How to Draw a Turtle (Easy Step-by-Step for Kids)
To draw a turtle, start with a big dome-shaped shell. Add a flat rim, a round head with a smile, four legs and a small tail. Finish with a pattern of shapes on the shell.
- Steps
- 6 easy steps
- You need
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Black marker
- Dark green, green, light green and pink crayons
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Teaching this to a class?
Show one step at a time on the board and wait for the class before the next. The directed drawing for kids page explains how to run it.
How to draw a turtle step by step
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Step 1 of 6: Draw a big dome-shaped shell with a flat bottom.
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Step 2 of 6: Add a long flat rim with rounded ends under the dome.
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Step 3 of 6: Draw a round head on the right with a neck, an eye, a small brow line and a smile.
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Step 4 of 6: Add four short legs with toe lines under the rim and a small pointed tail on the left.
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Step 5 of 6: Draw a pattern of hexagon shapes all over the shell.
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Step 6 of 6: Color the shell plates dark green and green, the rim green, the body light green and the cheek pink.
Tips for little artists
Tip: Press lightly with the pencil first. Trace the lines you like with the marker, then erase the rest.
Tip: Draw the middle hexagon first, then add the shapes around it.
Tip: Make the legs short and round. Short legs look cute under a big shell.
Make it yours
Sea turtle
Swap the legs for four flippers and draw blue water and bubbles around it.
Hiding turtle
Leave out the head and legs, and draw only the eye peeking out from the shell.
Turtle with a flower
Draw a small flower on top of the shell or in front of the face.
Common mistakes and easy fixes
The shell looks like a hill
Add the flat rim under the dome and the hexagon pattern on top.
The head floats
Draw a short neck from the head down to the front of the rim.
The legs are hidden
Draw the legs below the rim so they stick out under the shell.
Fun facts about the turtle
The top part of a turtle's shell is called the carapace, and the underside is called the plastron. (Source: Britannica)
Turtles cannot shed their shells. A turtle keeps its shell throughout its life. (Source: Britannica)
Shell shapes can vary among turtle species. Some have streamlined shells for swimming, and others have domed shells for life on land. (Source: Britannica)
Questions grown-ups ask
How to draw a simple easy turtle?
Draw a dome-shaped shell with a flat rim under it. Add a round head, four short legs, a small tail and a pattern of hexagons on the shell.
How to draw a turtle for kids?
Start with the shell and rim, then the head with a smile, the legs and tail, and the shell pattern. Color it in three greens last, with a pink cheek.
How to draw a turtle shell?
Draw a big dome with a flat bottom and a long rim under it. Draw one hexagon in the middle, then fill the rest of the dome with shapes around it.
If your turtle's shell pattern came out a little uneven, that's fine. Your turtle has its own shell. More easy drawings for kids are on the home page.