A comprehensive, hands-on tutorial for learning turtle graphics programming using ColabTurtle in Google Colab. This 13-week course takes you from absolute beginner to creating complex, portfolio-quality generative art and interactive patterns.
Perfect for:
- Beginners learning to code
- Students wanting a visual approach to programming
- Artists interested in generative art
- Anyone who wants to create beautiful graphics with code
- Overview
- Getting Started
- Course Structure
- Additional Resources
- Tips for Success
- Contributing
- License
What you'll learn:
- Python programming fundamentals through visual feedback
- Turtle graphics commands and techniques
- Functions, loops, and recursion
- Mathematical concepts (geometry, trigonometry, golden ratio)
- Fractal generation and recursive patterns
- Generative and algorithmic art
- Project planning and code organization
What you'll create:
- Geometric pattern libraries
- Fractal trees and snowflakes
- Mathematical visualizations
- Generative art systems
- Complete illustrated scenes
- A portfolio-ready capstone project
- Open Google Colab: Go to colab.research.google.com
- Install ColabTurtle: Run
!pip install ColabTurtlein a code cell - Start with Week 1: Open 01-introduction-and-setup.md
- Follow along: Copy code examples and experiment!
- Complete exercises: Practice with the exercises in each tutorial
- Build projects: Create the challenge projects to reinforce learning
- Intensive: Complete 2-3 tutorials per week (5-6 weeks total)
- Self-paced: Take 1 week per tutorial (13 weeks total)
- Casual: One tutorial every 2 weeks (26 weeks total)
Each tutorial takes approximately 2-4 hours to complete, including practice exercises.
This course is organized into 13 progressive tutorials, each building on previous concepts:
Week 1: Introduction & Setup
Foundation building - Learn what turtle graphics is, set up ColabTurtle, and master basic movement commands. Draw your first lines, shapes, and learn to control the pen.
Key Topics: Installation, initialization, forward/backward, left/right turns, pen up/down
Projects: Draw your initials, create simple line art
Week 2: Basic Shapes & Loops
Shape fundamentals - Draw geometric shapes efficiently using loops. Understand angles and create polygons from triangles to octagons.
Key Topics: For loops, polygon drawing, angle calculation (360/sides), color basics, speed control
Projects: Colorful geometric art, house shape, rainbow hexagon
Week 3: Colors & Pen Control
Visual enhancement - Master color theory and pen control to make your drawings vibrant and varied. Work with background colors and line thickness.
Key Topics: Color names, RGB values, background colors, pen width, color cycling, gradients
Projects: Rainbow patterns, sunset scene, colorful flower
Week 4: Functions & Modularity
Code organization - Create reusable functions to build a library of shapes. Learn parameters, default values, and proper code structure.
Key Topics: Function definition, parameters, docstrings, modularity, shape libraries
Projects: Build a complete shape library, scene builder with reusable components
Week 5: Patterns & Loops
Pattern creation - Generate beautiful repeating patterns using loops and rotation. Create spirals, mandalas, and kaleidoscope effects.
Key Topics: Nested loops, circular patterns, spirals, grids, rotational symmetry
Projects: Mandala creator, spiral galaxy, geometric tessellations
Week 6: Positioning & Navigation
Coordinate mastery - Navigate the canvas using coordinates. Create grid-based drawings and position elements precisely.
Key Topics: Coordinate system, absolute vs relative positioning, grid navigation, position tracking
Projects: City skyline, checkerboard, bar charts
Week 7: Advanced Shapes & Curves
Smooth curves - Draw circles, arcs, stars, and complex curves. Learn to approximate smooth shapes using line segments.
Key Topics: Circle/arc approximation, star shapes, spirals (Archimedean, golden), parametric curves
Projects: Olympic rings, rose curves, yin-yang symbol, advanced mandala
Week 8: Recursion & Fractals
Self-similar patterns - Understand recursion and create stunning fractal patterns. Generate trees, snowflakes, and classic fractals.
Key Topics: Recursive functions, base cases, fractal trees, Koch snowflake, Sierpinski triangle, dragon curve
Projects: Fractal tree with colors, Koch snowflake, dragon curve, fractal art gallery
Week 9: Animation Basics
Dynamic drawings - Create animated effects by controlling speed and showing progressive growth. Build step-by-step reveals.
Key Topics: Speed control, growing patterns, progressive drawing, color transitions, rotation animation
Projects: Animated scene builder, blooming flower, firework effect
Week 10: Mathematical Art
Math meets art - Use trigonometry and mathematical functions to create beautiful parametric designs and curves.
Key Topics: Sine/cosine waves, Lissajous curves, Fibonacci sequences, golden ratio, rose curves, spirographs
Projects: Mathematical art gallery, harmonic patterns, golden spiral
Week 11: Interactive Patterns
Generative systems - Create art that's different every time using randomness and configurable parameters. Build pattern generators.
Key Topics: Random module, random walks, weighted choices, generative art, reproducible seeds
Projects: Generative art system, random trees, procedural landscapes
Week 12: Complex Projects
Scene composition - Combine all techniques to create complete, detailed scenes. Learn project planning and layering.
Key Topics: Project planning, layering (background to foreground), scene composition, code organization
Projects: Beach scene, city skyline, forest landscape, abstract compositions
Week 13: Final Project & Portfolio
Capstone creation - Plan and execute a portfolio-quality masterpiece. Document your work and reflect on your journey.
Key Topics: Project planning, comprehensive documentation, portfolio building, code templates
Projects: Your custom 400+ line masterpiece combining all learned techniques
- Type the code yourself - Don't just copy/paste. Typing helps you learn.
- Experiment freely - Change values, try different colors, break things!
- Complete the exercises - They reinforce what you've learned.
- Build the projects - Projects integrate multiple concepts.
- Debug your errors - Mistakes are learning opportunities.
- Share your work - Show others what you create!
Found a typo? Have a suggestion? Feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request!
This tutorial is provided for educational purposes. Feel free to use and share with attribution.