Digital Drawings with TurtleArt
TurtleArt is a free, web-based coding platform that lets you make artistic designs and share your code sequences and images with friends. Designs created using code are easy to share and make into beautiful Instagram images, screen and phone backdrops, or large wall projections.
Materials and Tools
The only essential tools needed to make digital drawings with TurtleArt is a computer - that's it! If you're interested in making your code physical, consider the following tools:
- Printer (color or black & white)
- Craft cutter
- Axidraw
- 3D printer
- Watercolor Bot
- Poleroid camera
Using TurtleArt and Coding Tips
Programming in TurtleArt is as simple as clicking blocks together like LEGO! Check out this video and see how quickly a design can come together in under 60 seconds.
This visual coding platform makes it easy to jump right in and try things out. If you are eager to try something, here are a couple of code blocks to get started.
Download this getting started guide by clicking on the graphic or here.
Tip: The save button is located in the bottom left corner and will download your image and code so far. You can drag and drop any TurtleArt PNG file into the browser window to reveal the code and remix.
Start with a Remix
A remix is a modified version of an existing code sequence. For your first designs, recreate an existing design from this card deck. Getting comfortable with how each block works will help you in developing a language that you can use when making your own designs. You can also use one of these premade designs as a starting point.
Tip: If you drag and drop a TurtleArt image into the TurtleArt web editor, its code will appear! That's because the code is saved into the file, which is a great feature for sharing and remixing projects.
Make it Physical
Use the tools of your choice to bring designs into the physical world. Consider making a gallery wall displaying a vast collection of different computational designs.
Customize a personal object you use every day, like a notebook, phonecase, or box.
Take it Further
Discover different ways to create with code. TurtleArt is a great platform to get started with creative computing, and there are many more to discover. Try out Scratch, TinkerCad blocks, and BeetleBlocks.
On top of the various coding environments, there are quite a few fantastic and exotic plotters and cutters we have discovered over the years, including a water color plotter, and a digital sewing machine. Read more about unusual output devices for coded art in this blog post.