Drawing animals: cats and their anatomy. How to draw a cat and a cat with a pencil Cat in different poses with a pencil

Cats are very beautiful and graceful pets that children adore. And little artists often ask mom or dad to draw their favorite pet on paper. And even if adults themselves do not have the talent of a painter, step-by-step drawing will come to the rescue. Based on consistent patterns, even a five-year-old child can create in the picture the image of an adult cat or a small mischievous kitten. At school age, children should be offered more intricate options, for example, images of realistic cats and popular cartoon characters.

Age features of drawing a cat

It is advisable to teach a child to draw a cat from the age of five: it is at this age that the child is already able to create a more or less believable image, so there is no need to rush things.

Before starting the creative process, it is advisable to reinforce with your son or daughter the knowledge of basic geometric shapes (this will be needed in the process of work) and teach them to depict them correctly. These are circle and oval, triangle, square and rectangle.

To draw an animal well, a child must be able to correctly depict geometric shapes

You should definitely consider a live cat with a novice artist (a ceramic figurine or a realistic soft toy would be an option). In this case, the adult focuses on the proportionality of the body, the ratio of the sizes of the head and torso, the location of the eyes, ears on the face, etc.

If there is no real cat at home, then you can consider a realistic soft toy with your child.

Since preschool children do not yet understand proportions very well, you can start drawing with cartoon cats. They often have a disproportionately large head, a cheerful coloring, a funny facial expression (smile, wide eyes, protruding tongue), and are dressed in bows and other accessories.

Cartoon cats are distinguished by irregular proportions, cheerful colors, smiles and other features.

With younger schoolchildren you can already start drawing realistic cats. Children already understand that the head of an animal cannot be too big or small, the tail must be long (practically full length). An adult and child should look at photographs of cats in various poses: lying, sleeping, sitting, jumping. At the same time, attention is drawn to how the animal arches, how it folds its legs and tail.

An adult first discusses with a schoolchild what pose to draw a cat in

The images of cartoon animals become more intricate: an adult teaches a child to give a cat a mood: surprise (wide open mouth), sadness (downward sloping corners of the mouth), thoughtfulness (pupils shifted to the side), fear (wide open eyes). There are a lot of options here, since children's imagination knows no bounds.

Selection of tools and materials

Since a cat can be drawn using various techniques, the little artist will need various materials for his work. These are colored pencils, wax crayons, felt-tip pens (many children like to trace the outline with them and emphasize details), gouache (since drawing a cat in watercolor already requires higher skill). In any case, you will need a sharpened pencil and an eraser (to correct defects and erase auxiliary lines).

As a base, you should prepare white A4 paper or colored cardboard (if your child draws with gouache).

How to draw a cat with a pencil step by step

Introduction to the animalistic genre of painting should begin with simple diagrams of drawing animals. One of these options is a cat made of circles. The adult shows the child a funny picture where the animal’s body mostly consists of round shapes (there are also triangles - ears and nose).

The cat in the picture has a round body, head and cheeks, the rest of the details complement them

Then follows the imaging process according to the diagram. For example, to depict a sleeping cat, you need to draw a large circle, inside it - a small one (in the lower part, in contact with the large one, the ratio is approximately 1:2). Next, the image is complemented by the ears, nose, closed eyes and mustache of the animal. The image is completed by a long tail enveloping the animal’s body. All that remains is to decorate the animal to your liking.

The circles in the drawing are the main parts of the cat’s body, which are simply supplemented with the necessary details

When the child masters drawing round cartoon cats, you can move on to the next stage of mastery - a realistic image of an animal, for example, a sitting one. First, the cat's head is indicated in the form of an oval. The oval will also be the basis of the body shape. Here you need to maintain proportions: vertically, the oval is slightly longer than the length of the twice-taken oval of the head, and horizontally, the width of the body is slightly less than the double-taken oval of the head. In this case, the head and torso slightly overlap each other. The next stage is drawing the ears, front and hind legs of the animal.

At the first stage, the main parts of the animal’s body are schematically indicated in the form of ovals, paws and ears are added

Then, using auxiliary lines, the child depicts the cat’s face: nose, mouth, eyes and mustache.

Eyes, nose, mouth and mustache are depicted with oprah on auxiliary lines

Auxiliary lines are combined into the final drawing, which remains only to be colored.

At the last stage the cat is painted

Drawing a lying kitten is also not a very difficult task. Again, the head and body are indicated by ovals, and then the muzzle, ears, paws and a beautiful tail are drawn. In this case, the head can be positioned in profile and full face (this does not affect its shape). The child needs to be explained that in the first case, only one eye is drawn (the second is not visible).

A lying kitten is also drawn based on ovals

Photo gallery: diagrams of step-by-step drawing of a cat

A kitten made from semicircles turns out to be very funny. The cat's character is conveyed by the eyes. The most important stage is drawing the face. Thanks to the observance of proportions, the cat turns out to be very realistic. This kitten resembles the cartoon character Smeshariki. The cat's body is made up of circles of different sizes. The cat's body is made up of ovals. Drawing a cat begins with a heart. The shape of a cat is the most basic. , the task is to color it beautifully. A cartoon cat is drawn very simply. The body of the animal consists of circles, ovals and rectangles

Draw a face

After the child learns to depict cats in different poses, you should dwell in more detail on drawing the face (full face, profile and three-quarter turn).

First, an auxiliary shape is drawn - a circle, auxiliary lines are outlined (vertical and two horizontal). Large slanted eyes are depicted and there must be hairs above them - this will make the cat portrait more charming. The nose can be made to look like a heart. At the bottom of the circle there will be cheeks in the shape of semicircles.
Auxiliary lines will help make the muzzle proportional
To make the cat more cute, you should shade the corners of the eyes. After this, the head is drawn to the desired shape: it expands on the sides of the circle. Ears are added.
The muzzle increases in width and ears appear
For maximum realism, all that remains is to shade the ears, sketch out the lines of the neck and draw the mustache. The cat has twelve hairs on each side (although this is not important in the picture).
An indispensable attribute of any cat is long whiskers.
A cat's face can also be drawn based on a square. Draw a figure and divide it into four equal parts.
The square is the basis of the muzzle
Focusing on the grid, we depict the ears, eyes, mouth, cheeks and nose in proportion.
The grid allows you to maintain all proportions
Erase the auxiliary lines.
We remove the auxiliary lines, and the muzzle becomes lifelike
Now let’s give freedom to imagination: paint the cat in natural shades or create an unexpected fantastic image.
Why not paint it with a fantasy pattern?

Photo gallery: diagrams for drawing a cat's face

The muzzle is drawn based on a circle and auxiliary lines. The eyes, nose and mouth are drawn in any order, without auxiliary lines. Using the eyes and mouth, you can give the cat a certain character. The image is made up of segments, which are then smoothed into smooth lines.

Drawing an anime cat

Anime is a popular Japanese animation. This is not just animation, but a special perception of life, a cultural layer with its own unique symbols and types.

Children of all ages love playful and charming anime cats. These are fantasy images with huge expressive eyes. Its head is often larger than its body. Of course, the child will take on the image of this cute animal with great enthusiasm.

Anime cats are charming and playful, their indispensable attribute is their huge expressive eyes.

You can offer the young animal artist the following algorithm:

First, the body of a sitting cat is depicted: a large head with ears, a body (drop-shaped oval), paws in the form of ovals and circles, and a neat tail.
The head is almost the same size as the body
The most important task is drawing the face. For this you will need auxiliary lines. We depict huge eyes (the size of ears, and at the same time we denote pupils and sparkles in the eyes) and a wide open mouth. At this stage we also add a mustache, ear pattern and toes.
It is the muzzle that gives the anime cat a unique playful character
At the end of the work, erase the auxiliary lines and color the kitten to your liking.
You can color the anime kitten as you wish.

Photo gallery: diagrams of step-by-step drawing of anime

A simple diagram for drawing - an almost symmetrical figure. The drawing is based on circles and ovals. The highlight of the image is a tousled forelock and cheeks.

Drawing Angela

A popular game for tablets and smartphones with talking cats - Tom and Angela - is popular among modern children. A cute fluffy cat with anthropomorphic features (in a beautiful dress) may well become an object for drawing. Her distinctive feature is her huge slanted eyes.

Children love to draw characters from their favorite cartoons and games.

The child can depict Angela in full growth in one pose or another, or draw her portrait. Let's take a closer look at the last option.

First, draw a circle with guide lines. Let's transform it into a cat's face, slightly pointed downward.
Angela's muzzle is slightly pointed downward
We draw neat (also pointed ears) and outline the eyes, nose and mouth.
We make the eyes very big
Now we draw in detail the eyelids, pupils and iris of the eyes. Making the nose and mouth more expressive. Don't forget about the flirty mustache. We denote the neck and shoulders.
Draw the eyes, nose and mouth in detail

Drawing with gouache

To draw a fluffy beauty, you can use gouache. This material is suitable even for very young artists: the paint does not need to be diluted with water (like watercolor), but simply dipped into it with a brush. The compositions are saturated, the color is perfectly visible even on colored paper. When working with gouache, it is easy to correct any mistake. In addition, the paint dries quickly, so you can paint one color on top of another without them mixing.

Using gouache you can get interesting colors of cat fur - for example, a mixture of shades of gray, pink and orange.

The adult reminds the child that it is better to use a thick brush to draw the silhouette of an animal, and a thinner one to draw details.

Younger schoolchildren can be asked to depict a charming cat in the grass in gouache. First, using a simple pencil, outline a simple silhouette of the animal at the bottom of the sheet (it is located vertically). Then we draw the muzzle.
At the bottom of the sheet we outline the silhouette of a cat, draw a face
Using broad strokes we draw the background - grass and sky. We paint the cat itself gray.
To paint large areas use a thick brush
We paint the eyes and decorate the fur with a dry brush: we use different shades of gray (mix it with black and white paint). When drawing the face, we use the poking method with a wet brush.
When drawing fur we use different shades of gray
We draw a mustache with white gouache and make final adjustments to the cat. Next, we finalize the background: we depict a forest in the distance and grass in the foreground. The composition is complete.

Profile of a Siamese cat, 9B (super soft) pencil on Robert A. Sloan paper.
Completed demo drawing.
The model is Mrs. Sloan's Siamese cat Aristophanes.

Drawing a Siamese cat in profile. General instructions.

When you draw a cat from life, it is very important to choose a moment when the cat is sitting still and relaxed. Try not to make sudden movements yourself. Look at the cat carefully, make a sketch, look at the cat again, try to remember everything in detail, because the cat may move and you will not have such a chance.

That's why it's so important to get your first draft done. Those few moments before the sketch may be your only chance to catch the cat in the desired pose. Cats are very cunning creatures: they will lie or sit still until you look at them, and then immediately begin to wash themselves, yawn or roll over. Your cat is laughing, laughing at you.

Ari (Aristophanes) is a very bad model. If he notices that I am drawing him, he immediately begins to make faces. So if you notice your cat staring at something interesting, like children playing, quickly sketch it out before she realizes what you're doing. This time Ari was very well behaved and posed the whole time while I was drawing.

And I want to thank him for this rare opportunity.

If your cat is not willing to sit still for long enough, photograph quickly and suddenly before she starts to move. You can even use a phone camera. A whole series of pictures will make your task easier. However, it is still better to draw from life. To do this, you need to train your memory in order to remember the cat and its pose within 30 seconds, and then be able to reproduce it on paper. Although sometimes - by chance - you come across masterpiece photographs where the cat turns out to be surprisingly elegant and graceful.

So let's start with the first stage - the sketch. Don't waste a lot of time. Look at the cat as a collection of geometric shapes, draw a sketch. My cat is a Siamese, so I will teach you how to draw the profile of a Siamese cat.

1. Sketch.

First stage. Sketch.
Please note that the head is not a perfect circle.

Most likely, you are already familiar with this method. It is described in almost all the drawing books that I have. Its essence is to, at the beginning of the work, reduce all the variety of shapes of your model to the simplest shapes (circle, oval, triangle), avoiding details for now. It is important to maintain the proportions of these simple forms in relation to each other.

There are many reasons why this method is the most successful.

One of these reasons: if you draw something wrong, it is easier to correct it. Well, imagine you drew an ear, drew all the details, spent time, and then discovered that it was too big or too small, or just in the wrong place. It is much easier and faster to erase the triangle of the ear. It will take you a few seconds to make a sketch if you don't think or hesitate. You can try several times.

Try to make such sketches of your cat from nature, from a photograph. Try to copy my sketch.

The ears are on the top rather than on the sides of the head. The muzzle is short and clear. A cat's eyes are much larger in relation to the face than human eyes are in relation to the face. Remember this.

I even suggest that you don’t erase the excess, but put another piece of paper under your drawing. And then draw along the lines pressed from the first drawing.

The more often you practice sketching, the better your drawings will become.

2. Drawing a sketch

Second stage. Drawing contour lines.

At this stage, our drawing already looks a little like the profile of a cat.

While I was drawing the details, Ari sat motionless the entire time. And I am very grateful to my grandchildren, who played loudly in the hallway and captured his attention.

Draw a visible eye on the snout. Please note that this is not an oval. The profile of a cat's eye is very similar to that of a human eye, except that the white of the eye is not visible. Siamese cats have blue eyes, and in a black and white drawing they are white and only the pupil is shaded.

The profile is very clear, drawn with a soft convex line. Cats do not have a forehead compared to a human face. The profile has a slight bend, which should preferably be at eye level, not lower than the lower eyelids. The tips of the nose and chin form a straight line.

The ears are practically cones, not triangles. It is important to correctly draw the lines where the ear connects to the head, otherwise the ear will look glued on, unrealistic. If you have a photo, carefully study how exactly the ear connects to the head.

In my drawing, the ears and eyes are turned in the same direction.

I used a 9B super soft graphite pencil, you can use any. But remember that it is easier to shade with a softer pencil.

Copy this sketch several times, try to draw the details in different ways. Don't forget to look at the cat.

3. Hatching the mask and ears of the Siamese cat

Third stage. Hatching of the mask and ears of a Siamese cat.

I carefully shaded the muzzle in the direction of the fur. It is very important to hatch exactly in the direction of the fur, otherwise you risk getting something ugly and shaggy.

On the cat's forehead, I made several layers using vertical short strokes to create a dark mask. I shaded the ears in the same way. On the muzzle I used shorter strokes going from the nose to the side and down.

Pay attention to the area between the cat's ears and eyebrows. This is where the mask ends and the hair is so sparse that you can easily see the skin. Capturing this feature emphasizes the realism of your drawing.

The size of the mask depends on the age and color of your Siamese cat. The shape of the mask may vary individually for each cat. Take a close look at your cat, or draw the same mask as my Ari.

4. The finishing touch

Siamese cat, profile.
Robert A. Sloan

Ari's whiskers (whiskers) are actually white, but if you are drawing on a white background, it is better to draw them black. It is very difficult to draw white vibrissae on a black background with a pencil.

The eyebrows of a cat are drawn in the same way. Draw curves springing from the muzzle. The same vibrissae are also found near the neck and ears: look at your cat in great detail.

I don’t know if other cats have it, but my Ari definitely has the same hairs on his paws and wrists. I think they help him get toys from under the sofa.

I shaded the front paw heavily, leaving some white between the toes. The thing is that Ari has white tufts of hair between her fingers. The fur on the cat's paws flows smoothly down, on the shoulders - at a slight angle, on the back of the head and neck - at an acute angle.

Always drawing an animal, hatch in the direction of the fur.

Draw the fur schematically, do not try to draw every hair. 3-4 vibrissae in the picture may well pass for one or two dozen in reality.

I hope you enjoyed my lesson. Be sure to try it with your cat. Ari sends you purr greetings and inspiration!

The cat is one of the most favorite animals among children. Cats attract them with their fluffy fur and affectionate playful disposition. In ancient times, cats were considered sacred animals. And still some people are convinced that these animals can heal people.

It doesn't take much skill to draw a cat. With the help of video and photos, we will see step by step how you can easily and beautifully depict the figure of a cat.

1. Draw a circle, from which we lower an oval, widened at the base. We get the head and torso of the cat.

2. Draw triangular ears on the head.

Stage 1-2: draw the head, ears and body

3. From the middle of the body, draw the paws with four lines.

Stage 3: adding paws to the body

4. On the muzzle we add eyes, a nose and a mustache.

Stage 4: draw the face

5. All that remains is to draw the raised tail.

Stage 5: draw the tail

We color and tint our cat. This is what the drawing looks like.

Stage 6: color the cat

Graceful kitty

In the following steps you can draw an elegant cat. The photo and video contain detailed instructions on how to draw a cat with a pencil.

1.Draw an oval and divide it into four parts by two perpendicular lines.

Stage 1: draw an oval with lines

2.Slightly sharpen the corners on the sides, add a nose, mouth and ears.

Stage 2: sharpen the corners, draw ears and nose

Stage 3: finishing the eyes

4. We lower another circle down - the body - and two paws.

Stage 4: draw the torso and front legs

5.On top we draw the base of the ovoid body with the pointed end up.

Stage 5: finishing the torso from behind

6. Draw paws and a tail at the base.

Stage 6: Add a tail and hind legs

7. Tint the top of the muzzle and tail.

Stage 7: color the cat

We get a beautiful charming cat.

Little kitten

Now let's draw a little kitten. To draw the figure of a cat correctly and beautifully, consider the instructions, photos and videos. Here's how to draw a kitten with a pencil step by step.

1.Draw two circles one above the other: one larger and the other smaller.

Stage 1: draw two circles: head and torso

2. On the muzzle we depict eyes, a nose and a tongue, and on top – two ears.

Stage 2: draw the face and ears

3. The next step is the front and hind legs, tail.

Stage 3: draw the front legs Stage 4: draw the hind legs Stage 5: complete the tail

In the picture there is such a baby kitten.

Ready kitten

How to draw a cartoon kitten:

cartoon pussy

You can draw a cartoon cat for children in an easy and original way in four steps. The video and photo provide detailed instructions on how to do this step by step.

We draw a circle beveled at the top - the head - and an ovoid body.
Add a raised tail.
We draw the eyes and nose, and use a curved line to divide the body in half.
We depict the cat's pupils and whiskers.
Color the picture in purple shades.

Kitty pencil step by step

This is how you can quickly and beautifully depict a cartoon cat.

Muzzle

If you do not want to depict a cat in full height, you can draw only the animal's face. Let's see how to draw a cat's face step by step. The drawing is easy and accessible even for children.

We draw a circle and divide it into four unequal parts with two smooth lines.
We place the nose and mouth in the center, and to the right and left of the center are the cat’s eyes.
On the head in the form of two triangles we depict the ears, below - the contours of the neck.

Cat face in pencil

So, it won’t be difficult to draw an animal’s face beautifully and correctly.

To profile

To depict the cat's face in profile, we start with the same circle. Divide the circle in half horizontally. We draw in the ears and lengthen the circumference with the contours of the nose. On the line we draw the eyes and nose, a little lower - the mouth. We clarify the contours of the ears and remove the circle. We get an easily and beautifully drawn face.

Stages of drawing a cat's face in profile

With kittens (1st option)

It will be interesting for children to draw a cat with kittens. However, the drawing is complicated by the fact that in this case you no longer need a separate figure, but a whole composition. You can easily and correctly depict a cat with kittens in stages as follows.

1. Draw an oval (the body and the center of the composition), and a circle on the bottom right.

Stage 1: draw an oval and a circle

2. At the next stage, draw the head and contour of the body.

I know that every family has a pet, it’s a cat or a dog. Don't we sometimes want to tell everyone what a miracle we have? And I am no exception, and therefore, to show how to draw a cat with a pencil, I will use the example of our Lyalya, the most beautiful and dear girl to us. She will be my model today.

How our lesson will go:

Before I start drawing the cat, I want to tell a short story about Lyalya;
Preparation for drawing;
Work step by step in pencil.

I want to assure everyone right away that you will definitely be able to draw a cat with a simple pencil. And, if you put feelings into the image of your pet, then it will really be beautiful.

Our cat Lyalya came to us 9 years ago. She is even older than my child, who is only 7 years old. It turns out that they grew up together, and it was Lyalya who was often the subject of drawing. She is happy to try, as if she specifically chooses suitable poses. And my baby, still a 5-year-old toddler, is trying to copy from life. And now, at the age of 7, the pictures have become very similar. You will see this now.

Of course, you can learn to draw a cat in another way, but we will now show you an easier way for us on how to draw a cat correctly for children.

Preparing for work

How to draw a cat step by step? First, you should find a suitable photograph that will show the cat’s character and its features. Found.

The photo was taken a year ago, here Lyala is 8 years old. She probably imagined that she was a flower, and that’s why she was sitting on my favorite chlorophytum.
Next, let's look at the instructions, where everything is easily explained step by step for beginners. If the child is very small, you can practice with coloring pages and talk about how to do animals correctly for beginners.

It’s a completely different matter when the baby is 7, 8 or even 9 years old. Here you can already do without coloring books, and start drawing cats as they see them, step by step breaking down the whole process into eight stages.

Execution of the painting

8 basic steps to get a drawing of your cat.

Step 1

Before you draw a cat with a pencil step by step, you need to prepare all the necessary tools and materials: a sheet of paper, a simple pencil, an eraser and colored pencils for coloring.

Step 2

We marked the main auxiliary lines in the figure: head; the body, taking into account its inclination; curtain and window behind the cat, they will be a guide for the correct proportions.

Step 3

We draw the cat's paws and pay attention to her face. We depict the ears, eyes, nose and mouth (mouth) of Lyalya.

How to learn to draw a nose? The rule is this: the animal’s nose is located in the middle of the muzzle, starts in its middle, and ends in a triangle at the bottom. Immediately below it is the mouth.

Step 4

Our doll is a Turkish Angora, which means that she is very fluffy and seems much larger than her painted portrait. But this is the beauty of drawing a cat with a pencil, you have the opportunity to show your vision of the image.

For children 7-9 years old, this point should be explained separately. We depict the fluffiness of the face, body, tail and paws of our pet.

Step 5

We erase all unnecessary details with an eraser, draw a portrait of the cat with a pencil.

Returning to the abilities of children 7-9 years old, they need to be explained how important it is to follow the model exactly. If it's a simple pencil image for sketching, that's one thing, but it's a completely different matter when it's based on a photograph. Here every line and detail, such as the curve of the animal’s body, plays a role.

Step 6

Our photo also has other elements, for example, a curtain, a flower, a window. And they also need to be depicted.

Step 7

Now it’s time to color the pictures, a favorite activity for 7-9 year old children. First we draw all the details with colored pencils.

Step 8

To color the flower, my son used several green pencils to “revive” the plant and give it a natural look. Lyalya, the window and the curtain are white, so the child decides to make them in soft blue tones. He pays special attention to the drawing on Lyalya’s face. There is a pink nose and ears, and the eyebrows and mustache, which the baby draws with a simple pencil, also shine, as if they shine with silver.

The portrait of our favorite is ready, and we are very pleased with it!

And below are a few more options for depicting cats: