Monkey Drawing Ideas
Thirteen monkey drawings you can copy straight onto paper, from a monkey hanging by its tail to a monkey in a top hat. Every one is a clean pencil outline, drawn by hand, with no shading and no colour. Pick one, keep it next to you, and copy it line by line.
How to draw a monkey step by step
Monkeys look busy because of the arms, legs and tail all going in different directions. The trick is to ignore all of that at the start and build the body first. Once the head and body are down, the limbs take a minute.
- Draw a circle for the head, then a smaller rounded shape inside the lower half for the muzzle. That inner shape is what makes a monkey face read as a monkey.
- Add two round ears on the sides of the head. Monkey ears stick out from the side, not from the top like a cat or a bear.
- Draw an oval body below the head. Keep it smaller than the head if you want a cute cartoon look, or closer in size for a more realistic one.
- Add the arms and legs as simple bent tubes. Monkeys have long arms, so make them longer than you think. Hands and feet can stay as simple rounded shapes.
- Finish with the tail. Start it at the base of the body and let it curl. A curl at the end instantly makes the drawing look like a monkey.
Go over your final lines a little darker and rub out the guide shapes. That one step makes the biggest difference to how finished it looks.
Which monkey should you start with
If this is your first monkey
Start with the easy monkey hanging by its tail or the monkey face close up. The hanging one is an oval, a circle and four straight lines. The face has no body to worry about at all.
If you have drawn animals before
Try the cartoon monkey waving, the monkey sitting front view or the monkey eating a banana. These are full body drawings in simple standing or sitting poses, with at most one prop.
If you want a challenge
The monkey hanging from a branch is drawn upside down, which is harder than it sounds because your brain keeps correcting the face. The jumping monkey has every limb pointing a different way. Draw the body first in both cases and add the limbs last.
What you need
An HB pencil, plain paper and an eraser. A 2B pencil helps for darker final lines. Nothing on this page needs special paper, a tablet or a light box.
Three things that make a monkey look like a monkey
- The muzzle is missing. A monkey face has a raised rounded area around the nose and mouth. Without it the face looks like a bear or a teddy.
- The arms are too short. Monkey arms are long, often reaching past the hips. Lengthen them and the whole drawing looks right.
- The tail is straight. A straight tail reads as a cat or a rat. Give it a curl, especially at the tip.
Drawing a monkey with children
If you are drawing with a young child, start with the easy hanging monkey and let them add the face themselves. Because the body is just an oval, they get a recognisable monkey on the first try, which matters a lot more than getting the proportions right. The simple monkey outline is also useful here, since it has no face drawn in at all.
Ways to use these drawings
Copy any of these by hand, or download and print them for yourself, for your children or for your classroom. They work as colouring sheets, tracing practice, a warm up before a bigger drawing, or line art for a card. If you want to use one in something you sell, write to us first.
Questions people ask
What is the easiest monkey drawing on this page?
The easy monkey hanging by its tail. The body is an oval, the head is a circle, and the arms and legs are straight lines. There is no complicated pose and very little detail.
Are these monkey drawings free to download?
Yes. Every drawing here can be downloaded and printed for personal use, school use or classroom use at no cost. For commercial use, please contact us first.
Can young children draw these?
Many of them. The hanging monkey, the monkey face, the big eyed monkey and the simple outline all work well for children around five or six and up. The jumping monkey and the upside down monkey are better for older children and adults.
How do I draw a monkey tail?
Start at the base of the body and draw one long curve, then a second curve running beside it to give the tail some width. Let the end curl round into a spiral or a hook. A curled tail is what makes it read as a monkey rather than a cat.
Why does my monkey look like a bear?
Usually the muzzle and the ears. A monkey has a rounded muzzle drawn inside the face and ears that stick out from the sides of the head. A bear has a small snout and round ears sitting on top. Move the ears to the sides and add the inner muzzle shape.
How do you draw a monkey hanging upside down?
Draw the branch first as a straight line across the page. Then draw the hands gripping it, and work downwards from there. Drawing the branch first stops the monkey from floating in the middle of the page with nothing to hold.
What pencil should I use?
An HB for the light guide shapes and a 2B for the final lines. If you only have one pencil, an HB is fine. Press lightly at the start so the guide lines rub out cleanly.
Are these drawings made by hand?
Yes. Each one was drawn in pencil on plain paper and photographed. They are not computer generated or traced from photographs.