absolutely delightful !!
This gem of a little book (very pleasant format you can easily carry around with you) really took the mystery out of drawing cats for me. The exemplary sketches are simple enough to show you how to get to the basics shapes of the cat without getting bogged down by details, which is always tricky especially for beginners.
The sections run as follow:
1.- basic shapes (a little about anatomy without getting too tangled up in this aspect) including a few races and how their body shapes and sizes vary
2.- aspects of the cat (heads, eyes, noses, mouths, whiskers, ears, putting it all together as the whole head; feet & paws, tails, body postures and relation between tail and body) still keeping in mind the races, full-haired or slim cats, etc.
3.- fur and markings (tortoiseshell, white, black, tabby, drawing shadows, highlights for both short and long hair, layers, directioinal marks, kittens, adults, male, female, working with negative space, unusual cats
4.- cat poses (typical attitudes, sleeping, rounded up, sideways, alert, sitting, facing 2 ways, head turned almost 180 degrees, stretching, scratching, washing, eating, playing, walking, running, stalking, jumping, and finally cats togehter)As a cat lover and owner of two, I can't get enough of experimenting using the clear and concise advice given here. Of course, you do have to have handled a pencil before, but not to such extend as being an expert. I'm certainly no more than a medium amateur and I did well, even if I say so myself.
Enjoy !!
Aspects of Cats
I have just ordered a small cat manikin to go along with this book from Dick Blick for sketching different poses. Chapter Two Aspects of Cats is very helpful. The chapter breaks down all the features of the cat and gives detailed examples and steps as to how the face proportions should come together.
Most Comprehensive Cat Drawing Book
If you are a serious cat artist with training in realism, then this is a good book for you. The demonstrations presuppose prior drawing knowledge. It is the most grown-up and comprehensive cat drawing book I have ever seen. I've checked out nearly every cat drawing book still in print from my library system (including the step-by-step "Draw 50" type) and find most of them juvenile or too beginner. I understand the negative reviews completely. Those who are self-taught or just starting out may find this book intimidating and opaque. I recommend starting with either a more general book on just drawing (Betty Edward's Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain) or a more concrete book that focuses on step-by-step drawing of specific cats (like the Draw 50 series) If you are disappointed in this book, give it a chance. Dust it off in a few years after you have had more practice drawing and observing cats and you'll be surprised how much more helpful it is. If you are just starting out drawing and don't understand all the information, copy the drawings. Copying another person's drawings is a great way to learn how to draw. Especially a fidgety subject like cats. You'll soon be creating your own drawings from the knowledge you gained. I recommend this book to anyone who is serious about cats. A more experienced artist will appreciate the demos, and anyone who loves cats will appreciate the drawings.
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