Drawing a Corgi and a Heart with Python Turtle

This article introduces Python's Turtle graphics library as a fun way to learn basic programming concepts while creating visual drawings such as a corgi and a heart shape.

1. Quick start – The Turtle module provides functions for moving a virtual pen on a coordinate plane. Import the library with:

from turtle import *

The default origin (0,0) is at the center, and the pen initially faces east (0°).

2. Canvas and pen settings – You can control the canvas size, background color, and pen attributes:

screensize(800, 600, "white")

setup(600, 600)

pensize(3)

color("red")

Functions such as home() , clear() , reset() , hideturtle() , and showturtle() manage the drawing environment.

3. Movement commands – Basic motion includes forward, backward, left, right, and absolute positioning:

fd(100)   # move forward 100 units

bd(50)    # move backward 50 units

right(90) # turn right 90°

left(45)  # turn left 45°

goto(200, -150) # jump to (200, -150)

Other useful commands are stamp() (draw the turtle shape) and undo() (revert the last action).

4. Pen control – Use pd() to put the pen down (draw) and pu() to lift it (move without drawing). dot(diameter, color) draws a filled circle at the current position, and circle(radius, extent) draws arcs or full circles.

5. Inserting text – The write() function adds text with alignment and font options:

write("EESAST the best!", align="right", font=("华文隶书", 20, "bold"))

Alignment can be "left" , "center" , or "right" .

6. Drawing the corgi (single dog) – The face is created by combining straight lines and quarter‑circle arcs:

pd()

fd(25)

circle(100, 90)

circle(120, 90)

fd(10)

circle(120, 90)

circle(100, 90)

fd(25)

pu()

Eyes are drawn with goto() , begin_fill() , circle() , and end_fill() . The mouth and ears are added similarly with additional arcs.

7. Drawing a heart – By adjusting the heading and using a series of arcs, a heart shape is produced:

size = 90

pu(); goto(0, -100); pd()

begin_fill()

seth(150); fd(size)

circle(-3.74*size, 45)

circle(-1.43*size, 165)

left(120)

circle(-1.43*size, 165)

circle(-3.74*size, 45)

fd(size)

end_fill()

The pen color is set to red and the fill color to pink to complete the heart.

By following these steps and the provided code snippets, readers can easily create the illustrated corgi and heart, gaining hands‑on experience with Python Turtle graphics.