Reptile Reference Photos, Scale by Scale

Scales you can count

Reptile skin is a pattern, not a texture you can fake with noise. Scales change size and shape across the body: small and fine on the throat, larger on the back, plate-like on the head. To paint them believably, you need to see that change up close.

Most packs here were shot with telephoto lenses at 5184 × 3456 or 6000 × 4000, so you can zoom in far enough to follow individual scale rows. Eastern Water Dragon is a good example: 71 photos with many close-ups of the face and body. The Three-Horned Chameleon pack shows a bright green male Jackson's chameleon in 40 photos from a wide range of angles.

Adults, juveniles and babies

Young reptiles are not small adults. Their heads are larger in proportion, and their colors and patterns are often different. Several packs keep each age group in its own folder:

• Green Iguana Lizards: adult male (53 photos), females (43) and juvenile male (53). The adult male shows bright orange breeding colors.
• Star Tortoise: adult (42), juvenile (5) and baby (9), with the star pattern on the shell clearly visible.
• Saltwater Crocodiles in Wild: males, females and baby crocodiles photographed in the wild in Queensland. The largest is about 3 meters long and around 70 years old.
• Eastern Water Dragon: juveniles (54 photos) and various others (17).

Shells: tortoises and turtles

Shell patterns are geometric, and each species has its own. Leopard Tortoise has 190 photos with many movement sequences and close-ups. Giant Tortoise has 92 photos, photographed in Singapore. For water turtles, Snake-Necked Turtle has 97 photos of a turtle with a very long neck, and Red-Eared Terrapin and Reeves Turtles has 77 photos of two species that share one pond.

Reptiles on the move

A lizard walks with its body swinging from side to side, and a tortoise lifts each leg slowly. Look for packs with sequences. Water Monitor Lizard has 30 photos of a large lizard crawling to a lake in Ayutthaya, Thailand, and going for a short swim. Leopard Tortoise and Star Tortoise both include short movement sequences.

If you are designing dragons or monsters rather than painting real species, our creature design reference page combines these reptiles with other unusual animals.

Frequently asked questions

Which reptiles are in this collection?

The 12 packs in the Reptiles collection cover lizards (iguana, water dragon, bearded dragon, caiman lizard, water monitor), a chameleon, tortoises (leopard, star, giant), turtles (snake-necked, red-eared terrapin and Reeves) and saltwater crocodiles.

Were the reptiles photographed in the wild?

The saltwater crocodiles were photographed in the wild in Queensland, and the water monitor at a lake in Thailand. For the other packs, the product page lists the location where it is known. Many were photographed in New Zealand or Singapore.

What is the cheapest way to start?

Eastern Bearded Dragon (31 photos) and Three-Horned Chameleon (40 photos) cost $4.99 each. They are a good way to test how a pack fits your workflow before you buy a larger one.