We want to show you how to draw an alligator. This lesson will be useful for you, and you will once again train your artistic skills.

In this guide, we want to show you how to draw an alligator easily. The instruction includes nine steps, each of which is visualized and supplemented with small explanations. We hope that each step will help you understand every detail and create a beautiful artwork.

Alligators belong to the order Crocodiles and the Alligator family. At the moment, on earth there are two modern types of alligators— the American types and the Chinese types of alligators.

Chinese alligators live in eastern Asia, as well as in the Yangtze River, which flows through China. Living in a warm climate, these reptiles prefer fresh water bodies of water. American or Mississippian alligators prefer to live within the east coast of America, this is the state of Texas and North Carolina. More than one million individuals live in the states of Florida and Louisiana. The habitat of this species is associated with freshwater reservoirs in the form of rivers, lakes, ponds, as well as in wetlands.

These beautiful reptiles eat everything they can hunt. They love any animals, fish, and even feed on some types of plants. Adult alligators love large prey, unlike young ones, which are unable to hunt animals such as bears or deer. They have unusual hunting tactics. Furthermore, they can wait for hours, hiding in the water, so that only their eyes and nostrils look out at the surface. Just like these animals are shown in cartoons.

Time needed: 25 minutes

How to Draw an Alligator

Outline the head.
Begin by drawing the shape of the alligator’s head as in the example. First, draw the head, then add the elongated snout of the reptile.
Add parts of the face.
Depict the long line for the mouth, nostrils, and eyes of the alligator.
Add details.
Detail the alligator’s head by adding lines as shown, and also draw the reptile’s teeth.
Sketch the body and tail.
Now you need to shape the body of the animal. Extend from the head two parallel, curved lines that will form the body and tail of the alligator.
Draw the limbs.
Depict the front and back limbs of the alligator. Note that the alligator’s feet have pointy toes, as in the example.
Detail the body.
Add a long, curved line to the alligator’s body that follows the curve of the body.
Sketch the scales.
Draw the scaly skin of the alligator using wavy lines. Such a texture should be drawn over the entire area of the back and tail of the reptile.
Detail the skin.
Add vertical lines on the side of the alligator as in the example.
Color the artwork.
Color your artwork with green shades. The skin of a reptile can be green, and the belly can be shaded gray or yellow.