How to draw a turtle
A turtle is a small circle for the head next to one big oval for the body. Trace the domed shell over the oval, hang the big plates from it and tuck four stubby legs underneath.
- 8 steps
- 10 minutes
- 4-10 Ages
- Easy
How do you draw a turtle?
Sketch a small circle for the head and a big oval for the body. Draw the head outline, then the domed shell with a small pointed tail. Join them with a short neck, add the eye and nose, then the big rounded plates and the band around the shell, and finish by closing the four stubby legs. Eight steps.
Watch it drawn, line by line
The whole drawing in under half a minute, in the same order as the steps below. No sound, so play it anywhere.
Draw it step by step
The new lines for each step are drawn in red. The grey dashed shapes are guides, sketch them lightly and rub them out at the end.
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1 Step 1: Guide shapes
Lightly sketch a small circle for the head and a big sideways oval for the shell.
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2 Step 2: Head outline
Draw a big curved line around the top and left of the head circle. Add a short slanted line at the bottom for the chin.
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3 Step 3: Shell and tail
Draw a long curved line over the big oval for the domed shell. Add a small pointed tail on the right.
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4 Step 4: Short neck
Draw two curved lines from the head toward the shell to make the short neck.
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5 Step 5: Eye and nose
Draw a small oval eye with a tiny cutout. Add a short dash for the nose.
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6 Step 6: Plates and bands
Add three big rounded plates on the side of the shell and a small oval plate on top, plus a curved band around the shell. Draw two short curved lines on the neck, a long belly curve, and outline the front and back legs with open U shapes.
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7 Step 7: Feet bottoms
Close the front leg with a curved line at the bottom. Close the back leg with another curved line.
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8 Step 8: Hidden leg and tip
Add a small curved line under the belly for the hidden leg. Draw a tiny pointy tip at the tail end.
What do you need to draw a turtle?
A pencil, paper and an eraser. A turtle is drawn with slow, round lines, so there is nothing to rush: every shape here is a soft curve, and the only pointy thing on the whole animal is the tiny tail.
Where do you start?
With the two grey guide shapes, sketched lightly: a small circle for the head and one big oval for the body, side by side, because this turtle is walking and seen from the side. The shell will rise higher than the oval, so leave some empty paper above it.
What is the hardest part of drawing a turtle?
The shell, and the mistake is drawing it flat. The dome is taller than the guide oval: start the curve at the neck, climb well above the oval and come down to the little pointed tail. A flat shell turns the turtle into a pebble with legs.
Second thing: the plates never touch the edge of the shell. Draw the three big rounded plates and the small one on top, then run the band around the bottom rim. That empty strip between plates and rim is what makes a shell read as a shell.
How do you make it your own?
- Make it a sea turtle. Stretch the legs into long flat flippers and leave out the walking feet.
- Pattern the plates. A small ring inside each plate, or dots, or both. Real shells all differ.
- Add a pond. A wavy line behind the shell and a few grass blades under the feet.
- Make it a baby. Bigger head, smaller shell, and the plates drawn extra large.
What else is worth knowing about turtles?
The shell you drew is not a house the turtle carries, it is the turtle: the ribs and the spine are fused into it, so a turtle can no more crawl out of its shell than you can step out of your skeleton. The plates on top are made of keratin, the same material as your fingernails, and the shell has feeling in it, so a turtle notices when something touches its back.
Questions people ask about drawing a turtle
Is this a good first animal for a 5 year old?
Yes, one of the best. The shapes are big and round, nothing needs to be symmetrical, and a wobbly shell still looks like a shell.
How long does it take?
About ten minutes. The plates in step six are the longest part, and they forgive every wobble.
How do I make it look like a turtle and not a tortoise?
For this cartoon it barely matters, but flatter shell and flipper-like legs say water turtle, higher dome and stumpier legs say tortoise. This one sits happily in the middle.
