How to Draw Monkey D. Luffy with a Straw Hat

Tools Required

• 2H Pencil for light construction lines
• HB Pencil for sketching and clean outlines
• 2B Pencil for general shading
• 4B Pencil for the black hair and darkest shadows
• Blending Stump or tissue
• Kneaded Eraser
• Regular Eraser
• A4 Drawing Paper

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Build the Head, Hat, and Body Guidelines

   Focus: Guidelines

   Begin with a light oval for Luffy's head and shape the lower section into a gently pointed jaw. Add a curved vertical center line to establish the three-quarter viewing angle, followed by a horizontal eye guideline across the face. Keep these construction lines very light so they can be erased later. Outline the straw hat using a large curved brim around the head. Add the rounded crown above it, making sure both parts follow the angle of the face. The brim should extend beyond the head on both sides without becoming perfectly symmetrical because the portrait is turned slightly. Finish the construction by drawing the neck below the jaw and establishing the visible shoulder and upper body. Add the basic opening of the sleeveless shirt, but do not add facial features, hair, or shading yet. Check the overall pose and proportions before continuing.

   

2. Add the Facial Features, Hair, Hat Band, and Clothing

   Focus: Guidelines

   Use the guidelines to place Luffy's large circular eyes. Because the head is shown at an angle, adjust the eye sizes and spacing to follow the face rather than making them perfectly identical. Add the dark pupils, simple curved eyebrows, small nose, smiling mouth, and short line beneath the lower lip. Draw the small curved scar beneath the eye on the viewer's right. Add the visible ears and outline the pointed sections of hair emerging from beneath the straw hat. Keep the hair shape clean and make each point follow the direction shown in the finished portrait. Refine the crown and brim of the straw hat, then add its dark horizontal band. Clean up the jawline, neck, shoulder, and sleeveless-shirt opening. Leave the facial guidelines faintly visible until all the features look correctly positioned.

   

3. Add Shading and Pencil Depth

   Focus: Shading

   Erase or soften the remaining construction guidelines and begin adding graphite values. Shade Luffy's hair with an even dark tone, keeping the pointed silhouette crisp. At this stage, the hair can remain slightly lighter than its final black value so it can be deepened during the last step. Use light pencil strokes to create texture across the crown and brim of the straw hat. Darken the hat band and add a soft shadow beneath the brim where appropriate. Shade the inside of the visible ear while keeping the face mostly clean and bright. Add a clear cast shadow beneath the jaw and along the side of the neck. Apply a light, even graphite tone to the sleeveless shirt. Build the shading gradually instead of pressing hard immediately, and preserve the light areas that separate the face from the darker hair and clothing.

   

4. Deepen the Black Hair and Refine the Final Contrast

   Focus: Guidelines

   Finish the drawing by filling every visible section of Luffy's hair with strong, rich black graphite. Use a 4B pencil for the darkest value and work carefully around the face, ears, hat brim, and individual hair points. The finished hair should appear nearly solid black while retaining a subtle pencil texture. Strengthen the final outlines around the hat, hair, face, eyes, ears, neck, shoulder, and clothing. Refine the straw texture with short controlled strokes, then deepen the hat band so it clearly separates the crown from the brim. Increase the dark shadow beneath the jaw and refine the lighter transition across the neck. Add more contrast to the sleeveless shirt while leaving the exposed shoulder unshaded. Clean the face and surrounding paper with a kneaded eraser, making sure the eyes, smile, scar, and hat remain clear and recognizable.