Perhaps you see this painted turtle and think "I can't paint that — I don't even know where to start!" Let's shift that mindset and change that statement to "I can't paint that...yet." This step-by-step tutorial will walk you through how to paint a turtle in six easy steps.
Supplies used in this tutorial:
- acrylic paint (we like Apple Barrel acrylic paint or CraftSmart)
- brushes (this 50-brush set includes every bristle width and variety of tip)
- paint pens (we use a combination of extra fine tip Posca and medium point Posca paint pens)
- sealer (this brush-on acrylic varnish is our favorite — scroll to the bottom for all the reasons we love it)
Let's get started!
We used a hunter green color, so only needed one coat of paint. And, we stuck to different shades of green for our rock. Be creative! Add a background color that contrasts with the color of your turtle. Or, don't paint a background color at all. Experimenting is half the fun!
Time to start drawing
Start by drawing the the turtle's shell, sort of a half oval shape. Make sure to leave some room to the right side of the shell to draw a head. We used the medium tip Posca paint pen (3M) in light green. But, again, color is completely up to you.
Use a thinner tip paint pen (we used the fine tip Posca paint pen (1M)) to outline what you've drawn.
TIP: You'll quickly see how adding that black outline immediately makes your design "pop"! For even finer outlining and detail for your rocks, try the ultra fine tip Posca paint pens (0.7M). These have a micro tip that work well when writing words or adding really fine details to your designs.
Now, add two legs. We gave him some toes. But, be creative! Maybe your turtle will be walking through some grass and you won't see those toes. Or, he's got his toes in the sand while exploring a beach.
At this point, we alternate between paint pens, drawing a bit and following up with a black outline to add some definition.
For this step, we added three elements to this design:
- A face
- Two hind legs
- A tail
For tutorial purposes, we tried to keep the turtle design pretty simple. Feel free to add to yours! Maybe he's headed to a baseball game, in which case, give him a ball cap. Or, on a larger rock, leave some room at the bottom for a phrase like "slow down and enjoy life".
We used the yellow medium tip Posca paint pen to add some details for his shell.
TIP: So, here's the thing we've noticed when using the color yellow. And, in our experience, this applies to both yellow acrylic paint and yellow paint pens. Yellow rarely covers nicely in one coat ... err, two coats ... ughh, sometimes even three coats! Even with this dark green background, the yellow paint pen required several coats.
We were pretty set on having the contrast of yellow and green, so kept at it, but thought it was worth a mention in case you're painting and thinking "this isn't working!" — it will work, just be patient and persistent. For added contrast, we used a darker green color to outline the yellow shell details.
Hiding your rock? Seal it first.
If setting your rock outdoors, make sure to add a waterproof sealer, like DecoArt DuraClear gloss varnish.
Our guide to rock painting covers how to apply this sealer and why we think this particular brand is better than some alternatives. And, if you'd like to follow the journey of your turtle, get an ID from GoRock.com to track your painted rocks.