How to Draw a Wood Turtle

In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Wood Turtle in 7 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.

The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.

Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.

At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Wood Turtle.

Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.

How to Draw a Wood Turtle - Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1: Let's begin with the head. Draw a line that points up then back down.

Step 3: Okay let's draw the turtle's shell - make a large and bumpy oval shape! Our wood turtle needs this shell for protection from various predators.

Step 7: Alright, you're almost done - draw a short curved tail at the back of the shell, and a small front left leg at the turtle's neck.

Interesting Facts about Wood Turtles

Wood Turtles are found only in North America, the species has been found in Nova Scotia all the way down to West Virginia in the United States. Wood Turtles are brown in color with a pyramid shape to its shell. They reach 5 to 7 inches long and spend most of their time in water. Wood Turtles live in streams, ponds, and some grassland. They are awake during the day time and never really get too far from water. Wood Turtles eat plants, slugs, mushrooms, and worms.

Did you know?

• It’s against the law to own a Wood Turtle as a pet, but the animals are still collected for the pet industry. It is one of the reasons they are endangered.
• A female can lay 3-18 eggs at a time.
• Like most turtles and reptiles, a Wood Turtle has to sun itself to keep warm.
• In late winter and early spring it never leaves the water.
• In the wild, a Wood Turtle can age well past 58 years old.

Activity: Each student paints the back of a paper plate. When they finish “the shell” glue a head, a tail, and 4 legs to the underside. Draw a smiley face on the head with a marker.