In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Painted Turtle in 8 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 Painted Turtle.
Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.
How to Draw a Painted Turtle - Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: To start the Painted Turtle, draw the shell first. Make a large egg shape with another curved line underneath for the bottom of the body. Painted Turtles are one of the only kinds of turtles that can flip itself over if it is ever upside-down.
Step 2: Next, add the neck by making two small curved lines, closed by an arc. They can extend the neck by about half an inch.
Step 3: Draw the head by adding a sharp curve coming out from the neck.
Step 4: To add the face, draw two small circles for the eye, and a small line for the mouth.
Step 5: Next, draw several squiggly lines inside the head for the face details.
Step 6: Now, add two small feet on the underside of the body. For the front leg, draw two lines at a 90 degree angle with pointy toes. The back legs are three sharp little points.
Step 7: Draw two nice arced lines for the shell outline, as show.
Step 8: Next, add the shell patterns by drawing curvy lines inside the outlines you drew before. Also, add some little lines inside the leg. The body and shell of the Painted turtle are green, and you can use orange and yellow for the patterns on the neck and face.
Interesting Facts about Painted Turtles
Painted Turtles are the only turtles to be native to North America. They are very common and can be found all over North America, South Canada, and Northern Mexico. Painted Turtles like lakes, ponds, and marshes. Their shells are smooth and very pretty. The background normally black or green and there are red and yellow markings on top of that. Normally a Painted Turtle is 4-10 inches long and weighs 13 ounces. They like to bask in the sun and hibernate during winter. Sometimes a big group will sun themselves together. People have seen up to 50 turtles in 1 log!
Did you know?
- In captivity, a Painted Turtle can live for 30 years.
- They defend themselves from predators by biting, kicking or even peeing on the attacker.
- If a Painted Turtle gets turned over, it can right itself again. Some turtles can’t.
- Females decide when they are ready to produce eggs after mating. They can wait for three years.
- A Painted Turtle needs to keep its body temperature at 63-73 degrees Fahrenheit. If they don’t then they can’t move.
Activity: Learning about Turtles is a great way to plan an egg hunt regardless of the time of year. Eggs can be hardboiled or plastic Easter eggs filled. Students of all ages will enjoy the classic game.
How to Draw a Painted Turtle – Step-By-Step Tutorial