How to Draw a Turtle

In this article, we will show you how to draw a turtle easily and very quickly using eleven literally elementary stages.

In fact, there are a huge number of different types of turtles in the world. There are small turtles that can be kept in the aquarium, as well as huge snapping turtles. Today we decided to show how to draw a turtle using the example of the most ordinary turtle, which is quite familiar to many.

Step 1

In order to draw a turtle, you must first imagine its body parts in the form of elementary geometric shapes. Firstly, draw the head as a circle and the body as a large ellipse.

Step 2

Using a long line, draw the upper part of the neck, which goes into the nose through the head. Next, draw the mouth and lower neck as a curved line.

Step 3

Now it’s time to draw the most recognizable part of the turtle – its shell. Start by drawing the top of the carapace with a long, curved line.

Step 4

Now, using simple lines, draw the legs of the turtle. We see only three legs since the fourth leg is not visible behind the body of the reptile.

Step 5

Draw the front and back holes on the shell for the limbs. Finish the stage by drawing the bottom surface of the shell.

Step 6

Now carefully depict the toes with sharp claws at the ends. By the way, to check the proportionality of the sketch, you can look at it through a mirror.

Step 7

Now let’s go back to the head again and depict the eye and the wrinkles around it. Next, depict a hole for the neck on the front of the shell.

Step 8

Draw the patterns on the shell with smooth lines. Different turtles have different patterns on their shells, so the pattern on your turtle’s back may differ from what is shown in our drawing.

Step 9

Now do the same for the bottom of the shell. By the way, if you paid attention, the pattern on our turtle is very similar to the pattern of the shells of the Ninja Turtles.

Step 10

Using an eraser, clean your turtle drawing of unnecessary construction lines. To enhance the expression of the artwork, you can trace it with dark lines.

Step 11

Paint the turtle skin a dark green. Next, paint the carapace in shades of brown. Paint the eye black, leaving a slight highlight. Add some shadows to make the turtle drawing more voluminous.

If all the stages were easy for you, and now you have learned how to draw a turtle, then it is time to raise the level of art skills even higher. Firstly, try to depict environmental objects such as grass, stones, rocks, or other animals.

Next, depict a few more turtles, but from different points of view and in different poses. And if this is already a passed stage for you, then go to our category called Animals to learn how to draw another animal.