How to Draw a Sea Turtle
Learning how to draw a sea turtle is easy and fun, if you follow some simple steps. We’ll show you how to break things down into basic shapes to make the drawing process really easy.
We’ll also show you how to outline, shade, and color with markers. From there you can draw sea turtles until your heart’s content.
Art and drawing are skills anyone can learn with practice and consistency. The more you draw, the better you will get. Make sure you are keeping things relaxing and enjoyable so you’ll look forward to your creative time.
Let’s grab some supplies, and learn how to draw a sea turtle the easy way.
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Art Supplies
- Thin black marker
- Paper or cardstock
- Markers
- Pencil
- Click Eraser, Pink Pearl Eraser
- White Gelly Roll pen
Sea Turtle Sketch Exercise
I’ve always understood the benefits of doing quick sketches as a warm up exercise. But I’ve recently been doing them before working on all my drawings and it’s been a game changer for me.
Doing some quick sketches is a great way to familiarize yourself with whatever it is you’re going to be drawing.
So by doing some quick sea turtle sketches you’ll better understand the shapes and proportions that make up the overall body of the turtle. And you’ll be able to see all the details better.
To do the exercise, just set a timer for three or five minutes and do as many sea turtle sketches as you can before the timer goes off.
Or, you can just sketch until your paper is filled. Just make sure you do them quickly and don’t spend too much time on the exercise.
You want to keep your lines loose and free flowing. Don’t worry about the really small details. Just capture the essence of your sea turtles.
And use some reference photos when doing your sketches. It will make things so much easier.
How to Draw a Sea Turtle Easy Step by Step
Learning how to draw a sea turtle, or anything else, is easiest if you start with some basic shapes. This not only helps to simplify the drawing process, but it also helps you take that first step.
And it helps get the layout, size, and proportions correct. It’s much easier to change things early on than towards the end.
Start by drawing an oval for the shell and the head. You can draw the head slightly away from the body and then connect it with a couple of lines to make the neck.
Then draw the front and rear fins, or legs. Not sure how you would refer to them.
Using a reference photo would be helpful to see the shapes and details.
Now we’re going to start drawing in some details for our sea turtle drawing. Begin by adding the outside edge of the shell.
Refine the shape of the head and neck. Also, draw an eye for your sea turtle.
Next, work on the shape for the fins. Use your reference photo to see how to draw in the details.
Now you can start drawing the pattern in the shell. Start with the ones going down the center of the shell.
And then fill in the rest of the shell by adding the patterns along the sides. This will create texture in your drawing.
You can learn more in our tutorial How to Use Texture in Art.
Sea Turtle Outline
After you’ve finished your sea turtle drawing, you can use a black pen to go over your lines. Making a sea turtle outline will help to create a clean drawing and get it ready for color.
You can use thin lines, thick lines, or a combination of the two. You could also use a color other than black. Do whatever fits your artistic style. If you don’t know what that is yet, don’t worry. Your own style will develop over time with more practice.
There are many different ways you can do your outlines. Have fun, be creative, and try new things.
When you’re finished with your outline use an eraser to remove all of your pencil lines.
How to Draw a Sea Turtle with Markers
Now let’s look at how to draw a sea turtle with markers. Markers are great for adding color because they are so bright and vibrant. And I love that the colors can be blended together to create smooth transitions.
Learning to use markers is really easy. And there’s only a few things you need to keep in mind when using them.
First, if you want to be able to blend your colors together you need to use alcohol based markers. Bic, Sharpie, and Copic for example. As well as many others.
Second, you need to work while the colors are still wet or they won’t mix together. This isn’t a big deal. Just make sure you work on a section at a time.
Third, you need to use colors that are similar to each other if you want to create a smooth transition of color. If your markers are too different they will leave a harder edge.
In this example, I used a light green, medium green, and dark green for your sea turtle drawing. And a few different browns for the shell.
This technique can also be used with colored pencils or paint. Regardless of what medium you choose, avoid using only one solid color. Using one color will make your drawings look flat and boring.
A white Gelly Roll pen can be used to add highlights.
Final Thoughts and Next Steps
You know how to draw a sea turtle, so what’s next? Where do you go from here? The next step in learning how to do something is always to practice.
If you want to get better at drawing you need to draw more. Or, if you want to improve your skills using markers, you need to practice using markers.
The more often you draw or work on your artwork, the better you will get. Even if it’s only for a few minutes each day. Repetition and consistency are key to improving your art skills.
Challenge yourself to do a series of sea turtle drawings and see what you can come up with. Not only will it improve your drawing skills, but it will also improve your creativity.
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