How to Doodle a Turtle

Step 1

If someone asked you to draw a turtle, what kind of turtle would you draw? Maybe, not so much “what kind”, but rather in what way? Let’s draw a turtle from one possible perspective. Begin by drawing the turtle’s shell. Use a couple of arc shapes to draw the upper and lower section of the turtle’s shell. Notice also how the turtle shell is on a bit of an angle.

Step 2

Use a couple of elongated arc shapes to draw the turtle’s head. If you notice in the example, I have used two arc shapes of different depths to draw the head of the turtle. Notice also the head and neck positioning and how it is extending out of the shell area.

Step 3

Use several additional arc shapes for the turtle’s legs and one more for the tail. Notice in the example how the legs closer to us (left legs) are drawn in full. While the legs further away from us are only partly visible. It is, therefore, easier to draw the left legs first, then to draw the right legs.

Step 4

Let’s now give the turtle a little more detail. First, let’s decorate the turtle’s shell. Draw cloud shapes on the turtle’s shell as shown in the example. Your drawing doesn’t need to look like the example. Feel free to create your own pattern of cloud shapes on the shell. Then use an oval shape for the eye and a curved line for the mouth.

Step 5

Add the finishing touches to your doodle by giving it some color. Notice how the legs further away from us are a slightly darker green color. This is a simple shadow effect. And there we have it. This is our visual representation of what a turtle looks like. To challenge yourself, you can, however, try drawing your turtle from another angle. Give it a go and see what you come up with.