The cobra is one of the most striking snakes to draw — famous for the wide 'hood' it spreads behind its head when it rears up. With its raised body, hood, and forked tongue, the cobra is dramatic and fun to draw. Parikshet shows you how step by step.

🖍️ What You Need

  • Pencil and eraser
  • Black, grey, and green markers
  • Red for the tongue
  • Black pen for outlines

How to Draw a Cobra Step by Step

  1. Draw the raised body — start with the cobra's body rising up in an 'S' or question-mark curve, since cobras rear up when alert.
  2. Add the head — a rounded, slightly flattened head at the top of the raised body.
  3. Draw the famous hood — the cobra's signature feature: a wide, flared hood spreading out behind the head, like a flattened cape. This is what makes it a cobra.
  4. Add the face — two fierce eyes and the snake's mouth.
  5. Draw the forked tongue — a thin red tongue flicking out, split into two at the tip.
  6. Continue the body — the lower body coiling down to the ground.
  7. Add scale and hood patterns — scale texture on the body, and the distinctive eye-spot or pattern on the back of the hood (many cobras have a marking there).
  8. Colour — black, grey, or green body, with a red tongue and hood markings.
💡 Parikshet's Tip: The flared hood is what makes a snake a COBRA rather than any other snake — draw it as a wide, flattened cape spreading out behind the head when the cobra rears up. The raised 'S'-curve body and the forked tongue complete the alert, dramatic cobra pose.

🌟 Did You Know?

A cobra's famous hood isn't always out — the cobra spreads it by flattening special ribs in its neck only when it feels threatened or alert, to look bigger and scare off enemies! The king cobra is the longest venomous snake in the world, growing up to 5.5 metres long. Cobras can also 'hear' through vibrations in the ground, and some can even spit venom to defend themselves.

Cobra Drawing Key Features

  • Flared hood — the wide cape behind the head, the #1 feature
  • Raised S-curve body — reared up and alert
  • Forked tongue — split in two at the tip
  • Hood markings — the pattern on the back of the hood

🎯 Try This: Draw a Snake Charmer Scene

  1. Draw your cobra rearing up with its hood spread.
  2. Add a basket it's rising out of.
  3. Draw musical notes floating around it.
  4. Add a desert or jungle background.