Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Turtle (Cartoon)" video after each step to draw at your own pace.

 

Written step-by-step video tutorial:

 

For the first few steps, don't press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin.

 

Step 1: Draw a small oval for the turtle's eye. Sketch lightly at first. Darken the line when you get the shape right. Add a line in the middle for the eyelid.

 

Step 2: Draw a line that starts at the eye, then curves to the left and down for the turtle's muzzle. Now curve the line up back toward the eye to create the top part of the mouth.

 

Step 3: To the left of the turtle's eye, draw the top part of an oval with a line in the middle for the other eye.

 

Step 4: Inside each eye, draw a tiny dot for the pupils. Above each eye, draw a curved line for the turtle's heavy brows. The brow on the right should curve down and almost touch the mouth.

 

Step 5: Under the top part of the mouth, draw a short, curved line for the mouth's opening.

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Step 6: Draw two lines inside the mouth for the tongue. Add a line above the smile for the turtle's cheek.

 

Step 7: Draw a curved line to the left of the mouth and another to the right of the eyes for the head.

 

Step 8: Below the back of the head, draw a short, curved line for the top of the turtle's neck. Below the mouth, draw a longer curved line for the bottom part of the neck.

 

Step 9: Starting next to the neck, draw a long, wavy line that slopes down and to the right for the first part of the turtle's shell. Pay attention to where the line curves back up at the bottom. That's where the first leg will be. Add another line on top that parallels the first one to make the edge of the shell thicker.

 

Step 10: Below the section where the shell curves, draw a shape similar to a bell for the first leg. Sketch lightly at first, and then darken the lines when you get the shape right. Don't make the leg too long. Add three curved lines at the bottom for the turtle's nails and a few more lines in the middle for wrinkles.

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Step 11: Draw a series of curved lines that connect the wavy line, the neck and leg to form the bottom shell.

 

Step 12: Below the front of the shell, draw the visible part of the second front leg the same way as the first.

 

Step 13: Continue drawing the edge of the turtle's shell as a set of wavy lines toward the right. Where the lines curve up is where the hind leg will be. Sketch lightly at first to get the lines right.

 

Step 14: Below the section of the shell that curves up, draw the hind leg the same way as the front legs. Use a bell-like shape for the entire leg. Add three curved lines for the turtle's nails at the bottom.

 

Step 15: Draw a couple of short lines between the legs to finish the bottom part of the shell. To draw the top part of the shell, first make a mark to indicate how tall you want to make it. Then draw curved lines that slope down on either side of the small mark to finish the shape of the turtle's shell.

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Step 16: Between the legs, draw the visible portion of the hind leg on the other side of the body. On the lower, right side of the body, draw two small, curved lines for the turtle's tail.

 

Step 17: Add the turtle's hell detail by first drawing two sloping, vertical lines near the bottom. Add a horizontal line at the top to connect the sloping lines and close off the shape. At the top, draw a similar shape but invert it so that it's upside-down. On the sides, draw angled lines that are similar to greater-than and less than signs (> <).

 

Step 18: Using a pen or marker, carefully go over the lines to make your turtle drawing permanent. After inking, get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser.

 

Final Step: Color your turtle drawing using color pencils, markers or even crayons! You can color your drawing any way you want. For this look, use yellow-green for the skin. Use dark green for the shapes inside the shell. Use brown for the bottom edge of the shell and the space between the shell shapes. Use yellow for the bottom part of the turtle's shell, pink for the tongue and red for the inside of the mouth.

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To learn how to draw popular cartoon characters, visit EasyDrawingTutorials.com.

 

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