How to draw a gorilla — easy step by step drawing ideas

Gorilla drawing ideas are always requested by the children who like big, strong animals, and a gorilla is about as big and strong as they come. But the cute cartoon version is really a giant grey teddy bear sitting on the ground, with a round head, a round body, and two enormous arms resting in front of it. Learning how to draw a gorilla is surprisingly easy once you see it that way.

I like this tutorial because the sitting pose is so forgiving. There are no four legs to line up, the body is a big soft blob, and the arms and legs are chunky and simple. The face is where the character lives: a soft lighter patch with big gentle eyes and a small smile, and the gorilla goes from fierce to friendly in a few pencil strokes.

In this tutorial we will build a gentle charcoal-grey gorilla sitting down in six easy steps, following the practice sheet below. I will share the pro tips I use when teaching it, the mistakes that trip up nearly every beginner, and quick fixes for when your gorilla starts looking like a monkey or a bear. Grab a pencil and a dark grey crayon, and let us draw.

The 6 steps to easy gorilla drawing ideas

Step 1 — Draw the head and ears

Start with the head, near the top of the paper and in the middle, because the body will sit beneath it. Draw a big round shape, a touch wider than it is tall, and on the very top, in the middle, add a small rounded bump — like a little dome or the top of an egg poking up. That bump is the gorilla's crest, and it is one of the things that makes a gorilla look like a gorilla.

Then add two small rounded ears, one on each side of the head, sitting low — about level with where the eyes will go — and sticking out slightly. Gorilla ears are small and set to the sides. Keep the pencil light; you will darken the keeper lines at the end.

Step 2 — Add the face

Now the gorilla gets its personality. Inside the head, draw a rounded face patch: a soft shape like a wide upside-down heart or a rounded rectangle, filling most of the lower two thirds of the head, with a gentle dip at the top between where the eyes will be. This patch will be a lighter grey than the rest of the head.

Inside the patch, draw two big round eyes in the upper part, set a little apart, with a small white shine dot in each. Below them, draw the nose: a wide, flat shape like two rounded bumps side by side, with two small nostrils. Under the nose, add a small curved smile, and a blush circle on each cheek. Big eyes and a small smile keep the gorilla gentle.

Step 3 — Add the body

Under the head, draw the body: a big rounded shape, wider than the head and about as tall, like a large soft bean or a rounded loaf sitting on the ground. It should tuck in under the chin so the head and body overlap slightly — a gorilla's neck is short and thick, so there is almost no gap between them.

Let the body be widest near the bottom, where the gorilla sits, and keep the outline soft and round. This is a big, heavy, comfortable animal, and a plump body is what makes it look strong and cuddly at the same time. Do not close off the sides too neatly; the arms will come out of them in the next step.

Step 4 — Add the arms and legs

Here is the step that makes a gorilla a gorilla. From the upper sides of the body, draw two long, thick arms reaching down and slightly outward to the ground, each one a wide curved tube ending in a big rounded hand with the knuckles resting on the floor. Gorilla arms are huge — longer than the body is tall and about as thick as the head is wide.

Then the legs: from the bottom of the body, between and slightly in front of the arms, draw two short, thick legs bent outward, each ending in a big rounded foot pointing forward. The legs are much shorter than the arms — that contrast is the whole gorilla shape. Keep the hands and feet big and rounded.

Step 5 — Add the chest patch and fur

Now the finishing details. On the front of the body, between the arms, draw a rounded chest patch: a soft shape like a wide rounded shield, starting under the chin and running down most of the chest. This will be a lighter grey, like the face, and it gives the gorilla a neat two-tone look.

Then add three short lines on each hand for fingers and three on each foot for toes. Finally, scatter a few tiny fur lines: two or three little zigzags on each shoulder, one or two on the top of the head beside the crest bump, and a couple on the outside of each arm. Keep them small and few; they are a hint of fluff, not a coat.

Step 6 — Finish and color

Darken the lines you want to keep and erase the light scaffolding underneath — the part of the body hidden behind the arms, and any guide lines. Then color: fill the head, ears, body, arms and legs a rich charcoal grey, and color the face patch, the chest patch, the hands and the feet a lighter grey. The nose is dark grey.

Add pink to the blush cheeks and leave the shine dots in the eyes uncolored so they sparkle. Then give your gorilla somewhere to be — a few big green jungle leaves, a banana, a rock to sit on, a baby gorilla beside it. Sign your name in the corner; every finished drawing deserves a signature.

Common mistakes to avoid

Arms that are too short

This is the mistake that turns more gorillas into bears than any other. Hands want to draw arms and legs the same length, but a gorilla's arms are enormous and its legs are short.

Make the arms longer than the body is tall and thick as the head is wide, with big hands resting knuckles-down on the ground. Keep the legs short and bent.

A scary face

Small eyes, a big mouth or any hint of teeth make the gorilla look fierce, and children stop enjoying the drawing.

Draw big round eyes with shine dots, a wide flat nose, a small closed smile and blush cheeks, all inside a soft rounded face patch. A cute gorilla has a gentle, thoughtful face.

Forgetting the crest bump

A perfectly round head makes the gorilla look like a monkey or a bear. The little bump on top is small but important.

Add a small rounded dome on top of the head, right in the middle, and let the dark color run over it.

Troubleshooting

“My gorilla looks like a bear”

Lengthen the arms until the knuckles rest on the ground, add the lighter face patch with a wide flat nose, and put the crest bump on top of the head. Long arms fix it almost every time.

“My gorilla looks like a monkey”

The body is probably too slim and the ears too big. Make the body big and round, shrink the ears and move them low on the sides, add the crest bump, and thicken the arms. No tail, of course.

“The hands and feet look like blobs”

Add three short lines to each for fingers and toes, and round off the tips. Color the hands and feet a lighter grey than the arms so they stand out.

Key takeaways

FAQ

What age is this gorilla drawing tutorial for? The six-step version works from about age 5 with a grown-up nearby, and most kids around 7 and up can follow the sheet on their own. A sitting gorilla is a round head on a round body with big arms, which is easier than most standing animals.

How do I make the gorilla look friendly instead of scary? Big round eyes with shine dots, a small gentle smile, blush cheeks, and a soft rounded face patch. Keep the mouth small and closed; no teeth. A friendly gorilla looks like a big grey teddy bear.

What materials do we need? A pencil, an eraser, paper, and crayons or markers in charcoal or dark grey for the body and light grey for the face, chest, hands and feet. Pink for the cheeks is a nice extra.

Why does a gorilla have a bump on its head? Grown-up gorillas have a ridge of bone and muscle on top of the skull that gives their head a pointed dome. In a cartoon it is just a small rounded bump on top of the round head, and it is one of the details that makes the drawing read as a gorilla rather than a monkey.

That is your gorilla! Whether it came out big and solid or a little bit lumpy, you built the gentle giant of the jungle out of two round shapes and a pair of enormous arms — and that belongs on the fridge. Keep the sheet handy, draw a gorilla family sitting together, and come back tomorrow for a new tutorial.

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