Are you looking for an easy step-by-step guide on how to draw a cat? Or perhaps you’re looking for easy drawing projects or ideas because you’re in a creative slump. Well, you’ve come to the right place.
Drawing can be a very therapeutic hobby. It’s relaxing, it improves things like creativity and memory, and it’s a great way to relieve some everyday stress. A person can draw anything they want from everyday items, cartoons, people, and animals.
In fact, animals are some of the most popular things to draw. From wild animals such as tigers, lions, and bears, to domesticated animals like hamsters, dogs, and cats – a love for animals is something a lot of us have in common, and what better way to express that love than through art?
Tips for How to Draw a Cat
There are a lot of different kinds of cats that one can draw, from wild to domestic. Lions, leopards, jaguars, and regular everyday housecats like Maine Coons, Russian Blues, Ragdolls, and Siamese cats. It’s important to have a starting point in knowing exactly what type of cat you want to draw.
We will mainly focus on domesticated shorthair cats as they will be the easiest to draw for beginners but feel free to experiment with your favorite breed of cat anyways.
Here are some basic steps you can take to start drawing a cat immediately:
Use Reference Photos
Especially if you’re new to drawing animals or drawing in general, it’s a good idea to gather some reference photos to use. Reference photos are a handy tool that many beginner artists and even some advanced artists use to find out information on their subjects.
By using reference photos, an artist can develop a better awareness of their subject, in this case, cats, and can learn about proportions and textures. Using appropriate proportions and textures will make your work look more realistic.
Tracing is OK
Tracing to learn is okay and many beginner artists choose to use this method to learn about proportions and help to develop hand-eye coordination and muscle memory.
However, if you’re tracing an art piece designed by another artist, be sure to give credit to that artist should you post it on any social media website or art website like DeviantArt or ArtStation.
Sketch it Out
Sketching is a great way to begin any drawing project. By sketching, you can dedicate less time to figuring out how you want your drawing to look and instead focus on the cat’s composition and the movement the cat may be portraying in your artwork.
These tips are some of the more important ones to use for drawing a cat or just drawing in general. Still, there are some more significant things to consider while drawing our feline companions.
You should select a pose for your cat to give your piece some “life”. Also, focus on weight distribution, and only worry about improving the facial features and adding fur and/or texture at the end of your drawing.
The Supplies You Will Need to Draw a Cat
The supplies you will need to draw a cat will depend on if you’re drawing it digitally or traditionally. No matter which way you choose to draw, it’s a good idea to have some reference photos on hand.
Other than reference photos, you will need:
Traditional Art Supplies:
- Reference photo (optional)
- Paper
- A pencil
- An eraser
- Fine liner pen
- Colored pencils or markers (optional)
Digital Art Supplies:
- Reference photo (optional)
- A drawing tablet and stylus
- Drawing software such as Paint Tool Sai, Photoshop, or Procreate
When is the Best Time to Draw a Cat?
Anytime is a good time to draw a cat! There is no specific date that is better than another. However, being stuck indoors with nothing to do during times when the weather is bad, you’re feeling sick, or even if you just want to be lazy, is a great time to break out the pencil and paper and get to work.
Adults who are stressed about their daily lives and responsibilities can enjoy drawing a cat in their spare time for a quick dose of art therapy. Similarly, children who are bored at home or at school during their spare period can also find enjoyment in drawing a cat.
What to do With Your Cat Drawing After
So, you’ve finished your drawing – or even multiple drawings – and you’re wondering what to do with them next. Well, there are several different things you can do with your drawings.
You can frame them and hang them for display throughout your home, you can put them on the refrigerator with some magnets, you can put them in a photo album specifically made for drawings, or you can take photos of them and post them on your social media accounts to share with your family and friends.
Alternatively, if you’ve drawn digitally, you can store them in a folder on your desktop, print them out to frame them, post them to socials or drawing websites, or put them on a USB drive for safekeeping.
Easy Steps to Follow on How to Draw a Cat
There are some easy-to-follow steps, particularly for beginners, to follow to be able to draw a cat. Still, even if you’re an advanced artist, it may be fun to follow these steps with a child or someone you know that is just starting out in their artistic venture.
In any case, let’s begin with the easy-to-follow steps below for a simple cat drawing.
Step One: Draw the Head
Start out by drawing an oval. The oval will represent the cat’s head. You can either draw a half oval (leaving the top undone to add in the ears) or you can erase part of the top to add in the ears after. Once you have a decent shape for the cat’s head, you can add two triangles on opposite sides of the oval to represent the cat’s ears.
Step Two: Draw the Body
The body comes next! There are many ways of going about drawing a body depending on the position and shape of the cat, but we’ll aim for the simplest way. Draw a slightly curved line to the left side.
At the bottom of this line, add a curved shape for the paw and toe beans. Connect a line upward from the bottom of the paw, extending up the cat’s body to represent a leg. Repeat this step for the right side of the body.
In the end, draw the back paws by adding an oval-like shape at the side and bottom of the cat and a couple of lines at the bottom of this shape for the toes. Don’t forget the tail!
Step Three: Time to Add the Face
The next step is adding facial features. You can make filled-in circles to represent the eyes, an oval to represent the nose, and curved lines for the mouth and whiskers. You could also try adding some texture to the cat’s face such as an M-shaped marking on the forehead which is a common trait of tabby cats.
Step Four: Final Touches
Now that you have the basics down, feel free to add any finishing touches. You could add a collar around the cat’s neck or draw in a nice background. You could even add another subject to the piece: a butterfly, a bird, or even some flowers behind the cat’s ear. Be creative with it!
Step Five: Time to Color
You should now have your finished cat drawing. Of course, you can leave it black and white but you could also add some color to it.
There are so many different breeds and colors of cats that you really can’t go wrong with the colors you choose to use for your kitty friend. Even blue or green could represent an alien kitty! Just don’t forget to add in some antennas to complete the look.
15 Easy How to Draw a Cat Projects for Feline Fanatics
1. A Colorful Cosmic Cat
If you want to try something unique and different, then you should try this cosmic-looking cat from Art is Fun! They provide a reference photo to use and a step-by-step guide on how they created their own cosmic cat. This art piece is colorful and is sure to be a hit if you decide to frame it for display.
2. Cartoon Cat Drawing
The most obvious and probably easiest way to draw a cat is to draw it like a cartoon. You see these cats displayed in cartoons all the time: Garfield, Tom from Tom and Jerry, Felix the Cat, Sylvester from Looney Tunes, and others.
With this guide from wikiHow, you can draw a cartoonish cat, too.
3. How to Draw a Cat Warriors Piece
Maybe you want to draw a warrior cat because cats are fierce and amazing animals who are quick to let you know what they want when they want it. Or maybe you want to draw a cat warrior because you’re a fan of the show Warrior Cats and want to show your admiration for the series.
Well, whatever the reason may be, you can learn the steps to drawing a warrior cat from iHeartCraftyThings.
4. Halloween Cat
Halloween is a popular holiday where children get to dress up, go trick-or-treating, and attend school parties. Some even get to watch spooky movies. But there’s also another way to celebrate Halloween and that is by drawing a Halloween cat like the one from Art Projects for Kids.
5. Sleeping Cat
Cats love to sleep. In fact, cats are known to sleep anywhere from 12 to 16 hours a day. When cats sleep, they’re pretty cute, too, so of course, wanting to draw a sleeping cat is normal. Luckily, Drawing Howtos has an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide on how to draw a sleeping cat.
6. Cheshire Cat
The Cheshire Cat is a well-known and popular cartoon cat from Alice in Wonderland. While he may look complicated to draw, Easy Drawing Tutorials has a nice step-by-step guide that will show beginners just how to draw this kooky cat.
7. Easy Cat Drawing
If you’re looking for just a simple and easy way of drawing a cat, look no further than Skip To My Lou’s easy cat drawing guide. This cat drawing is as cute as the next even if it’s easier to draw than the rest. Just look at those eyes!
8. Kawaii Cat
What’s cuter than a kawaii cat? Not much! Anyone looking to draw a cute little kitty should definitely check out this tutorial from Tatyana Deniz.
9. Cat Paws
Any cat-lover can attest to the magnificence of cat paws and toe beans. Whether they’re making biscuits or just sitting around, cat paws are adorable. Drawing Howtos has a great guide on drawing these cute little paws and toe beans and we recommended checking it out.
10. Sushi Cat
You don’t have to like sushi to appreciate the cuteness of a sushi cat like the one on DragoArt. If you do like sushi, though, and you also like cats, then following their guide on how to draw a sushi cat should be a fun project to do.
11. Neko Girl
Have you been wondering how to draw a cat girl, also called a Neko girl? Well, you can find the answers with DrawingForAll’s guide. This guide will show you how to draw the cutest chibi Neko girl around and can be a great drawing to do especially if you’re an anime fan.
12. Fat Cat
What’s better than a cat? Well, a fat cat, of course. Are you tempted to draw one now? Great, then head on over to HelloArtsy where they will teach you the basics of how to draw a fat cat.
13. Cat in a Box
It’s a well-known fact how much cats love boxes. The cardboard from these boxes can help provide warmth and protection and because cats still have an instinctual need for this type of shelter, they cling to boxes that we have lying around.
So, why not follow this easy guide from Jae Johns on how to draw a cat in a box? Or, in other words, how to draw a cat in its natural habitat?
14. Realistic Cat
Drawing a realistic cat isn’t just for advanced artists. As long as you have some experience in drawing, even if you’re still a beginner, you should be able to tackle this How to Draw a Realistic Cat guide from YeDraw. Go ahead, and impress your family and friends with this realistic drawing.
15. Siamese Cat
Siamese cats are a popular breed of cats. They’re affectionate and extremely loyal, despite their personality of them depicted in movies like Lady and the Tramp. You might be wondering just how to draw a Siamese cat and to capture its beauty in your artwork.
Well, DrawingTutorials101 has the perfect guide to follow on how to draw these beautiful felines and they make the process quite simple, too.
How to Draw a Realistic Cat for Beginners
Beginners can draw realistically, too. All they need is time, patience, and the right tools. You should already have some of the tools at your disposal but don’t forget the shading pencils. Shading is an important part of realistic drawing. Generally speaking, a B graphite pencil should do the job just fine.
Once you’ve gathered your drawing tools, it’s time to begin the process of drawing a realistic cat.
Step One: Sketching
Before tackling a full-blown realistic drawing, it’s important to come up with a sketch to use as a guide to follow. By sketching out your drawing first, you are able to finetune things like the shape, posture, and proportions.
If you make a mistake along the way in the sketching process, it’s an easy fix with an eraser. Just make sure that you’re sketching with soft lines so that any mistakes can be erased easily.
Once you have the general shape of the cat’s head and body down, which consists of mostly circles and ovals, it’s time to move on to sketching out the facial features: the eyes, the nose, the mouth, and the whiskers.
Step Two: Details
If you’ve finished the sketch and like how it has turned out so far, it’s time to move on to details. You can go ahead and erase any parts of the shapes that don’t make up the cat and go over the rest of the lines with a fine-lined pen or your tool of choice to darken the lines up.
Also, you’ll want to pay close attention to the eyes as these are some of the most distinctive features of a cat.
To shade in the eyes, you will want to outline the eyes and the center of the eyes with a darker pencil such as a 6B pencil. Then you can continue lightly shading the eyes. You will also want to have light reflecting from the eyes so be sure to leave some white exposed to represent that.
Step Three: More Shading
Shading is the part that will really bring your realistic cat to life. Where to shade and place shadows will depend on the breed of cat you are drawing as well as the position and posture of the cat.
Shading can come in many forms. The easiest way to shade is by using a method called hatching. Hatching is just making parallel lines to represent the shadows in your drawing. This will be helpful in determining where your shadows should be.
Shadow in the entire cat, keeping in mind where the light will be coming from and where the shadows will fall due to the placement of the light. For parts of the cat that face the opposite way of the light, use a darker pencil or a harder stroke to get darker shadows.
For the areas of the cat that are facing or pointed more towards the light, use soft strokes for light shading.
How to Draw a Cat FAQ
You should now have a good understanding of how to draw a cat, the basics of drawing a cat, and easy step-by-step projects you can do to draw different types and styles of cats.
Still, there are a few questions left that need answers.
What is the Easiest Cat to Draw?
The easiest cat to draw is one that is cartoonish with no fur, no texture, and no shading involved. These easy-to-draw cats are usually made up of shapes such as circles, ovals, and triangles.
What is the Hardest Cat to Draw?
Realistic-looking cats and wild cats are among some of the hardest cats to draw as they require a lot of patience, time, dedication, and drawing know-how.
Can Kids Draw Cats?
Absolutely! Anyone can draw cats except for newborns and babies! There are no minimum or maximum age requirements when it comes to drawing and it can be a fun activity for the whole family to enjoy.
How to Draw a Cat Conclusion
We’ve reached the end of our guide and you should now have a decent understanding of how to draw a cat, the different tools you can use to draw a cat, and different methods and projects for drawing cats. Remember that practice makes perfect and the projects we listed throughout this article are sure to give you plenty of practice.