How to Draw a Cartoon Gorilla

Improve Your Drawing Skills with Printable Practice Sheets!

Learn how to draw a great looking Cartoon Gorilla with easy, step-by-step drawing instructions, and video tutorial.

By following the simple steps, you too can easily draw a beautiful Cartoon Gorilla.

Jump to the step-by-step instructions.

Complete Cartoon Gorilla drawing
Complete Cartoon Gorilla drawing

Gorillas are large primates of the group known as the Great Apes, native to the African continent. Several subspecies of gorilla have been documented, ranging in habitat from jungles to mountain forests.

While the gorilla has appeared in the art of its native land for millennia, it did not enter western popular culture until the 1800's.

Gorillas were then depicted either in natural history publications or as fearsome monsters, such as in the film King Kong (1933).

Modern animation has seen a number of gorilla characters, notably the many gorillas in Disney's Tarzan (1999), including Terk, Kala, and Kerchak, and DC Comics’ super villain, Gorilla Grod.

Scroll down for a downloadable PDF of this tutorial.

Would you like to draw your very own cartoon gorilla? Doing so is easy, with the aid of this simple, step-by-step drawing tutorial.

All you will need is a pencil and a piece of paper. As you go along, note that new lines drawn in each step are highlighted in blue, while lines drawn in previous steps fade to black.

You may also want to have an eraser handy to correct mistakes and remove guide lines. Use crayons, colored pencils, markers, or paints to shade your finished drawing.

If you liked this tutorial, see also the following drawing guides: Penguin, Monkey, and Elephant.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Drawing a Gorilla

How to Draw a Gorilla Featured image

How to Draw a Great Looking Cartoon Gorilla for Kids, Beginners, and Adults - Step 1

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 1

Begin by drawing an irregular circle to outline the gorilla's head.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 2

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 2

Next, draw a smaller circle overlapping the first.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 3

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 3

Connect the two shapes using two curved lines, continuing to outline the gorilla's face.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 4

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 4

On each side of the face, enclose an ear using a curved line. Draw a curved line to add detail within each ear.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 5

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 5

Draw an oval slightly overlapping the side of the face. This oval is the beginning of the gorilla's shoulder.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 6

Gorilla step-by-step drawing tutorial: step 6

Below the oval, enclose the forearm using a series of curved lines. Allow the lines to meet in jagged points, indicating fur.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 7

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 7

Draw two curved lines to connect the shoulder to the head. Below the head, draw three connected, curved lines to outline the gorilla's chest and stomach.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 8

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 8

Draw the other arm. Extend a short, curved line from the chest and a series of curved lines from the shoulder. Allow the lines to meet in jagged points, forming fur.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 9

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 9

Draw the lower arm using a series of curved lines, allowing the lines to meet in jagged points.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 10

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 10

Erase guide lines from the head and arms.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 11

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 11

Detail the top of the head using short, curved lines that meet in jagged points. Draw the nose using two upside down "U" shaped lines. Draw two curved lines to indicate the mouth.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 12

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 12

Erase the remaining guide lines from the head.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 13

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 13

Detail the mouth by drawing a curved line above it. Enclose an irregular shape above the nose using a curved line. Within the shape, draw a wide, "W" shaped line to form the brow. Enclose circles beneath the brow, forming eyes, and draw several short, curved lines above the nose.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 14

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 14

In each eye, draw a circle with two smaller circles inside it. Shade between the circles. Draw an oval in each portion of the nose, forming nostrils. Shade the nostrils.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 15

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 15

Draw a series of curved lines, extending from the shoulder, to form the back, rump, and rear leg. Allow the lines to overlap at the hip and knee joints. Connect some of the lines in jagged points, forming the appearance of fur.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 16

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 16

Draw two curved lines between the rear leg and arm, outlining the stomach. Draw the far rear leg in the background, using a series of curved lines connected at jagged points.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 17

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 17

Draw the feet. Use overlapping "U" shaped lines to form the toes, connected to the leg using curved lines. Draw an irregular circle at the tip of each toe to form the toe nails. Indicate the foot on the far rear leg using a curved line.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 18

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 18

Draw the hands using a series of curved lines. Use a "U" shaped line to form each thumb, and draw a fingernail on the tip of the thumbs. Note how the gorilla supports itself on its fingers.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 19

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 19

Add the detail of fur to the head and arms. Draw short, connected, curved lines that meet in jagged points.

Easy Cartoon Gorilla Drawing - Step 20

How to draw a cartoon gorilla Step: 20

Color your gorilla. Gorillas typically have black or dark brown fur. Males, called silver backs, have a patch of white or grey fur on their backs.

For more great Safari Animals drawing tutorials, see the 31 Simple Safari Animals Drawing Ideas post.

Easy, step by step Cartoon Gorilla drawing tutorial
How to Draw a Cartoon Gorilla | Share to Pinterest

Click HERE to save the tutorial to Pinterest!

Cartoon Gorilla Drawing Tutorial - Easy & Fun Printable Pages

Join now and get immediate access to thousands of printable drawing instruction and practice pages!

Printables thumbnail: How to draw a Cartoon Gorilla

Learn how to get access to thousands of printable pages!

Become a member sales prompt

MEMBER TROUBLESHOOTING

Still seeing ads or not being able to download the PDF?

First, check that you're logged in. You can log in on the member login page.

If you're still not able to download the PDF, the likely solution is to reload the page.

You can do this by clicking the browser reload button.

It is a circular arrow-shaped icon at the top of the browser window, typically found in the upper-left side (you can also use keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+R on PC and Command+R on Mac).