Welcome to our fun tutorial on how to draw a monkey!
Monkeys are adorable and fascinating animals. There are over 250 known species of monkeys, and they live all over the world including in Asia, Africa, and South America.
Did you know that monkeys have unique fingerprints just like humans? Monkeys also have a huge variety of weights: the smallest adult monkey weighs about 130 grams, while the biggest adult monkey weighs about 35 kilograms! These are of course adults of different species.
Perhaps the most fun fact about monkeys might be that there has actually been one in space: the monkey Albert II went into space in 1949! Dogs and even frogs have been into space too.
So, with all that said, let’s get to our art project for today. Find a comfy drawing spot and keep reading below to learn how to draw a monkey! Happy drawing!
Materials:
- a piece of paper
- a pencil for the guiding lines and sketching
- an eraser
- a black sharpie or a pen for the outlines
- markers or colored pencils for coloring
- our printable drawing guide (Join my Email List below to get this Tutorial)
Here are my RECOMMENDED Art Supplies!
- Crayola Coloring Set (140 Pieces – Mega Value!)
- 24 Colored Crayon Set
- A4 Printer Paper
- Crayola Coloring Pencils
- HP Home Printer with Instant Ink!
Time needed:
13 minutes.
How to Draw a Monkey — Let’s get started!
Step 1 – Draw the top of the head.
About an inch from the top of the page, draw a large semi-circle. Make it a little bit longer on the left side because the monkey will be tilting its head—check out the photo!
In the middle of the semi-circle curve, draw two little lines going upwards to symbolize hair tufts.
Step 2 – Continue drawing the bottom of the head.
We’re going to finish drawing the shape of the head in this step.
On the right side, draw a small curve. On the left side, draw a bigger curve. There should be a little bit of a gap on the bottom right of the head. Look at the photo to see what we mean!
Step 3 – Draw the monkey’s ears!
Monkeys have excellent hearing. Let’s add two ears to our monkey now!
On either side of the head, draw sideways semi-circles. Add a tiny line of detail in the middle of each of them.
For more practice drawing animal bodies, try How to Draw a Panda or How to Draw a Bear.
Step 4 – Add detail to the head.
Look at the photo for this step. We’re going to add detail to the face. Do this by mimicking the outline of the head inwards a few inches. This creates the outline of the face.
Good job!
For tutorials with unique animal features, explore How to Draw a Giraffe or How to Draw a Fox.
Step 5 – Add the monkey’s face!
We’ve got to add the monkey’s face. So, draw two dots for the monkey’s eyes. Then, draw an upside-down triangle between the eyes. This symbolizes the nose. Draw two curves coming out from the nose to form the mouth.
Step 6 – Draw the belly.
Underneath the head, draw an oval. It should be a bit cut off by the chin of the monkey. This is the detail of the monkey’s belly.
Step 7 – Draw the arms.
Let’s add more to the body and the arms in this step.
Start by drawing a long curve that extends upwards towards the right ears. This is the right arm reaching upwards. Keep drawing it around the belly to show the outline of the body.
On the other side, draw the other arm. It should be a similar curve but going downwards. Draw the other side of the belly. There should be a gap at the bottom. Refer to the photo!
Step 8 – Add the monkey’s legs.
Let’s add the monkey’s legs. Draw them going down from the gap from Step 7. For each leg, draw two lines about an inch long and draw an indentation for the toes. The toes should be facing outwards.
Step 9 – Add the tail of the monkey!
On the right side of the monkey, we’re going to add the tail. Monkey tails are pretty strong, and they can actually hold up most or all of their body weight and help them climb up trees! Just like sloths, monkeys like to hang out in trees.
So, draw a swirl extending out from the right side of the body. Close it off by bringing it back towards the body.
Good job! You’re almost done with this drawing tutorial.
Step 10 – Color in your monkey!
Most monkeys have black, grey, and brown colors in them, but color in your monkey however you want. Fill in the rest of the page, too, and have fun with it.
Did you have fun with this drawing tutorial? We sure did, and hope you did too!
Give your monkey a name and show it off to your loved ones! If you enjoyed this animal-themed tutorial, be sure to browse the rest of our site. We have many to choose from—horse, elephant, owl, and lion, and more! If there is an animal that you don’t see, comment what it is and maybe you will see that tutorial on our site in the future!
Ready to try more fun animal drawings? Check out How to Draw a Bird or How to Draw a Turtle.
Pin it now, Draw later!
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