In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw an Eastern Box 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 Eastern Box Turtle.
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How to Draw an Eastern Box Turtle - Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: Draw an oval for the head. Add a little circle and curved line for the eye and mouth. Draw two lines going down under it for the neck.
Step 2: Make a big oval behind the neck for the top shell.
Step 3: For the front leg draw two lines under the top shell, then add four triangles for the pointy toes. For the hind leg draw a rectangle under the top shell, and add three triangles for the toes.
Step 4: For the lower shell draw a curved line that connects the neck, the legs, and the top shell together.
Step 5: Add a little triangle on the rear end for the tail. Draw a couple of little curved lines under the lower shell, between the legs, for the second pair of legs.
Step 6: On the top shell, draw a big circle with some lines going through it.
Step 7: Draw some patchy patterns on the top shell. Now you can color it! Eastern box turtles are usually brown or black, with yellow or orange patterns on the shell, and red, orange, yellow, or white spots and stripes on their skin.
Interesting Facts about the Eastern box turtle
The eastern box turtle is a type of turtle which is native to the eastern parts of the United States. There are four different types of box turtles that can be found in the United States. These turtles are commonly found in open woodland areas as well as pastures and marshy meadows, as well as near streams and ponds.
Did you know?
- The top shell of the box turtle is called a carapace and the bottom shell is called a plastron
- The shell of the turtle is actually a form of a ribcage like we have as humans, which they aren’t born with completely. They are born with a type of separate ribs that will fuse together by the end of their first active “season
- If the turtles shell gets injured severely enough it will bleed, and it cannot be removed from the turtle without killing the turtle
- Adult male box turtles have very strong and thick, curved claws on their hind feet, and the females have the same claws that are just less thick and curved
- You can normally spot these turtles to be box turtles pretty easily because of the bright yellow-orange markings that they have on their shells
- These turtles will typically grow to be around 8 inches long
How to Draw an Eastern Box Turtle – Step-by-Step Tutorial