How to Draw a Tortoise – Easy Step-by-Step Shell Animal Drawing for Kids

Download How to Draw PDF Worksheet

Want to know how to draw a tortoise step by step? Check out this easy guide from Monkey Pen.

Step 1: First draw the rounded head of the tortoise.

Step 2: Draw its face using smooth curves.

Step 3: Within the face, add eyebrows using dash-like lines, nostrils with two tiny dots and a wide curve with dashes at the ends along with a wide ‘U’ shaped curve below for the mouth. This indicates the tortoise is smiling.

Step 4: Create its back neck with a gentle curve.

Step 5: Draw its front neck with a curved line.

Step 6: Create its body using a tiny curve alongside the front neck.

Step 7: Build its upper body with a series of gentle curves joined together.

Step 8: Complete the body at the back, making a wide half-moon shape.

Step 9: Add its shell at the top, with an upside-down ‘C’.

Step 10: Below its front neck, draw a wide C in a slanting position.

Step 11: Then add tiny soft curves to complete the front flipper.

Step 12: Continue its body with a short, curved line.

Step 13: Include its back flipper, which is short. 

Step 14: Draw a curved line below the shell to show the shell thickness.

Step 15: Complete the shell thickness with a smooth curve.

Step 16: Create its front flipper on the opposite side with a small wide C.

Step 17: Use tiny sharp curves to finish the front flipper.

Step 18: Show another flipper at the back with a small ‘V’ and its tail that looks like a sharp triangle

Step 19: Draw tiny stripes that look like rectangular bricks within the outer layer of shell.

Step 20: Draw a half hexagon at the top of the shell.

Step 21: Make a few hexagons for the shell patterns.

Step 22: Add a few more hexagons adjacent to it.

Step 23: Draw tiny lines vertically and horizontally below the big hexagons to complete the shell.

Step 24: Within the body, below the shell, add diagonal lines. Don’t forget to draw a tiny curve just beside the front flipper.

Step 25: Add tiny spots that look like ovals on the front flipper.

Step 26: Give ovals for the other front flipper too.

Step 27: Provide ovals for the back flipper and for the tail as well.

Step 28: Draw small ovals for the eyes.

Step 29: Add tiny circles inside, towards one lower corner of the eye. to show the eyeballs.

Step 30: A smiling cartoon tortoise is ready for you to color.

Download How to Draw PDF Worksheet