Turtle Line Art & Full Color Illustration

Artist's notes:

It was with the humble turtle that my interest and - I guess I can so call it - success as a scientific illustrator really came into focus. As I began to draw more and more animals, I grew in appreciation at their diversity. And, more importantly, the interest that people had in specific species of animals, especially turtles. Of course I was a aware of the different species, like sea turtles, painted turtles, box turtles and so forth. But what I wasn't aware of what that these distinctions - even getting down to the exact species of turtle - was what people wanted or needed for their projects. There are thousands of people in the world who own turtles and tortoises as pets. And should they want a piece of artwork, they naturally and sensibly would prefer a precise species, not a generic idea of what a turtles is. There are hundreds of species of turtles, and most likely I won't be able to draw them all. But if you have a suggestion please send me an email and I'll do my best to draw it.

Information about Turtles:

Turtles are aquatic or semi-aquatic reptiles of the order Testudines. Because they are reptiles, they exothermic so they cannot regulate their body temperature and must use their environments to do so. Turtles are part of the Superorder Chelonia, which includes terrapins, sea turtles and tortoises. The oldest known turtles date from about 215 million years ago, in the late Triassic Period of the Mesozoic era, which makes them older than the other reptiles like snakes, lizards and even crocodiles. All turtles breath air and lay their eggs on land. The largest extant (living) chelonian is the Leatherback Sea Turtle, which the shell alone can grow to a size of over six feet and the animal can weigh in excess of a ton (900 kg) There were turtles who went extinct like the Archelon ischyros, which could grow to a length of over 15 feet (4.6 meters) Turtles have become very successful animals through millions of years of evolution, and inhabit every continent except Antarctica. Turtles are very popular as pets, and thousands of people keep them in aquariums and ponds. Some turtles, like the red-eared slider, have been introduced into areas they are not native to, and have become an invasive species forcing the native turtles out.

Turtles of the World Poster

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