How to Draw a Snake Woman

This tutorial will show you how to draw a snake woman, also known in mythology as Lamia, using simple step-by-step drawing techniques.

In the myths and legends of many countries and cultures around the world, there are creatures that resemble snake women.

The techniques used in this tutorial are similar to those in our tutorials on drawing the Medusa Gorgon, one of the most famous mythical characters.

Also, we used similar techniques to draw Echidna, a less popular but still well-known creature.

How to draw a snake woman step by step

Step 1: Draw the Lamia’s basic skeleton

Let’s start by sketching the basic framework of this unusual character. First, draw a round head and a simple line for the neck that flows into the spine and continues as the long snake tail. Then sketch the chest and arms. Despite the unusual anatomy, it is very important to maintain realistic human proportions.

Step 2: Add volume to the snake woman

Let’s begin adding volume to the body of our snake woman. First, sketch the outlines of the neck and hood, keeping this part of the body as symmetrical as possible. Next, outline the torso, which smoothly transitions into the long snake tail. Finally, sketch the thin arms with long fingers.

Step 3: Draw the face of the Snake Woman

Using the previously sketched head as a guide, begin placing the facial features. First, draw the snake woman’s eyes, making them small and slightly slanted. Then sketch the outline of the wide snake-like mouth and refine the contours of the face.

Step 4: Trace the cobra’s hood

Continuing from the outline of the head, carefully draw the contours of the hood, allowing it to widen before gradually narrowing into the neck. As you draw the snake woman’s head, constantly compare the left and right sides, as well as the upper and lower portions, to maintain proper symmetry.

Step 5: Refine the torso of the snake woman

Smoothly refine the contours of the torso, narrowing them at the waist. From the waist, gradually widen the form around the hips, then gently taper it again toward the tip of the tail. At this stage, you can also add accessories or lightly illustrate the texture of the scales.

Step 6: Refine the snake woman’s arms

Now move on to the arms. Using clean, smooth lines, carefully refine the outlines of the thin, slender arms with long fingers and sharp claws. Once you’re finished, erase all of the remaining construction lines. You can add grotesque bracelets and rings to give your snake woman drawing a more charismatic appearance.

Step 7: Add shading to the snake woman

The snake woman drawing is almost complete, and now we only need to make it more realistic. To achieve this, add shadows using light hatching. As always, begin by determining the direction of the light source. Then lightly outline the shadowed areas and gradually fill them with smooth, even hatching.

Basics of drawing anthropomorphic fantasy creatures

Drawing anthropomorphic mythical creatures has its own unique challenges, and this is especially evident in this snake woman drawing tutorial.

The artist must combine both human and animal features into a single believable character. In this tutorial, you drew a head that blends human and snake characteristics, a human torso, and a snake’s tail in place of legs.

To create this combination successfully, it is important to understand how to draw each part separately.

In our tutorial on drawing a girl, we explain how to construct the human figure correctly. In our cobra drawing tutorial, we cover the basic construction of a snake and how to represent it convincingly on paper.

Beyond these fundamental forms, a snake woman, like any other mythical creature, can include many additional details such as clothing, weapons, armor, and accessories.

These elements help complete the design and are just as important to draw convincingly.

As additional practice, try combining the principles from our snake and human drawing tutorials in different ways, and experiment with different outfits and accessories to create your own unique snake woman character.