Draw a Cat in Graphite Pencil
Thursday January 17, 2008
Cats are a popular subject, and you can achieve excellent results with a little patience and the right materials. If you haven't done much drawing, try tracing some of the main points or outlines first, so you can focus on the shading. A good reference photo helps - such as the one I used to draw this gray tabby, Joey, who belongs to Franny Syufy, About.com's guide to Cats. Taken in natural light, it provides clear details and natural highlights and shadows. The 'negative space' drawing technique is adapted for drawing the fur texture. You'll need a basic range of graphite pencils and good-quality drawing paper for best results.
Draw a Cat in Graphite Pencil
Sketching Cats in action
An Easy Cat Step-by-Step
TIP: when taking a photograph of your cat for drawing, turn your flash -off- and get down to cat's-eye-level. That way you won't get washed-out whites and red-eye, and the proportions of the head and body will look right.
Read more on Pet Photography for drawing.
Comments
You’ve definitely captured the life and the attention in the cat’s face Helen. It’s not just a photographic likeness rather an expressive drawing. The shading is excellent all round.
Thanks for the compliments, Pete. Its an interesting challenge with this sort of drawing, I think, getting the realism you want but keeping the drawing lively. I did this one a while ago, and I think my drawing has improved a bit since then.
Very interesting lesson,I like very much your beautiful drawing!
Giuseppe
thanks, Giuseppe!