How do you draw Squirtle: Why most beginner tutorials fail at the shell

Everyone thinks Squirtle is the easiest starter to draw. He’s basically just a circle with some limbs, right? Wrong. If you’ve ever tried to sketch this blue turtle from memory, you’ve probably ended up with something that looks more like a weirdly shaped potato than a Pokémon. There’s a specific geometry to Ken Sugimori’s original 1996 design that most people miss. It’s about the weight. Squirtle isn't just a flat cartoon; he’s got a heavy, rounded carapace that dictates how his entire body sits on the ground.

If you’re wondering how do you draw Squirtle so he actually looks like the guy from the Kanto region, you have to stop thinking about lines and start thinking about volume.

The biggest mistake? Treating the shell like a flat backpack. It’s an anatomical part of him. When you look at the official Pokémon Red and Blue artwork, or even the modern 3D models in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the shell has a distinct "rim" or "cuff" that wraps around the neck and limbs. If you don't get that rim right, the whole drawing falls apart.

The Secret is in the Sphere

Before you even touch a pencil to paper, you need to visualize two spheres. One for the head, one for the body. But here is the kicker: the body sphere is actually slightly smaller than you think it is because the shell adds the bulk.

Grab a 2H pencil. Or a light blue colored pencil if you’re feeling fancy.

Draw a circle for the head. Now, right below it, draw a slightly larger oval for the torso. These should overlap. A lot of beginners keep them separate, which makes Squirtle look like he has a giraffe neck. He doesn't. He’s a chunky boy. His chin should basically be resting on the top edge of his shell.

Shaping the Skull

Squirtle’s head isn't a perfect ball. It’s more of a "squished" sphere with a slightly pointed snout. Think of a lightbulb but shorter. His eyes are huge. Like, distractingly huge. They take up about 40% of his face. They are reddish-brown and shaped like a rounded triangle or a fan.

You’ve gotta get the eye placement right. If they are too high, he looks like a frog. Too low, and he looks like he’s melting. Put them right on the horizontal midline of that head circle you drew.

That Iconic Shell Rim

This is where people mess up. The white rim of Squirtle's shell is thick. It’s like a padded collar. When you’re figuring out how do you draw Squirtle, you need to wrap this rim around the torso oval. It should curve upward near the neck.

Inside the shell, the pattern is a hexagon. Don't just scribble random lines. It’s a central hexagon with lines radiating out to the edges. It’s a classic turtle scute pattern. If you look at actual turtles, like the Red-eared Slider that likely inspired Squirtle's design, the patterns are intricate. Pokémon simplifies this, but the logic remains.

Limbs and the Curly Tail

Squirtle’s arms and legs are stubby. They are essentially cylinders with rounded ends. His "hands" don't really have fingers in the traditional sense; they have three small, white claws.

The legs are thicker. Squirtle is a bipedal turtle (mostly), so his thighs need to look like they can support his weight. When he’s standing, his feet should be flat on the ground.

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Then there’s the tail.

The tail is Squirtle’s most unique feature compared to a real-life turtle. It’s a squirrel tail. That’s literally where the name comes from (Squirrel + Turtle). It’s thick at the base and curls into a tight spiral at the end. If you draw it too thin, he looks like a lizard. It needs to have some fluff to it, even though it’s technically "smooth" skin.

Line Weight and the Sugimori Style

If you want that authentic 90s feel, you need to pay attention to line weight. Ken Sugimori’s early art used a lot of watercolor-style shading and varying line thicknesses.

Use a thicker line for the outer silhouette of the shell. Use a thinner, more delicate line for the facial features and the pattern on his belly (the plastron). The belly has horizontal lines, usually three or four, that follow the curve of his stomach.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• The Flat Face: Don't draw the eyes on a flat plane. Remember the head is a ball. The eyes should wrap around the side.
• The Tiny Shell: Make the shell bigger than you think. He lives in there.
• The "Human" Pose: Don't make him stand too upright. He should have a slight forward lean, like he’s ready to tackle someone.
• Missing the Nostrils: They are just two tiny dots. But without them, he looks like he can't breathe.

Color Theory for the Tiny Turtle

Squirtle isn't just "blue." He’s a very specific shade of light cyan. His shell is a warm, deep brown (burnt sienna works well here) with a pale yellow or cream-colored underside.

If you are using digital tools like Procreate or Photoshop, try using a textured brush. The original Pokémon art wasn't perfectly smooth. It had a bit of grit. If you're using Copic markers, go for B00 or B01 for the skin and E35 for the shell.

When shading, remember where your light source is. Usually, in Pokémon art, the light comes from the top left. This means the bottom right of his shell and the area under his chin will be the darkest.

Why Your Squirtle Looks "Off"

Sometimes you follow all the steps and it still looks weird.

Check the "S" curve. Squirtle's body should have a subtle S-shape from the top of his head, down his back, and through the curl of his tail. If his spine looks like a straight stick, he’ll look stiff. He’s an aquatic creature; he needs to look fluid and agile, even on land.

Another thing: the mouth. Squirtle has a "beak" sort of mouth. Even when it’s closed, there’s a slight little point in the middle of the upper lip. It’s subtle. But it adds that "turtle" DNA back into the design.

Step-by-Step Action Plan

1. Ghosting the Shapes: Lightly draw a circle for the head and a larger oval for the body. Use a very light touch.
2. The Shell Framework: Draw the thick rim of the shell. Make sure it looks like it’s encircling the body, not just sitting on top.
3. Facial Mapping: Add a vertical and horizontal crosshair to the face to place the eyes. This ensures symmetry.
4. The Squiggle Tail: Start with a thick base at the lower back and spiral it inward. It should be almost as big as his head.
5. Refining the Silhouette: Go over your light lines with a darker pencil or pen. Vary the thickness—thicker on the bottom, thinner on the top where light hits.
6. The Belly Plates: Add the horizontal lines on the yellow part of the stomach. Keep them curved to show the roundness of the belly.
7. Final Details: Add the three small claws on each limb and the tiny nostril dots.

Drawing Pokémon is basically an exercise in understanding how to simplify complex animals into geometric shapes. Squirtle is the perfect bridge between a simple shape and a complex character. Once you master the shell-to-body ratio, drawing the rest of the Squirtle evolution line—Wartortle and Blastoise—becomes a lot more intuitive because they share that same foundational structure.

Practice the shell rim specifically. Do it ten times. If you get that rim to look three-dimensional, your Squirtle will instantly jump off the page. Grab a sketchbook and try drawing him from a side profile first, then move to the three-quarters view once you’re comfortable with the shell's volume.