Python’s turtle module draws shapes by moving a cursor while its pen is down. Use forward() to draw a line, turn with left() or right(), and repeat those commands to make polygons. Circles, pen controls, and fill colors build on the same basics.
Python describes turtle graphics as a way for learners to encounter programming concepts with “instant, visible feedback.” The examples below use a Turtle object so the drawing commands stay grouped under pen.
Draw a square with Python Turtle
Save this as a Python file and run it in an environment with Tkinter available. The turtle window opens, draws a square, then moves to a new position to draw a circle.
import turtle
pen = turtle.Turtle()
# Draw a square
for _ in range(4):
pen.forward(100)
pen.right(90)
# Move without drawing, then draw a circle
pen.penup()
pen.goto(140, 0)
pen.pendown()
pen.circle(50)
turtle.done()
The number passed to forward() is a distance in turtle coordinates; it should not be treated as a guaranteed number of screen pixels. turtle.done() keeps the graphics window active after the drawing commands finish.
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How movement and turns make shapes
Move in the current heading
pen.forward(distance) moves the turtle in the direction it currently faces. With the pen down, it leaves a line behind. A newly created turtle faces east by default.
Turn at each corner
pen.left(angle) and pen.right(angle) change the turtle’s heading without drawing a line. The angle is in degrees. For a regular polygon, use an exterior turn of 360 / number_of_sides after each side.
| Shape | Repeated drawing pattern | Turn after each side |
|---|---|---|
| Equilateral triangle | 3 sides | 120 degrees |
| Square | 4 sides | 90 degrees |
| Regular pentagon | 5 sides | 72 degrees |
| Regular hexagon | 6 sides | 60 degrees |
For example, replacing the square loop’s range(4) with range(6) and its right(90) with right(60) draws a regular hexagon. Keep the forward distance the same on each pass for equal sides.
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Use loops or write each side separately
A loop expresses the repeated pattern compactly and is easy to adapt to polygons with different side counts:
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sides = 5
length = 80
turn = 360 / sides
for _ in range(sides):
pen.forward(length)
pen.right(turn)
For a first demonstration, writing each forward() and turn explicitly can make the sequence of actions easy to see. A loop is more useful once the same pair of actions repeats or the number of sides may change.
Draw circles and arcs
pen.circle(radius) draws a full circle by default. To draw only part of the circle, supply an extent in degrees, such as pen.circle(50, 180) for a half-circle. Turtle approximates a circle using polygon steps, so the curve is rendered as a sequence of small straight movements.
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Change pen color, width, and drawing behavior
Set line and fill colors
pen.color(pencolor, fillcolor) sets the outline and fill colors. For example, pen.color("red", "gold") makes the outline red and the fill gold. To change only the outline, pass one color.
Adjust line thickness
Use pen.width(value), also called pen.pensize(value), to change the pen’s line width. The default is a thin line; increase the value when an outline needs to stand out.
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Call pen.penup() (alias pen.up()) before repositioning the turtle to avoid leaving a line. Call pen.pendown() (alias pen.down()) when it should draw again. In the square-and-circle example, goto(140, 0) moves the turtle to a new coordinate while the pen is raised.
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Fill a shape
Set a fill color, start fill mode immediately before tracing the outline, and end it after the path is complete:
pen.color("red", "gold")
pen.begin_fill()
for _ in range(3):
pen.forward(100)
pen.left(120)
pen.end_fill()
Python 3.14 and later also support fill() as a context manager, grouping the outline commands inside the fill block:
with pen.fill():
for _ in range(3):
pen.forward(100)
pen.left(120)
The context-manager form is not available in older Python versions. For self-intersecting outlines, the fill result can depend on the operating system’s graphics implementation.
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Choose an interface that fits the drawing
The functional interface is a compact way to try a simple example, while a Turtle() object makes the commands explicit and is easier to organize as a program grows or uses more than one turtle. The documentation cautions that from turtle import * imports many names and may create conflicts in larger scripts; import turtle keeps those names under the turtle. prefix.
Turtle is well suited to simple drawings and learning command sequences. It is not a replacement for a general-purpose graphics or image-rendering library when a project needs more advanced rendering capabilities.
Fix a missing Tkinter error
Turtle graphics requires Tkinter. Python.org’s Windows and macOS installers include it, but some Linux distributions and other platforms package the Tk interface separately. If importing turtle fails with an _tkinter error, check whether your platform’s Tk interface package is installed rather than reinstalling Python without checking.
See the Python 3.12 turtle documentation for the established movement, pen, circle, and fill APIs. The Python 3.15.0rc3 documentation is prerelease documentation and describes the newer fill() context manager and Tkinter packaging note.
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