One of my favourite paintings of a cat is this one by, Karen Hollingsworth called Connected (2010). From domesticity, to fertility, from lust to treachery, from an official residency at Number 10 Downing Street as a “chief mouser” to the allegorical and elusive Cheshire Cat in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, or the Cat in the Hat in Dr Seuss, the cat seems at once living being, subject as well as allusion. The goddess Freya in Norse mythology drove a chariot driven by cats. In ancient times they were revered as gods. The cat seems automatically invested with loaded meaning and allusion. I found that the relationship artists have with cats is somewhat different to that of other animals. I suspect that he is perhaps one of the most prolific sketch artists when it comes to cats, (on a level with Hemingway’s personal as well as literary obsession with them.) Steinlen published a book of cat illustrations called the Dessins Sans Paroles Des Chats (Drawing of Cats without Words.)

In researching this article about how to draw a cat, I stumbled upon Theophile Alexandre Steinlen, the French Art Deco and Art Nouveau painter. (Depicted below is a quick sketch by Lucian Freud, The Sleeping Cat.) He joins the likes of Lucian Freud, Andy Warhol, Goya and David Hockney who all share a fascination in depicting the unique traits of the domesticated feline. Undoubtedly, he felt a connection with this animal. I was surprised to discover that Ernest Hemingway, at one point in his life, owned over 50 cats whilst living in the Finca Vigia in Cuba. “One Cat Just Leads to Another.” Ernest Hemingway The concepts I outline in this article are, of course, not solely exclusive to this animal, but the methods I mention lend themselves well in supporting you master a drawing of a cat.

I believe that there are many ways in which you can draw a cat.

How do you draw a cat