Turtle Drawings

Before you start your turtle drawings, ask yourself how you want your end result to appear.

•   Do you want a sketch?
•   Do you want a detailed drawing?
•   Or, do you just want a likeness?

Once your mind is set on a certain course, your drawing goes down on paper easier.

I keep saying this but I just have to repeat it... do what you want to do, do what is right for you!

You have to feel keen to draw, you won't pick up a pencil if you don't feel like drawing a certain topic.

You also need to find a space where there's plenty of light and where you feel happy and comfortable. Once you feel at ease, you enjoy your drawings a lot more.

This outline of a turtle is drawn from the perspective of looking down on a Green Turtle.

The shell of a turtle is more oval than round so keep that in mind when you sketch in the outline of the shell. It might help you to draw a light center line first, then draw the oval around it, trying to make each side a consistent shape.

The first marks I made were for the hexagons (6 sided shapes) that you see in the center of the back.

I wanted 3 hexagons so I roughly put in 4 short vertical lines first (see the diagram below).

Then I put a shallow roof-like structure on the top and bottom of those lines.

My hexagons aren't exact and you needn't worry either, we are drawing a turtle shell - not a building - and the pattern often varies.

Once the hexagons are in place, the rest of the shell is easy to complete and you are well on your way to a fine turtle drawing.

Rapid Drawing

For this next turtle drawing, I decided to test what I could produce in a short amount of time.

I used a 2B mechanical pencil on photocopy paper. I like this paper because my pencil glides easily over the smooth surface. I also have a sheet of paper under my hand to keep my drawing clean.

I drew this one from a photo where the turtle was swimming in clear water.

You can see I didn't go into much detail, I just drew in the main lines that got my attention and I declared the drawing finished after a few minutes. This is what I want, I don't want to labor over every drawing for hours and hours.

Turtle Drawing Tips

•   Once your rough outline is done, make your good lines darker before erasing incorrect light lines.
•   Make sure your eraser is clean otherwise it can mess up your drawing.
•   Use a small, light paint brush to dust the eraser residue off your paper.

What is the difference between a turtle and a tortoise?

There are many varieties of turtles.

Turtles are reptiles with short legs and a shell. The shell is like a box with holes for the turtle's head, limbs and tail. A turtle retreats into its shell for protection.

The turtle is the only reptile with a shell.

The legs of sea turtles are like paddles and their feet are like flippers. Most fresh-water turtles have longer legs and webbed feet.

All turtles lay eggs on land.

Turtles can live for more than 100 years.

A Tortoise is a turtle that lives on land only. They are slow moving and their shell has a high dome. Tortoises have stumpy back legs like an elephant.

I really like my finished drawing of a tortoise - I still feel amazed that I created that!

I only wanted to suggest the detail on the shell so I roughly placed lines here and there, following the pattern on my reference picture.

I applied stippling to the head and legs.

I finished this fellow in about 15 minutes.

You can see that tortoises have great character and they make an interesting drawing topic.

To draw a tortoise is not as difficult as it appears at first glance and even though my eraser continues to be my best friend, I love my drawings of turtles.

Speaking of erasers, Michael (a regular contributor on Your Space) showed us a pencil eraser that he finds easy to use.

Erasers are also handy for creating highlights and to clean any smudges on your paper.

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Happy turtle drawing!