their surroundings. But don't worry, this fun sketch isn't likely to disappear.
Tyrannosaurus Rex
The large, toothy T. rex was named "king of the tyrant lizards." It has a lizard-like body with large back legs, a huge head, and tiny arms.
Iguana
Can you see any similarities between this iguana and the T. rex above? They are there if you look closely.
Lizard
This generic lizard has all the reptilian features - a long tail, a low-slung body on four legs, and round scales.
Cobra
Cobras are unique among snakes. This snake has sharp, triangular fangs and a curving body like others on this list. But it also has a round hood on each side of the head.
Snake Head
You can draw a portrait of a snake, a close-up of its slit-pupil eye, scaly skin, and forked tongue.
Medusa
The Medusa is a reptilian monster from ancient mythology. In addition to her stony stare, she had writhing snakes attached to her head in place of her hair.
Rattlesnake
Like other snakes on this list, this rattlesnake is in an "S" curve, poised to strike. It also has a unique feature - its tail is raised to display its rattle, which gets longer every time it sheds its skin.
Dinosaur
This dinosaur is called a parasaurolophus. It stands on its rear legs like the T. rex, above, but it wasn't a meat eater. Instead, it ate plants with its duck-like bill. It has a horn on its head that it may have used to make sounds.
Velociraptor
Velociraptors were predatory dinosaurs much smaller than the T. Rex above. The two dinosaurs are shaped much the same, but the raptor has one defining feature - it has a huge teardrop-shaped claw on each foot.
Cartoon Crocodile Drawing
You can say, "See you later alligator," and "After a while, crocodile" to boring drawings. This smiling croc will help you boost your animal drawing skills.
Cartoon Lizard
Geckos like this one have special feet that allow them to cling to walls and windows. You can create this drawing, cut him out, and stick him in unexpected places.
Easy Dinosaur for Kids
Dinosaurs are some of the largest reptiles who ever lived, and the biggest among them were long-necked dinosaurs like this one. Don't worry, though, a regular-sized sheet of paper will do.
Stegosaurus
The stegosaurus is known for the bony plates on its back and spikes on its tail. In this detailed drawing, you can also observe its beaklike mouth.
Spinosaurus
Spinosaurus was named for the thin spines that grew from its backbones. These were thought to support a fan-like sail. You can see them in the drawing.
Allosaurus
Allosaurus was a therapod like the T-Rex. It also has facial ridges similar to the Dilophosaurus. What other similarities and differences do you see between this drawing and other dinosaurs on the list?
Ankylosaurus
The ankylosaurus used its bony tail like a weapon, and its back was armored like a tank. Can you draw a carnivore for this stout little dino to fend off?
Baby Turtle
The tapered shell and flippers for feet let you know that this adorable baby is a sea turtle and not a tortoise or a terapin.
Realistic Sea Turtle
The baby sea turtle above is cute, but this one is true to life. Look at the details on the shell and the scales of its skill.
More About Drawing Reptiles
What qualifies as a reptile? As you will see in the illustrations below, reptiles have a few things in common. One is that their bodies are covered in scales.
What you can't see is that reptiles are cold-blooded. This means they have to get their heat from their environment; they don't make their own heat like we do. (Dinosaurs may have been an exception to this; they might have been warm-blooded, but since they are extinct, we may never know.)
Finally, most reptiles lay eggs - though a few give birth to live young.
The reptiles on this list represent eons of time. Some, such as the Tyrannosaurus rex and the velociraptor, are known only for fossils. These animals were extinct long before humans came along.
Others, like the alligator, are just as ancient although they still exist today. Modern alligators and crocodiles look just like their ancient fossilized relatives.
Other reptiles include lizards, turtles, and snakes. And one of our guides - the Medusa - demonstrates how real creatures (in this case, snakes) have been adopted into mythologies.
See a Google Web Story of this Reptile Drawing Ideas Blog Post.