Paint A Sea Turtle: Easy Step-By-Step Guide

Sea turtles are graceful and serene creatures that can be challenging to paint. However, with the right materials and step-by-step guidance, even beginners can create a captivating sea turtle painting. In this tutorial, we will explore the process of painting a sea turtle with acrylic paints, from creating the underwater background to bringing the intricate shell patterns and mesmerizing head of the turtle to life. We will also learn how to draw the turtle symmetrically and in proportion, ensuring a beautiful and harmonious composition.

Sketching the turtle

Sketching a sea turtle is a simple process, but it's important to get the proportions right. Start by drawing an angled cross, then draw an "x" through it—this will ensure the turtle is symmetrical and helps with placement and size. The "x" will also help you draw the sea turtle's front flippers. Next, draw a shell shape using the star as a reference. The shape of the turtle shell will be like an upside-down spear, about 5 inches long and 4 inches wide.

Draw the head and eyes, centering them on the shell. The head should be about 1.5 inches long. Then, draw the back flippers, which are similar in shape to spears. You can now fill in the turtle's eyes with black paint and add white reflection marks to make it look like it's looking forward. Curve the line outward like the shape of the eye and add two dots on the inside.

If you want to add more detail to your turtle, you can use a paint pen or marker to draw maze-like patterns on its shell. You can also paint the pattern on the turtle's skin (all four flippers and the head) using your smallest detail brush and phthalo green. Imagine it as a bunch of tiny broken pieces of glass glued in a mosaic pattern with spaces in between. You can paint this pattern and fill in each flipper, or you can leave the tips bare for a different look.

Remember, it's important not to press too hard on the canvas, as it will be difficult to erase any mistakes. You can also use graphite paper to transfer your sketch of the turtle onto the canvas if you don't want to draw directly on the canvas.

Painting the background

Choose Your Colours

For the ocean background, select a pure ultramarine blue shade. You will also need titanium white to lighten the shade as you work your way up the canvas to create a sense of the ocean surface. For the sea floor, you will need a range of blues, from dark to light, which you can achieve by adding a touch of yellow ochre to your background shade.

Paint the Ocean

Using your ultramarine blue, make sweeping horizontal brushstrokes with a large flat brush. Blend the colours slightly, allowing some streakiness to indicate ocean currents. Work your way up the canvas, progressively adding more titanium white to your blue to lighten the shade. If you accidentally paint over the edges of your turtle, don't worry—you can cover this with white paint once the blue is dry.

Paint the Sea Floor

Use short horizontal brushstrokes and vary the shades of blue, from dark to light, to indicate the sandy sea floor.

Add Light Effects

To create shafts of light streaming diagonally from the surface to the sea floor, use a large round brush. Dab a tiny amount of titanium white onto the tip of the brush and scrub straight diagonal lines above and below the turtle.

Optional Details

If you want to add extra details to your underwater scene, you can paint bubbles in the background using your round brush and titanium white. You can also draw and paint a starfish—a fun addition to fill up the canvas! Start by drawing the starfish with chalk, then paint it using a mix of cadmium orange and titanium white for a pretty coral colour.

Remember, you can always add your own creative touches and experiment with colours to make your sea turtle painting unique!

Adding details to the turtle

Now that you have sketched the outline of the turtle and painted the background, it's time to add details to the turtle.

First, paint the underlying skin of the flippers, neck, and underbelly. For this step, you can block in a creamy colour made from titanium white, yellow ochre, and burnt sienna.

Next, use a small detail brush and phthalo green to paint the pattern on the turtle's skin, including all four flippers and the head. The pattern is random and mosaic-like, almost like tiny broken pieces of glass glued together with spaces in between. You can fill in each flipper or leave the tips bare for a different look.

Now, use a small brush and some black paint to fill in the turtle's eyes. Once the paint is dry, use a small detailing brush or a fine-tip paint pen to add white reflection marks to the eyes, curving the line outward to match the shape of the eye. Add two dots on the inside of each eye.

If you have a paint marker or paint pen, you can further stylize the pattern on the turtle's shell by drawing maze-like patterns in each section.

For the final details, use varying concentrations of burnt sienna mixed with burnt umber to paint the scale patterns. Using a small filbert brush for tiny scales and a larger filbert brush for larger scales, create an irregular basic row pattern to avoid uniformity. You can start with the back flipper to practice your technique before moving on to the most prominent areas.

Painting the shell

Start by drawing the shell shape using a pencil. The shape of the turtle shell will be like an upside-down spear, about 5 inches long and 4 inches wide. You can use an angled cross and draw an "X" through it to ensure symmetry and help with placement and size.

Now, let's mix the colours. In a palette, mix white with aqua green. Using a medium round brush, paint the top part of your canvas with horizontal back-and-forth strokes, covering about 2 inches. Clean your brush and pick up some pure aqua green, then paint the middle part of the canvas using the same horizontal strokes, blending it with the colour above.

Mix a little Ultramarine Blue with the remaining aqua green on your palette and paint this mixture a couple of inches from the previous layer, continuing the horizontal strokes. Pick up some pure Ultramarine Blue paint and paint down to the bottom of the canvas, ensuring you're blending with the previous colour. Allow the background to dry.

Using your smallest detail brush and phthalo green, paint in the pattern on the turtle's shell. The pattern is random and similar to a mosaic, like tiny broken pieces of glass glued together with space in between. You can fill in each section of the shell or leave the tips bare for a different look.

For an optional step, use a paint marker or fine-tip paint pen to further stylize the pattern on the turtle's shell by drawing "maze-like" patterns in each section.

Final touches

Now that you've painted the sea turtle's shell and body, it's time to add the finishing touches to your painting. Here are some detailed instructions to help you perfect your sea turtle painting:

Step 1: Paint the ocean currents by making sweeping horizontal brushstrokes with a large flat brush. Blend the colours slightly, allowing some streakiness to create the effect of ocean currents. If you accidentally paint over the edges of the turtle, simply cover these areas with white paint once the blue paint is dry.

Step 2: Create the sandy sea floor using short horizontal brushstrokes. Layer different shades of blue, from dark to light, by adding a touch of yellow ochre to the background sea colours.

Step 3: Add shafts of light streaming diagonally from the surface to the sea floor. Dab a tiny amount of titanium white paint onto the tip of a large round brush and scrub straight diagonal lines above and below the turtle.

Step 4: Enhance the effect of light hitting the sea floor by adding swirls of yellow ochre, toned down with the sea floor colour.

Step 5: For an optional final touch, add some bubbles to your painting. Using the same round brush you used for the wavy water lines, paint a circle in one stroke and add a small arc line to the left of each circle.

Your sea turtle painting is now complete! Enjoy your beautiful underwater creation, and feel free to experiment with different colours and techniques as you continue to refine your artistic skills.

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