Get Your Groove on with Python: Creating a Dancing Turtle with Turtle Graphics!

I prompted ChatGPT to “write a python program that draws a dancer”, write this blog post, and then help me write the README.md and such to put all the code online in its own GitHub repository.

Python is a versatile programming language that can be used for a wide range of applications, from data analysis to web development. One of the more fun applications of Python is using it to create graphical designs and drawings. In this post, we’ll explore how to use Python’s turtle graphics module to draw a simple dancer.

What is Turtle Graphics?

Turtle graphics is a programming paradigm that allows users to create 2D graphics using a virtual “turtle” that can be controlled using simple commands. The turtle moves around the screen, drawing lines and shapes as it goes. The turtle graphics module is built into Python, so it’s easy to get started with.

The Dancer Program

To create our dancer program, we’ll be using Python’s turtle graphics module. The first thing we need to do is import the turtle module and create a window for our turtle to draw in:

import turtle

# Set up the turtle window
window = turtle.Screen()
window.bgcolor("white")

Next, we’ll create the turtle object that will be doing the drawing:

# Create the turtle for the dancer
dancer = turtle.Turtle()

We’ll use the shape() method to give our turtle a circular shape, and the color() method to give it a black outline and a pink fill:

dancer.shape("circle")
dancer.color("black", "pink")

We’ll use the penup() method to lift the turtle’s pen off the screen so that it doesn’t draw anything as it moves around:

dancer.penup()

Now we’re ready to start drawing our dancer. We’ll use the goto() method to position the turtle, and the pendown() method to put the pen back down and start drawing.

First, we’ll draw the head using the circle() method:

# Draw the head
dancer.goto(0, 100)
dancer.pendown()
dancer.begin_fill()
dancer.circle(50)
dancer.end_fill()

Next, we’ll draw the body:

# Draw the body
dancer.penup()
dancer.goto(0, 50)
dancer.pendown()
dancer.begin_fill()
dancer.circle(25)
dancer.end_fill()

We’ll draw the arms using the pensize() method to make the lines thicker, and the right() and left() methods to rotate the turtle:

# Draw the arms
dancer.penup()
dancer.goto(-30, 75)
dancer.pendown()
dancer.pensize(10)
dancer.right(45)
dancer.forward(50)
dancer.left(90)
dancer.forward(50)
dancer.penup()
dancer.goto(30, 75)
dancer.pendown()
dancer.right(90)
dancer.forward(50)
dancer.left(90)
dancer.forward(50)

Finally, we’ll draw the legs:

# Draw the legs
dancer.penup()
dancer.goto(-20, 0)
dancer.pendown()
dancer.right(45)
dancer.forward(75)
dancer.left(45)
dancer.forward(50)
dancer.penup()
dancer.goto(20, 0)
dancer.pendown()
dancer.right(90)
dancer.forward(75)
dancer.left(90)
dancer.forward(50)

We’ll use the hideturtle() method to hide the turtle when it’s finished and the turtle.done() to keep the window open until the user closes it:

# Hide the turtle
dancer.hideturtle()

# Keep the window open until the user closes it
turtle.done()

In this post, we’ve seen how to use Python’s turtle graphics module to draw a simple dancer. Turtle graphics is a fun and easy way to create 2D graphics and can be a great way to introduce programming concepts to beginners.

I hope you enjoyed following along and learned something new. This program can be easily customized and modified to create different dancers with different positions, outfits, and dance moves. With turtle graphics, the possibilities are endless!

If you want to learn more about turtle graphics, there are plenty of resources available online. You can check out the official Python documentation or explore tutorials and examples on websites like Real Python, Codecademy, and GeeksforGeeks.

Thanks for reading and happy coding!