Drawing Leonardo from Ninja Turtles in My Crusty Goobers Style
In this post, I’m sharing a timelapse video where I draw Leonardo from the 1987 animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series in my Crusty Goobers style. This video is less about planning and more about jumping right in. I don’t start with a sketch, I don’t erase, and I don’t try to make things perfect. I grab a pen, put it on paper, and see where it goes.
That’s exactly how the Crusty Goobers characters are created in my books, and it’s the same approach you’ll see in this video. Drawing Leonardo from Ninja Turtles this way is all about letting the drawing happen naturally and accepting whatever comes out on the page.
Drawing Along Without Overthinking It
One of the reasons I like making videos like this is because they encourage people to draw along without worrying too much. Watching Drawing Leonardo from Ninja Turtles happen with no sketch underneath shows that you don’t need to plan everything out ahead of time.
If you’re drawing along, you can:
- Start straight with pen
- Let lines overlap or get messy
- Adjust as you go
- Embrace happy accidents
- Color freely with markers or whatever you have
This approach takes the pressure off. You’re not trying to “get it right.” You’re just drawing.
That mindset is especially helpful for kids. When they see that even an adult artist doesn’t erase and doesn’t stress over mistakes, it makes drawing feel more approachable.
Why This Approach Works So Well for Crusty Goobers
The Crusty Goobers characters are meant to feel imperfect, weird, and full of personality. Starting with pen helps keep that energy alive. When you don’t sketch first, you’re forced to commit to lines and adapt as you go.
That’s exactly what’s happening while Drawing Leonardo from Ninja Turtles in this video. The character develops naturally. Some lines end up thicker. Some shapes get pushed around. Instead of fighting that, I lean into it.
That same process is baked into the Crusty Goobers art books. The characters aren’t meant to be polished or symmetrical. They’re meant to feel alive and a little unpredictable.
Using a Familiar Character as a Fun Drawing Exercise
Leonardo doesn’t appear in my Crusty Goobers books, but Drawing Leonardo from Ninja Turtles in this style is a fun way to show how the process works. Using a familiar character makes it easier to jump in without thinking too much.
You already know who the character is, so you can focus on drawing instead of planning. That makes it a great warm-up exercise before creating original characters.
Once you draw something like Leonardo this way, it becomes easier to apply the same loose approach to your own characters — which is exactly what the Crusty Goobers books encourage.
Markers, Color, and Letting Go
After the pen work is finished, I color the drawing with markers. Marker coloring fits perfectly with this style because it’s fast and unforgiving — just like drawing in pen. Once the color goes down, it’s there.
That’s a good thing.
Coloring this way keeps the drawing playful. You’re not worrying about shading or realism. You’re just adding color to support the character’s personality. Watching Drawing Leonardo from Ninja Turtles go from plain linework to a fully colored character helps show how much life color can add, even when applied simply.
Kids especially love this part. Markers feel bold and fun, and there’s no pressure to stay inside the lines perfectly.
How This Video Connects to the Crusty Goobers Books
The Crusty Goobers books are built around this same idea: draw first, think less, and keep moving forward. The characters inside the books are original, but they’re all created with this pen-first, no-erasing mindset.
If you enjoy watching Drawing Leonardo from Ninja Turtles unfold this way, you’ll recognize the same energy when flipping through the Crusty Goobers pages. The books encourage kids to:
- Draw without fear of mistakes
- Commit to lines
- Adapt when things go “wrong”
- Have fun with weird results
That freedom is often what helps kids fall in love with drawing in the first place.
About the Timelapse Drawing Video
In this video, you’re watching Drawing Leonardo from Ninja Turtles from start to finish, in real time, sped up into a timelapse. There’s no rough sketch underneath and no undo button. Every line you see is drawn directly with pen. If something comes out a little crooked or unexpected, I don’t erase it — I work with it.
Watch Video and Follow Along Here:
That’s a big part of the Crusty Goobers style. Mistakes aren’t mistakes. They’re just part of the drawing. Sometimes a line goes a direction I didn’t expect, and instead of fixing it, I let the character change. That’s often how the most interesting details show up.
After the linework is finished, I color the character using markers. Coloring with markers keeps things loose and fun. There’s no blending, no perfection, just bold color choices that bring the character to life.
A Creative Kind of Screen Time
This kind of video works well as an active form of screen time. Instead of just watching, kids are encouraged to grab paper and draw along. Drawing Leonardo from Ninja Turtles becomes a prompt to create, not just consume.
Parents often tell me they like pairing videos like this with the books — watch a drawing happen, then try your own version, then keep drawing offline.
Final Thoughts
This timelapse video of Drawing Leonardo from Ninja Turtles is meant to show that drawing doesn’t have to start with a sketch or end perfectly. Sometimes the best drawings come from jumping straight in with a pen, rolling with mistakes, and seeing where things land.
If that approach sounds fun to you or your kids, the Crusty Goobers art books are built around that exact mindset. They’re about drawing freely, experimenting, and enjoying the process without overthinking it.
Thanks for drawing along with me.
Kevin Coulston is an accomplished cartoonist, animator, and writer. He is the author and illustrator of over 80 (and still counting) children’s drawing books available here on FirstArtBooks.com. Kevin has also authored numerous kid-friendly comic book series, including “Dylan McVillain: A Super Villain with the Best Intentions” and “The Adventures of a 4th Grade Space Captain,” along with the Children’s Picture Book series “Alexis and the T-Rexes.”
