'Rattler' - Desert Denizens #1

Notes on the design

Digital illustration in Procreate with gouache brushes and duplitone textures (from RSCO.)

I wanted to do some practice with shapes and patterns, and the Western Diamond-Backed Rattlesnake came to mind. I used the snake's contortive body to create the base pattern of vertical and horizontal lines with repetition and subtle asymmetry. I thought it was interesting to use the negative space to accentuate the folds in the body to break up the pattern, as well as pop out the tongue and rattle.

Once I began layering the diamond pattern I thought about completing this in Illustrator for more precise lines and angles, but per usual had more fun drawing by hand. This allowed the shapes to become more organic and loose while still creating the rattler's natural camouflage effect. (Inspired by but not accurate to the real deal.)

The story behind the piece

We took a family trip to Joshua Tree National Park this past spring break, and it's desert colors and reptilian denizens inspired this piece. I think I'll make a series!