Draw a Monkey

Primates are a large group of animals to which we, humans, belong. Although they are our closest relatives, some primates are closer to us than others. In general culture, two main groups are often distinguished: monkeys, which generally have a tail, and the great apes (such as gorillas, chimpanzees, or orangutans), which do not have one. Scientists, on the other hand, use more precise classifications based on genetics and evolution.

Hello again! I'm delighted to see you here for this tutorial where we will learn to draw this animal, often associated with joy, ingenuity, and mischief.

The characteristics of monkeys

As we briefly mentioned, when we talk about monkeys, we are referring to a large group of species and families of primates that generally share the following characteristics:

- They are small to medium sized.

- Many have a prehensile tail, meaning they can move it and use it to cling to branches.

- Their diet is primarily made up of fruits, but it can also include leaves, insects, or other foods depending on the species.

- They live most of the time in the trees.

- In the following image, we can observe three species of monkeys that exhibit some of these characteristics: the macaque, the howler monkey, and the white-faced capuchin.

Draw a Monkey Step by Step

Although we are similar beings, our bone structure and proportions are completely different. Observe the following example: the head is very large while the body is relatively small, comparable to that of a child about six years old. The back is curved, the arms and legs are of similar size, and the tail is as long as the total height of the animal.

Let's start with the face. On the middle horizontal line, place two circles for the eyes. At the same height, draw two half-circles for the ears. Below this line, draw a large circle for the nose and mouth. Use cylinders to represent the body's volumes, drawing inspiration from the human structure.

Let's now turn to the facial features. Draw round eyes surrounded by eyelids. Below, sketch the nose with two small diagonal lines, then finish with a long, slightly curved mouth. Surround the entire face with lines suggesting fur.

Finish the head with very small strokes that mimic hair, then add ears on each side.

Draw the monkey's body

Then move on to the chest and arms, covering the volumes with this type of stroke, while adding some areas of longer hair, especially on the shoulders and torso.

Cover the rest of the body with fur, following the volumes defined previously. You can add some longer hairs at the ribs and groin area.

It’s now time for the hands and feet. Continue drawing the fur up to the joints, then draw long, distinct fingers. This also applies to the feet.

Finish by drawing a long, curled tail and a branch for your monkey to sit on comfortably.

Add color

Start with a base color, so you can then gradually add layers of texture and avoid white spaces.

Add color to the face with a matte brown close to a skin tone. Darken with a darker brown above the eyes, under the cheekbones, and around the chin. Also use a lighter shade to brighten the area under the eyes and the sides of the nose above the mouth.

Add shades with orange-brown on the cheeks and gray on the nose. To finish, use white to draw some hairs above the eyes and on the chin, like eyebrows and a beard.

To finalize the head, use golden tones with a lighter border on top. Towards the jaw, apply a darker caramel brown to create contrast.

Let's move on to the shoulders. Notice how short strokes are used to simulate fur, with different shades of brown to add volume. A few contrasting strokes can also be added.

Continue adding fur with different shades of brown, using golden tones on the edges and the longer strands.

It's time to add colors to the hands. Use dark tones for the insides of the hands and the fingers. You can add touches of gray to bring a slight shine and better distinguish each finger.

For the tail, apply the same principles, emphasizing the presence of dark tones and alternating with golden highlights.

Add details to the drawing

To finish, add a branch in a less saturated color. You can use grays and bring a slight light with a soft yellow. This helps to avoid an overload of brown, which is already widely used for the character.

And here is the result of our work today. Erase the traces of graphite and refine the details to obtain a finalized work. I hope you enjoyed doing this exercise, and I'll see you in an upcoming article.