How to Draw a Turtle

There's no one way to draw a turtle. If you draw something, and you say it's a turtle, it's a turtle! If you want to copy any of the turtle, tortoises or terrapin drawings in this article, feel free to follow the steps.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

A Cartoon Turtle

1
Draw a circle and an oblong below that overlaps the circle.
2
Add a small circle on the left side of the drawing for the head and sketch the neck using curved lines that connect to the body.

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3
Draw the turtle’s feet using rectangular shapes.
4
Draw the eyes using a small circle and curved lines for the eyebrows. Add a curved line for the mouth.
5
Draw the turtle’s shell from the circle you have drawn earlier.
6
Sketch out the body and the legs from the outline.
7
Draw a pattern for the turtle’s shell using squares and curves.
8
Erase unnecessary lines.
9
Color the drawing.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

A Sea Turtle

1
Draw an oblong for the body. Add a small circle for the head.
2
Draw the legs using a curved rectangle-like shape.
3
Draw the turtle’s shell from the outline.
4
Draw a series of hexagon shapes as part of the shell’s pattern.
5
Finish the pattern of the shell by adding a series of lines.
6
Draw the head and the eyes. For the eyes, draw a small circle. Inside it, add two curved lines and a smaller circle for the pupils.
7
Sketch out the legs from the pattern you made earlier.
8
Sketch out small square patterns on the turtle’s body.
9
Erase unnecessary lines.
10
Color the drawing.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

A Green Turtle

1
Draw an oval with a sharp edge on the left for the head.
2
Draw a big oval for the body and shell.
3
Draw a curve inside the big oval.
4
Draw three oblongs attached to the body for the feet.
5
Based on the outline, darken the necessary lines and add the eyes and mouth of the turtle.
6
Add details to your turtle such as stripes and shell pattern.
7
Erase all the unwanted unnecessary outlines.
8
Color your turtle!

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

A Snapping Turtle

1
Draw a big oval for the shell and body of the turtle.
2
Draw a semi-trapezoid shape beside the big oval for the head.
3
Draw three rectangles below the shell. Add small claws.
4
Draw a big interconnected curve for the tail.
5
Most snapping turtles have spiked shells; draw three series of spikes on the shell.
6
Based on the outline, draw the whole body of the turtle. Add the eyes and mouth; add some wrinkles in completing the body of the turtle.
7
Add details such as the shell pattern and skin texture.
8
Erase the unnecessary outlines.
9
Color your snapping turtle!

Community Q&A

Question

Why do you put mistakes on the picture and erase them?

Community Answer

They are not mistakes. Those are just guide lines for the drawing.
Question

Are there any other animals I could draw?

Community Answer

Yes, you can draw any other animal you can think of! wikiHow has tons of articles that can help you. I would suggest starting out by drawing a fox or an elephant.
Question

Why is the green turtle less green than the other turtles?

Community Answer

It is just how they are colored. You should draw and color yours whatever shade of green or color you want it to be.