Texas Rat Snake

Texas Rat Snake line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Texas Rat Snake  full color illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The Texas Rat Snake drawing was completed in 2007 for a large project for a park in San Antonio, Texas. For many years the drawing sat in my "to do" folder, waiting to have color added it to. I think I was waiting for my skills to improve, as the tinting was extremely difficult to replicate the intricate patterns of the snake's skin. I'm not sure it's a very successful image, as the drawing at the base isn't quite accurate (the scales aren't quite "right".)

Information about the Texas Rat Snake:

The Texas Rat Snake is a colubrid snake that can can grow up to six feet long. While found primarily in Texas, they are also native to Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. While not venomous, they can be very ill tempered and will strike at anything it perceives as a threat. As their name implies, these snakes feed primarily on rats and other rodents, but they will also venture into trees to predate on eggs and the chicks of birds. Rat Snakes are also occasionally called chicken snakes.