I can help... since all I do in school is draw snakes and keep an A average..
What I do is I just cross lines all through the snake or simpy draw small semi circles... it's pretty easy. I might post a sample if I can find one...
Oh btw, if you go to a library and go to a section where they have drawing books (probably in the kids section) and find one that shows snakes or reptiles they discuss how to do it.
It depends on the scales.. their color, and how the light is hitting them in the picture. I do light guide lines (criss cross) to see where to set the scales, then usually do circles or semi-circles. It's hard to explain.. I just do it. lol
Here's an example, you can click on it to see it full size (quite big)