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Coastal Horned Lizard

Coastal Horned Lizard line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Coastal Horned Lizard full color illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The Coastal Horned Lizard was completed on March 14th. Reptiles are usually (relatively) easy to draw, but horned lizards - with their spikes and pattern variations - can be tough. The real challenge here is showing the body's form yet also making sure the texture of the lizard's spikes pop out. I've done two drawing of a Texas Horned Lizard, but one of them was shelved because it didn't turn out well.

Information about the Coastal Horned Lizard:

The Coast or Coastal Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma coronatum) is found from Baja California north to California's Sacramento Valley. They are a widely divergent species with over 6 subspecies in their relatively small range. As with other species of this genus they are able to shoot high pressure streams of blood out of its eyes if threatened. They are often overlooked by humans and animals that may prey on them as their coloration is very close to the terrain they inhabit, so when a predator is approaching they will run quickly and abruptly stop blending in with the surrounding. Horned Lizards feed on insects and especially on ants. Coastal Horned Lizards are presently listed as a Federal Special Concern species (FSC) and a California Special Concern species (DFG-CSC).