Classic Sketchbook: Cats

Secrets of Observational Drawing

Patricia J. Wynne

• Publisher: Rockport Publishers
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781600581304
• eBook ISBN: 9781631594380
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art General

Classic Sketchbook: Cats shows how it's done by showing museum-quality works, then coaching you to try the techniques with the help an expert's suggestions.

Whether scribbling out a quick sketch with minimal detail, or making a finished portrait where every silky hair and polished whisker stands out, the best cat artists can capture the very essence of feline-ness. How do they do it?

Firsthand observation of cats will tell you a lot about the way they sit, yawn, tweak their tails, and curl up to sleep, but it won't tell you how to get those things down on paper.

Classic Sketchbook: Cats is the second in a series of instructional books that began with Classic Sketchbook: Botanicals. The series shows how to draw your subjects by looking at the details of museum-quality works, then coaching you through the techniques with the help an expert's suggestions. In this case the expert is Patricia Wynne, a noted illustrator with a specialty in animals.

Wynne will guide you through fur, paws, and eyes, as well as cats sleeping, playing, or pouncing. Her unique instructions places a close-up of a drawing or painting by a noted artist like Gauguin, Chardin, Gwen John, and Theodore Steinlen on the left side of the page. And on the right side of the page Patricia Wynne coaches you with detailed, step-by-step drawings, that illuminate the process.

EYES FROM ALL ANGLES 1

This brushy portrait of a tortoiseshell cat has arresting, deep eyes. The artist shows the shadow cast by the upper eyelid and makes the eyes come alive with the use of a white highlight. Most marvelous and challenging for me is the way the pupil appears to float above the iris in a cat’s eye. The pupil is actually an adjustable hole in the iris but its appearance of floating lends a beautiful and mysterious touch.

1. Lightly outline the basic shapes in pencil. You won’t need to erase this sketch, so try it with a black colored pencil. (See A.)

2. Add pencil to indicate the dark areas and the direction of the fur. Look for the little specks of dark on the iris and the cast shadow of the eyelid. (See B.)

3. Purple and violet in a cat! Wonderful. I added detail with purple colored pencil everywhere I saw it in the painting. (See C.)

4. I layered yellow-ochre and sienna watercolor to the eyes. Start with the little details, then wash over the whole eye with bright amber. I left the highlight unpainted. Some artists use a mask to shield the highlight or add an opaque white for the highlight at the end. (See D.)

5. Use a terra-cotta colored pencil to stroke in the orangey fur texture. Follow up with light orange and yellow watercolor in the same areas. (See E.)

6. Darken any accents with watercolor or colored pencil. Be sure the pupil is lustrous black, the highlight bright—then you’re done. (See F.)

The pupil adjusts to let in more or less light. At night it is almost a circle. In bright daylight or when you use the flash from your camera, it becomes a slit.

A knowledge of anatomy will always improve drawings. Note that the cat has three eyelids and its iris is not as distinct as ours.

Study of a Tortoiseshell Cat, oil on board, William Huggins, British, 1820–1884 / Private Collection / © Arthur Ackermann Ltd., London / Bridgeman Images

EYES FROM ALL ANGLES 2

Study the two middle kittens of this family portrait. The most meticulous detail work has been reserved for the eyes. The young cats’ blue eyes are shown deeply set in white and orange fur. One has a concerned expression emphasized by its markings, a...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Introduction
• Tools and Materials
• Cat Basics
• The Graceful Pose
• Face View
• Side View
• Three-Quarter Turn
• Eyes from All Angles 1
• Eyes from All Angles 2
• Noses
• The Muzzle: Whiskers, Mouth, Teeth, and Tongue
• Ears 1
• Ears 2
• Facial Expressions 1
• Facial Expressions 2
• Legs 1
• Legs 2
• Paws
• Claws
• Tails Tell the Tale
• Body Proportions
• Fat Cat
• Fur Tracks: Which Way Does the Fur Grow?
• Short Fur
• Long Hair
• Fuzzy Fur
• Shiny Coat
• White Cat
• Black Cat
• Striped Cat
• Brindle Cat
• Cats of Many Colors
• Sitting 1
• Sitting 2
• Sleeping Cat
• Stretching
• Walking
• Running
• Jumping
• Falling
• Hunting
• Playing
• Preening
• Kittens 1
• Kittens 2
• Kittens 3
• Points
• The Cat as Design
• The Cat’s Portrait
• About the Artist
• Copyright