The snake is the most popular mythological symbol on our planet. Every culture has a serpent in its pantheon of gods and goddesses. In Chinese astrology, 2025 is the year of the Snake. A friendly little green snake will do for this watercolor snake tutorial. I selected a closeup to focus on the eye and scales.
Before we dive in, let us explore the symbolism of this enigmatic creature.
Year of the Snake
2025 is the year of the Wood Snake in Chinese astrology. It symbolizes intelligence, mystery, and renewal. The year of the Snake brings change and development. This creature is an auspicious being of good fortune and rebirth. Fingers crossed, the astrologers got it right in these turbulent times.
Symbolism of the wise snake
In Western culture, we are used to the snake that tempted Eve and drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. However, the snake has symbolized wisdom, transformation, and fertility worldwide since the beginning of history. A snake sheds its skin, and is a powerful symbol of rebirth.
Coiled serpents
You have seen the medical insignia of a staff with two snakes coiling around it. It is the Caduceus of the Greek god Hermes.
We find the same entwined serpents around a staff in many other cultures. It is worth mentioning ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and India.
The Kundalini serpent
In the yoga meditation of India, a coiled serpent represents Kundalini. Kundalini is the divine feminine energy that lies dormant like a coiled serpent at the base of the spine. She is awakened through deep meditation. When she is roused, she moves up the spinal cord. Levels of divine consciousness are experienced as Kundalini reaches each of the seven chakras. The ultimate goal is for her to rise to the crown.
The chakras along the spine are entwined by two energies, Ida Nadi and Ida Pingala. They end in the two nostrils, and the depictions of this look like the Greek Caduceus.
The world serpent
In ancient Mesoamerica, the Feathered Serpent crawled across the night sky like the Milky Way. Quetzalcoatl, or Kukulkan, was the gateway to the otherworld. The Rainbow Serpent is the creator god of the Australian aborigines, and also in West African Vodun. In India, we find great Naga serpents churning the cosmic ocean.
The Ouroboros is a snake or a dragon biting its own tail. It is a symbol found in many cultures. Ouroboro represents infinity and the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
Drawing snakes
The shy, non-venomous green snake is a peaceful little creature. It is a cute, friendly reptile that can be kept as a pet. Only bugs need fear this snake.
Do some snake sketching.
Before you dive in, I recommend that you do some quick sketching. Google green snakes for lots of curling snakes to draw. Below are some of my efforts.
Drawing a close-up of the green snake
I am against the tracing of photographs. It is a form of cheating that dulls any art form. But for this snake, I gave up. Looking at the scales on the snake's skin made me dizzy. There is only one other tutorial on this blog with a traced drawing, a prairie sunflower. Everything else is freehand.
Sign up for the free One Tree Art Club to access a large library of line art. Each drawing corresponds to a watercolor tutorial on this blog.
After printing the photo, I drew dark lines on top to make it easy to trace.
After tracing the lines, I transferred the drawing to smooth watercolor paper.
Painting the snake with watercolor
Level Up subscribers can watch the whole process of painting and refining details in a video recording.
The first step is to paint the watercolor foundation. Paint first with a generous amount of water. Then, paint the upper part green and the lower part yellow. Let the green color blend with the upper part of the yellow scales.
Add more green watercolor to the darker part of the body. Light shines on the top left; remove some pigment with a sponge. Paint the nostrils with a little terracotta.
Painting the eye and the background
When dry, watercolor the black pupil of the eye. Paint the ground with brown, green, and pink.
Work some more details into the eye with a blue-green watercolor. Paint a thin black line in the periphery of the iris. Let it blend gently with the blue-green color. Remember that the eye is a ball, not a flat surface.
The reference photo has a bright green background. Instead, select a contrasting color. I chose a turquioice and blended in some ochre, using ample water.
Alternate watercolors and colored pencils
You can move to this step when everything is bone dry.
Draw details into the eye with a light green colored pencil.
Paint shiny highlights in white gouache with a fine brush.
Continue painting white highlights on the scales. Let the white paint dry, and use a white pencil to draw further highlights.
Paint with brown and a little black watercolor on the bottom of the snake. These shadows help you define the roundness of the body.
Paint with white gouache and draw with white pencil to highlight scales on the back portion.
Continue highlighting with a white pencil.
The last brush-ups
The square painting has colors bleeding out of the frame. To fix this, paint the area outside the frame with white gouache. A tidy square will look good on this painting.
Step back and wait a day or two. Get creative. Squint your eyes to see light and shadow. Let yourself go and toggle between watercolors, colored pencils, and gouache.
Happy painting!
Level Up Video:
Become a Level Up member to watch a recording of how I created this painting.
Here are some more tutorials:
Easy Watercolor Painting in 5 Steps: Green Gecko
5 Quick Tips For Keeping a Daily Sketchbook
How to Paint a Water Drop in Watercolor: Leaf Study
Boost Your Watercolor Skills: White Flower Tutorial
