How to Draw A Cartoon Monkey from rectangles

Drawing a cartoon monkey from basic shapes like squares and rectangles can be a fun exercise. Indeed, these shapes are quite easy to duplicate and building a character from scratch can be easier. If you are looking for an original approach to illustrating monkeys, then this lesson can be a nice alternative.

It's also surprising to see that we can definitely build a lovable version of this monkey using only squares and rectangles. Ready? Let's see how we can create the subject above in just six easy steps now. :)

adding the body using a long vertical rectangle

First, you can start this lesson by drawing a long rectangle to form the body and head of the character. Indeed, only one shape is needed to draw both body parts. This rectangle must be placed vertically. Don't make this one too narrower since we need to draw some details inside the shape later in this tutorial.

drawing a few more rectangles

Inside the main shape, sketch a smaller rectangle to represent the jaw of the creature. Below this new addition, draw another rectangle to illustrate the patch found on the chest. Great! This cartoon monkey is slowly getting better with each new addition.

sketching the ears and the legs

On top of the subject, you can draw two small rectangles to form the ears. These new shapes must be aligned with the top of the head. Next, draw two more rectangles on the bottom of the illustration to create the legs. Once again, make sure that both shapes are aligned with the bottom of the body.

adding the mouth and the arms

Inside the shape created to form the jaw, you can add a mouth using a simple straight line. Then, draw two small squares on the bottom of the character (and in front of the patch) to form the arms of the monkey.

working with more details and body parts

It's now time to add a facial expression to this character. You can start by drawing both eyes using large dots. These new shapes are added above the jaw. Next, draw the nostrils using smaller dots above the mouth.

Once you are done working around (and inside) the face, you can draw small lines on the arms and legs. These are used to create basic fingers.

adding colors inside the cartoon monkey

Now that the cartoon monkey is entirely drawn, you can add colors are shown in the image below. For this lesson, I have used gradients to create more depth and volume. Indeed, you can see that most shapes are now darker near the bottom and brighter on top. Brown is used all over the monkey. Only the jaw and the patch are beige.

I hope you had fun creating this cool cartoon animal. Learning how to draw a monkey using basic rectangles can be a good exercise for beginners and intermediate users too. You can see all steps required to draw this monkey below.

Now that we are done with this cute animal, let's try more fun monkeys and gorillas from this site below. Have fun with these additional resources and don't forget to practice on a daily basis. :)