How to Draw a Turtle Easy Step by Step

The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled.

Projects, Videos & Blog
Creative Rewards
Gift cards
Education division

How To Draw a Turtle - Easy Step By Step Guide for Kids

22 June 2021

Level: Easy

Duration: 20 mins

How beautiful are turtles? It's no wonder you're looking to learn how to draw one! In this tutorial, we're diving into the sea and showing you how to draw a turtle! This easy step-by-step guide is perfect for any age, from preschoolers, school aged kids and even grown ups wanting to learn. So grab your pencils and colouring materials and let's dive straight in.

Pencil - Find Pencils
Watercolour - Find Watercolour
Brushes - Find Brushes
A surface to draw on - Find Pads

How to do it

Step 1: Begin with the Shell of the Turtle
We're going to begin with the shell of the turtle, or otherwise known as the body. To do this, you simply need to draw an 'egg'-like shape, or an oval. Then inside that oval shape, simply draw another.
Draw in the Head and Tail
On the flatter side of the outer oval, draw a head. To do this, simply draw another oval with a slightly pointier end (for the mouth). Draw the tail on the opposite side, as a small 'V'-like shape.
Add the Main Flippers
Starting at the top half of the body, draw the two main flippers (one on either side of the head). Beginning with the right flipper, place your pencil on the outer oval (a small distance away from the head) and draw a line in an upwards angle and away from the body, then again downwards and out, so you have a hill-like shape. Bring the pencil back in curving it to make a flipper. Repeat this mirror image for the left flipper .
Add the Hind Legs
Moving to the bottom half of the turtle's body, draw the two hind legs (one on either side of the tail). Beginning with the right, draw a 'V'-like curve from the shell and bring it back in. Repeat this for the other side. The hind legs should be larger than the tail but smaller than the main front flippers.
Add Detail to the Turtle's Shell
Ensuring this step is done inside the smaller of the two main oval shapes we drew in Step 1, we now need to add some detail and character to our turtle. In this step, draw a hexagon in the middle of the inner oval of the shell. Connect the points of the hexagon to the edge of the oval using straight lines. This creates a pattern on the shell.
Draw in the Eyes
Draw a pair of eyes situated appropriately in the head of the turtle .
Final Details
Add some lines around the edge of the shell, connecting the outer and inner ovals. Add small circles on the flippers and hind legs for extra detailing .
Give the Turtle some Colour
Now for the fun part, colouring it in! Like our oceans, we like to go green with our turtles too, but feel free to get creative with something a little extra and more colourful