Cat how to draw a cat

How to Draw a Cat – Step by Step Cat Drawing Instructions (Cute Cartoon Cat)

Follow this easy how to draw a cat step by step tutorial and you will be finishing up your cat drawing in no time.

With just a few simple to follow steps you will learn how to draw a cute cartoon cat, one that can be quickly drawn both by kids and grown ups.

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Cats are awesome! It’s a fact. Well other animals too, but cats. Pure awesomeness. This cat drawing tutorial is a new addition to our ever growing collection of step by step drawing tutorials for all ages.

We love making things simple, so we simplified this one as much as possible while still keeping things cute.

We’ve keep the cat mostly texture free, as there are many different kinds and this way you can pick your own fur when you’ll color. You could make a tabby, tortoiseshell, black and white, black or even pink and green striped cats – we’re not here to set the rules 😉 – let your imagination be the guide.

How to Draw a Cat Tutorial

Step by Step Cat Drawing Instructions

Step 1

Start by drawing an oval shape for the head. It can be boxy, more circle like or even a slightly triangular one.

Step 2

Time to start making a few triangles. Draw two triangle shapes for the ears and one triangle shape for the nose. You could also make the nose oval or round.

Step 3

Let’s make the cat face! Draw two smaller triangle shaped lines inside the eras. Make two spots for eyes. Next lets make the mouth. Start by drawing short straight line from the bottom of the nose downwards. Starting next to this line (on the left) draw the mouth curve, bring it down and up again to meet the line you made under the nose. Continue with another curve.

Draw one more curve in bellow the two curves (in the middle). Mouth complete.

Step 4

Also start drawing the body. Draw two curved lines, one on the left side and one one the right.

Step 5

Draw feet. Start with the front ones (long U shape). Hind legs are optional, but I do think they can complement the picture.

Step 6

Almost done! Just a few more details left. Like claws, the line that completes the belly and a tail.

Congratulations! You have just learned how to draw a cat.

Color

There are many ways you can color your cat drawing. We decided to make ours a n orange tabby cat.

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How to Draw Animals: Cats and Their Anatomy

Cats rule the Internet! No doubt one day they’ll take complete control over our lives. To prepare for this day, we need to know the enemy. By drawing a cat, you’ll understand what they really are made of. So grab a pencil, and I’ll show you what cats are made of!

This cat drawing tutorial will show you how to draw a cat step by step. Also, this realistic cat drawing tutorial can serve as inspiration if you’re looking for cat logo designs for your brand or business.

From black cat logos to cool gaming cat logos, Placeit is the place to go if you need a cat logo in minutes. The Placeit logo maker helps you make a cat logo design without leaving your browser.

Scroll down after this tutorial to find a selection of top cat logo ideas from the Placeit logo maker!

What You’ll Learn in this Realistic Cat Drawing Tutorial

If you want some references to work from, you can find plenty of cat photos over on Envato Market. Just make sure that you don’t get too distracted by all that cuteness, and remember to come back and finish the tutorial!

1. How to Draw a Cat’s Skeleton Structure

Step 1

Let’s start this cat anatomy drawing tutorial with the base. Learning the skeletal structure is the first step to creating a believable pose. The bones are a support for the muscles, and the joints between them define the range of motion.

Step 2

Luckily, you don’t need to remember the exact shape of the bones. You just need to know how long they are and how they’re connected to each other. The good news is, most four-legged animals have the same bone structure, with the bones’ length and the distance between them being the only differences. Learn it once, and you’re set forever!

You should remember your skeleton as a group of ovals (joints, skull, chest, hips) and lines (bones, backbone). Once you’ve remembered this structure, you can easily draw every pose. Drawing cat poses will be easier.

Step 3

There’s one more thing you need to remember: every joint has a specified range of motion. When you break their limits, your animal will look broken. To understand it, take a good look at this running animation. While running, a cat uses a full range of motion, so you can see which movements are natural.

What you should observe in the cat’s anatomy and movement:

If you want to take a better look at the running cycle, here’s a great reference: a video of a cheetah in slow motion.

Step 4

Let’s talk about some cat pose drawing tips. You may say, «I don’t need it, I can feel the proper pose». Well, maybe, but there are a few mistakes a lot of people make from simple ignorance.

This is a very popular interpretation of an animal’s skeleton. It comes from confusing the hind and forelegs. They are not the same! Just compare your hands and feet.

Well, this pose isn’t universally wrong—it’ll work quite well in cartoons, where the characters use their legs as propellers. In the real world, though, the hind legs reach at most 120 degrees rotation (even with cheetahs). Also, the cat will try to keep its head in the same position while running—unless it’s some mad zombie-cat (check the animation again for the proof).

Wow, that’s an interesting skeleton! It comes from adapting the bones purely to the cat’s thigh shape. The problem is it’s not only bones that make the thigh shape—it’s mostly muscles, and you can’t ignore that. Also, the first pose has a crouching foreleg and a sitting hind leg. Small cats eat in this pose, but their chest isn’t on the ground then.

Another problem comes from a weird habit of cats. They use a «pacing» gait when walking—they move two legs from one side first, and then two legs from the other side. This mistake will not be noticed by most people, but hey, it’s still a mistake! Luckily, cats change to a «diagonal» gait when speeding up.

Step 5

Once you’ve learned everything about building a pose, sketch your own cat pose drawings.

2. How to Draw a Cat’s Muscle Structure

Step 1

Muscles give shape to the cat’s anatomy. You can draw a body without knowing the muscle structure, but guessing is not the best way to go about it. You may think it’s too complicated to learn, but I can show you that it’s not that hard.

First, cover your pose with simplified muscle masses. Yes, it’s that easy! If your cat is going to be very furry, it’s actually all you need. The muscles won’t show anyway.

Step 2

That’s my cat covered with basic muscle masses.

Step 3

To keep the cat proportions, those of us who prefer short- or medium-haired cats need to learn some more. Still, it can be simplified too. These are big masses that can be visible under the skin. If you want to learn it painlessly, just use this reference to start. After a few exercises, this structure will sink in itself.

Step 4

Now my cat has muscles too!

Step 5

There’s one more thing. Cats have quite loose skin; in some areas it’s not used to cover the muscles. If you have a cat, try to touch the area between the thigh and the calf—you’ll feel only skin and fur! Thanks to this additional skin, you can’t see the thigh or calf when a cat is sitting.

Step 6

Draw the additional skin too to complete the body shape.

3. How to Draw a Cat’s Paws

Step 1

Let’s talk about cat paw anatomy. A cat’s hind and forepaws are different, just like your hands and feet. You can use them to imagine a paw structure. Cats walk on their fingertips, using just a part of the «palm» for support. They also have a little thumb (dewclaw) and a small appendix on the wrist (pisiform), but only on the forepaws. The hind paws are actually very similar to our feet.

Step 2

Cat paw anatomy is totally unique in the animal world. Their claws are retractable, but this doesn’t really work like most of us imagine. A claw is attached to the last bone of a finger. Surprisingly, this part is placed next to the previous bone, not on the end of it. Only when it’s retracted does it come close to the end.

What does that mean for us? The claws, including the little bones they’re attached to, are placed at the outer side of every finger. It means they’re not symmetrical. If the illustration below confuses you, check out photos of sphinx cats—as they have «no fur», the claws are more visible.

From viewing these, you can easily see why declawing is a controversial issue.

Step 3

Here we have the left and right forepaw, both with claws retracted. Try to do the same position with your hand to learn where the forearm ends and where the paw starts.

Step 4

Let’s learn how to draw the cat paw anatomy.

Step 5

Step 6

You may need to add the pisiform (outer view) or the dewclaw (inner view), if you’re drawing the forepaws.

Step 7

Now cover the whole shape with fur. The claws have their special, thin coat, covering them only on the top and sides.

Step 8

OK, those were fluffy, soft paws. What about paws à la Angry Kitty? They’re easy too once you know the anatomy.

Step 9

Now my cat has complete paws.

4. How to Draw a Cat’s Face Proportions

Next up, the cat face drawing. Cat facial proportions differ among breeds, but there are some rules you can use for a «typical» cat.

Step 1

Draw two circles, one big and one smaller. This is the rough shape of the head and muzzle.

Step 2

Divide the smaller circle into six roughly equal parts.

Step 3

Divide the middle line into six equal parts. It will help us find the right place for the nose and mouth.

Step 4

Put a simple triangle between the lines, as shown below. You can also start the mouth.

Step 5

Draw the rest of the muzzle using the lines as landmarks.

Step 6

Now we’re going to set a place for the eyes. Add four guides using the lines we’ve already established.

Step 7

You can now easily add the eyes.

Step 8

When you want to draw a kitten, you need to change the proportions a bit to get bigger, round eyes.

Step 9

To complete the head shape in this cat face drawing, add ears and structures for the cheeks.

Step 10

Drawing a head in profile isn’t really hard once you know how to place the guide lines.

Step 11

So now we know how to draw the head of a cat, but it’s still just the base for a real drawing. In the next steps, we’ll take care of every single element of a cat’s face.

5. How to Draw a Cat’s Eye

Step 1

Next up, a little cat eye drawing tutorial. If you followed my previous tips, you should have an oval/circle as an eye base.

Step 2

We can see three elements around the cat eye drawing: the edge of the lower eyelid, a row of upper eyelashes, and a dark area in the inner corner. Part of the third eyelid can be shown too.

Step 3

The size of the pupils can be important for a picture’s authenticity. If you draw a cat with big, round pupils, and it’s on a sunny beach (or in front of a fire), it will look unnatural.

Step 4

Add dark «veins» around the pupils and lighter ones everywhere else, branching off radially from the center of the eye.

Step 5

It’s not only the eyeball that makes the eye. If you were drawing a human face, you’d add eyelids, eyelashes, and probably eyebrows too, to make it more complete. For a cat eye, we can add lighter areas around it, and also a dark, narrow ellipse over the eye—it’s the place where a few whiskers come out from.

Step 6

When the eye is closed, it becomes a dark line. Both the light areas around it get closer too.

Step 7

The side view may be a little tricky. From this view, a transparent dome of the lens is visible, and the rest of the eye seems flat (try looking at photos of cats to see this).

Step 8

Once you know how the eyes should look, you can add them to the face.

6. How to Draw a Cat’s Nose

Step 1

Start with a long diamond. Its bottom is usually darker.

Step 2

Add two «wings» for the nostrils.

Step 3

Draw the holes. They’re not similar to human inner nostrils, so be careful here.

Step 4

Add the nose bridge. It should be round on top. Also, the sides of this bridge will be slightly darker, and the fur will be a lot shorter.

Step 5

Our kitty has now got its cute nose!

7. How to Draw a Cat’s Ears

Step 1

Cat ears are not really as simple as we would think. They’re not just triangles or even cones—they’re a complicated structure that you will need to learn in order to make your drawings more realistic.

Step 2

To draw an ear from the front, start with a circle. Then divide it into four parts, drawing the lines at a small angle.

Step 3

Use the guides to draw the outlines of the ear.

Step 4

Cats have a weird fold on the outer side of their ears, called a «tragus». It’s quite hard to draw from the front, but it’s necessary—draw it and people will think you’re a cat expert!

Step 5

Now you can add hair tufts. Their amount will depend on the breed, but generally it’s best to attach them to the inner side and leave the outer part bare.

Step 6

But hey, there’s more! Cats can rotate their ears, so what about other «poses»? You can use the same method for them. Just keep in mind that ears are bigger than what we usually see. You can cover this bottom part with soft fur. If you compare the ears of long hair and «no hair» cats, you’ll see what a difference fur makes in terms of how large the ears appear.

Step 7

Our cat can now hear!

8. How to Draw a Cat’s Whiskers

Step 1

Whiskers are a cat’s additional sense. They have them on their mouths, above the eyes, under the chin, and behind the paws. Whiskers grow out of little, dark «holes» in the fur. We’ve already drawn the «whisker spots» above the eyes, so now add some little ones on the muzzle.

Step 2

Generally, cats have 12 whiskers on every side, but you don’t need to stick to this number. Having 13 on the left and 15 on the right is OK too! Just keep them very thin and light. They also should be longer than half of the head.

9. How to Draw a Cat’s Fur

Step 1

The amount of fur determines the shape of the head. A cat head without fur is triangular. Then, when some short fur is added, its shape softens. Add longer fur and the head will become round (also, kittens look cuter and younger with round heads). When you add extremely long fur, the head becomes a trapezoid.

Step 2

Also, the shape of the body depends on the length of fur. Short or flat-laying fur will accent the slim body of a cat, while long, thick fur will make the silhouette bigger. Always start with a slim body when you’re drawing a cat, and add the fur later, changing the silhouette to your needs.

Purrfect Job, Well Done!

Great work! You know everything about cat proportions, their skeleton and muscles, and all the rules that make cats cats! Now you know the enemy, you can create your own cat drawings.

5 Top Cat Logo Designs From Placeit Logo Maker

You know how to draw a cat step by step and everything about the cat anatomy drawing process. Now, if you need cat logo ideas, we’ve got you covered too.

You don’t need design software to create professional cat logos. You can make incredible cat logo designs from your browser, using the Placeit logo maker.

Just create an account, choose the cat logo you like the most, customize it in minutes, and download it. That’s it. Here’s a selection of cat logo ideas to get you inspired:

1. Abstract Black Cat Logo

Do you love black cats? Then you’ll love this sophisticated black cat logo with an abstract and elegant aesthetic. This multipurpose cat logo design can work for any type of business or brand. Easily customize this black cat logo in the Placeit logo maker.

2. Cool Cat Logo Design for Clothing Stores

If you’re launching a clothing line and want a memorable logo, consider this cool cat logo design. This cat logo template features a hand-drawn cat wearing glasses. Customize the details and text to achieve a unique result.

3. Cute Cat Logo for Streetwear

Who doesn’t love cute cat logo designs? This might be one of the cutest cat logos you can find. This example is for an urban clothing line, but you can adapt it to any business. And the best part? You can customize it and download it in just a few minutes.

4. Stray Cats Logo Template

Looking for more cat logo design inspiration? What about this cute scratching cat logo? Use this stray cat logo for clothing, pet stores, pet accessories, and more.

5. Cat Logo for Gaming Teams

Cat logo designs are also very popular for gaming and eSports teams. This cool cat logo could be your next team logo. Customize the colors and text in minutes using the Placeit logo maker.

Find More Cat Drawing and Cat Logo Inspiration

I hope you enjoyed this realistic cat drawing tutorial. Now it’s your time to practice a cat face drawing, a cat eye drawing, and cat proportions. But if you’re looking for even more cool drawing tutorials, along with more logo inspiration, check out these resources before you leave:

Editorial Note: This post has been updated with contributions from Maria Villanueva. Maria is the Associate Editor of the Tuts+ Design channel.

How to Draw a Realistic Cat Step-by-step

Have you ever wanted to draw a realistic-looking cat? Here’s an easy step-by-step process to enhance your drawing skills.

This is what your finished drawing might look like.

Last Updated October 2018

The ideal drawing course for beginners to advanced. Super easy pencil drawing method. Everything explained in detail. | By Cindy Wider

In this step-by-step tutorial, you’ll learn how to draw a cat in three stages.

To go a step further, you can use a blending stump to add shading and form. Either way, your cat will look impressive – almost like it’s come to life on the page!

Get familiar with the basics of cat anatomy

The best way to learn how to draw animals is to study their anatomy. Take time to study real-life cats and learn more about their positions, features, and poses.

If you don’t have a cat, you can watch videos of cats in action.

You can also look at cat anatomy drawings and books to study their bone and muscle structure.

Start with a quick stick-figure sketch

A simple way to better understand the movement and curves of cat anatomy is to watch a real cat in motion while you sketch it rapidly. Only sketch it in the stick-figure style of drawing as you see here. Try to draw your whole cat in about 10-20 seconds. It doesn’t have to look realistic.

Scribble gesture drawing is the best place to start when you first learn how to draw. It can also be a great way to warm up before you do any drawing at all.

Scribble gesture is all about capturing the major energy of and getting to know the subject. It’s also about knowing the movement and angles of the cat’s legs, spine, and position of the cat’s head. You can also learn about the balance of weight, the center of gravity, and where the weight of the paws are.

To complete this tutorial, you don’t need much cat anatomy knowledge.

Just look at the drawing and ask yourself where the line is vertical, horizontal, or on an angle. You will also need to ask yourself which direction a curve is traveling in. Either in or out.

Gather your art materials

To draw your cat, you will only need a pencil and a piece of paper.

If you want to shade your cat, you will need some extra art materials.

A step-by-step guide to drawing a cat

Let’s get started drawing a realistic-looking cat.

Step 1: Draw a vertical line

To get started on your construction drawing, lightly sketch a vertical line any length you like (I chose seven inches long.) You can use a ruler or sketch your line using the motion of your shoulder and a stiff wrist to guide you. This is your vertical center guideline and you will compare all your sizes, angles, and shapes to this line.

Tip: You should always be sure of where your line begins and ends. Make a mark at the top and bottom of this vertical line by drawing a tiny horizontal line. I call this a tab.

Then halve the vertical line. Mark it with a tab in the center.

Next, halve each half of your line again. This will create four equal divisions down the vertical line.

Tip: Measure each of your four divisions to make sure they are the same length as each other. This will help you draw proportions well. You can measure with your pencil by lining up the tip at the beginning of a tab and pinch-gripping your pencil behind and touching the other tab. Carry your pencil down to the next one and check it. Alter your divisions until they are all approximately equal.

Step 2: Draw a large oval for the body

Make sure that you sketch all your shapes lightly.

The first shape to draw is a large oval for your cat body. Start the top of your oval at the beginning of the second tab down from the top and end it a little way up from the bottom.

Tip: To draw a nice oval, find halfway between the top and bottom of the oval and draw a horizontal line as a guide for how wide you want your oval to be. Mine was about three inches. You can draw yours the same or by approximating if you like.

Step 3: Draw a circle for the cat head

Your cat head can begin with a circle. We will add angles and curves to refine the cat face and features later during the outline drawing stage.

Begin the top of your circle just a bit down from the top of the center vertical guideline and end it as it crosses over and just below the top of the big oval body.

Draw a horizontal guideline to help you create the width evenly on each side of the vertical line. I made my circle two inches long and two inches wide. You can also approximate the width of your cat head.

Step 4: Draw the cat ears as two triangle shapes

In this step, you will draw two triangles ready for adding curves to draw the ears later.

Start your triangle on one side, by drawing a vertical line directly upwards from the outside of the center of the circle and stop at the full height of the central vertical guideline. Do this on both sides of the cat head circle.

Tip: Keep this line parallel to your center vertical guideline.

Next, you can complete each triangle by drawing a diagonal line down from the tip of the triangle ear shape to meet the circle. Do this on both sides. This will create a triangle on each side of the head for the cat ears.

Step 5: Draw ovals for the 4 cat paws

Now you will draw two larger ovals at the base of the circle for the two front leg paws.

Tip: Note that these two ovals are positioned a little distance apart. They are also both positioned at the height of the bottom marker on the vertical line.

Draw two smaller ovals a little bit higher up the page for the two back leg paws. This will make them look like they are a bit further back into the distance than the front ones.

Step 6: Draw 4 long ovals for legs

Now it’s time to complete the main shapes of your cat by adding two large ovals for the front legs and two smaller ovals for the back legs.

Tip: The two larger ovals in front come up to just below half of the large circle body. They are on a slight angle outwards. The smaller ovals for the back legs are lower and also on a slight angle outwards. The oval legs touch the ovals for your cat paws.

Step 7: Draw the shapes for your cat nose, eyes, and mouth

Draw a small upside-down triangle for your cat nose. See how the triangle begins at the top of the large body oval. It’s a short horizontal line that is drawn evenly on both sides of the central vertical guideline.

Complete your upside-down triangle cat nose shape by adding two diagonal lines (one on each end of the horizontal line) that meet on the central vertical guideline.

Add one angled line on each side of the top of the nose, to travel upwards, and continue these upwards to just above the halfway mark on your circle.

The cat eyes are added just as small circles for now. Space them a little distance apart from one another by using the angles you have just created as a guide to position them.

Step 8: Draw the outline curves on the face, limbs, and body

In this step, you will add the outline to your entire cat. Press lightly as you travel around the shapes. Notice where you must draw inside the shape and where to draw outside the shape.

Tip: Keep the drawing you are copying from parallel to your drawing. Place your finger on the curve you are drawing so that you don’t lose your place. Always look carefully at the drawing you are copying from before you draw your curve or angle.

You can only draw something well if you have seen it properly. It’s not enough to just look at it. You must ask yourself what the curve or angle is really doing, then record it by drawing it onto your page.

Our brain can only remember one thing at a time when we are first drawing, so go slowly. Don’t be tempted to make it up or you might become frustrated with your results.

Ask yourself, “What direction is this curve traveling in?” But don’t say “left” or “right.” It takes too long to work out which is left and which is right.

Instead, name something in the room like a bookcase, door, or window. I call this the Artist’s Language. It really works — give it a try!

Tip: Don’t name the part you are drawing (especially parts you know like cat paws, eyes, nose, and legs.) Ask yourself things about the shape. If it’s an angle you are drawing, ask yourself, “How much of an angle is this, compared to the vertical or horizontal sides of my page, or center guidelines?”

At this stage you can refine the facial features, beginning with your cat eyes. Add more graphite along the top of the lid to gently cut across the top of the circle. Don’t angle it downwards too much as you head towards the direction of the nose, or your cat will look quite grumpy. Keep the bottom lid very curved.

When you draw the nose, darken inside the nostrils and the shadow at the base of the nose. Add an upside-down ‘Y’ shape for the mouth.

Add the whiskers last, using quickly pulled strokes as you ease off the pressure. Pull outwards beginning on the face with a firmer touch in the cheek area. That way your cat whiskers will begin slightly thicker and darker at the base and become thinner and finer as they travel away from the face.

Step 9: Erase all the construction drawing shapes

Now it’s time to erase all the unnecessary guidelines and gently erase your outline before you add the cat fur.

Step 10: Draw the fur outline

Notice the direction that I have used for the little fur markings. Always create your fur in the direction of the underlying body.

Some strokes will be curved and others slightly more straight.

Tip: Fur on the face travels upwards and outwards from the nose and eyes. See this photograph for an example of a cat to gain a deeper understanding of the fur pattern.

At this stage, you can call your cat a completed outline drawing, or you can continue to add form by shading in the next step.

Step 11: Shade the body

All you need for this step is a paper stump to gently pull the graphite around the image. You can begin by shading a bit of graphite onto the darker shadows at the base of the cat. Blend that area. You can use the graphite on your stump to blend other parts of the cat.

You can also pull some graphite off the fur areas, add more delicate strokes in the direction of the fur, and then blend the area as needed. Occasionally lay your pencil on the side to add a tiny bit more graphite and blend again.

Use your paper stump in the direction of the fur. If you have covered an area too much, just use your kneadable eraser formed to a little ball with a peak on it to pull back some of the graphite, then blend around the edges to soften the area again.

Finishing up and planning your next project

Once you are happy with all your blending, your cat is complete. Great job!

This is a process you can practice several times so that you can draw your cat from memory any time you like. If you would love to learn more about how to draw and shade using professional methods, see my course: Complete Drawing and Shading Course. Next, join me in learning how to draw a unicorn.

Page Last Updated: September 2020

I’ve been a full time professional award winning artist, author and art educator for more than 25 years. During that time I’ve helped thousands of people learn to draw and paint both in live settings and through my online courses.

I’m the Co-Founder of DrawPj, an online art school which I founded in 2009 along with my husband Stuart Wider. At DrawPj we present my “Complete Online Drawing Course” and I also privately mentor students 1:1 online with video feedback through email. Prior to that we co-founded StuartCindy Art which became the largest privately owned live art tuition school on the Queensland Sunshine Coast, Australia.

I’m also the author of the soft cover books ‘Paint In Your Pyjamas!’, ‘Six Pencil Techniques’ and ’12 Coloured Pencil Techniques’. I am currently writing and illustrating my children’s picture book series ‘The Cuddleecat Family and Friends.’ I am a licensed Artist represented by Art Licensing International in the USA and my artworks are sold all around the world.

My artwork and tutorials have been included in many highly respected international drawing and painting magazines.

I have discovered that motivated students using my course curriculum over the internet will often equal or surpass the standard of work created in a live tuition setting. I find this exciting and rewarding, as time and again I hear course participants before they begin confess to me that they ‘can’t even draw a straight line’ but with hard work and dedication they are able to improve their drawing skills in a very short space of time and often with dramatic results.

How to Draw a Cat: Easy Step by Step Tutorial

Here is an easy step by step tutorial on how to draw a cat!

Cats are so easy and fun to draw. They are a great way to learn how to study animal shapes and draw them. Cat drawings can also be stylized very easily with your own art style.

I have also included other simple ways of drawing cats at the end of this blog post, so feel free to follow along and also try the other drawing methods as well.

I hope you enjoy and above all, have fun!

Step 1: Draw the Top of the Cat’s Head

Draw a slightly rounded line for the top of the cat’s head.

Step 2: Draw the Cat’s Ears

Draw two upside-down V’s for the cat’s ears.

Step 3: Draw the Cat’s Body

Extend a line downwards from each of the cat’s ears. These lines will be the shape of the cat’s body.

Step 4: Draw the Eyes

You can draw your cat’s eyes in different ways depending on the style you like. I just drew two circles with a black ovals inside.

Step 5: Draw the Nose

Draw an tiny upside down triangle for the cat’s nose.

Step 6: Draw the Cat’s Mouth

Draw the cat’s mouth as shown below. Extend a small line downward from the cat’s nose and draw an upside-down v for the cat’s mouth.

Step 7: Draw the Whiskers

Draw the cat’s whiskers by drawing straight lines extending outwards on the cat’s face.

Step 8: Draw the Cat’s Front Legs

Draw 3 straight lines extending downwards at the front of the cat’s body. These lines will create the two front legs of your cat.

Step 9: Draw the Front Paws

Draw your cat’s front paws by drawing two little round curves at the bottom of the legs, as shown below.

Step 10: Draw the Cat’s Back Leg

Draw the cat’s back leg as shown below. The cat’s thigh is going to be rounder in shape and the leg is going to be thinner.

Step 11: Draw the Other Back Leg

Next, we are going to draw the other back leg of your cat. Since this other leg is behind the cat and on the other side, I am not drawing the thigh, just the thin part of the leg extending forward.

Step 12: Draw the Cat’s Tail

For the last step, we are going to draw the cat’s tail. It can be long, short, fluffy, skinny – whatever you like.

The Final Cat Drawing!

Here is the final cat drawing after finishing all the steps! Now you can color and add fur patterns to your cat drawing however you like.

Here are Some Other Easy Cat Drawing Ideas!

Try drawing some colored blobs using markers or paint, and draw a cat from it! It’s simple, easy, and fun trying to create a cat from a random shape.

A cat drawing idea if you want to draw a cat standing up.

Here is an adorable tuxedo cat drawing to try!

I hope you enjoyed these cat drawings to try drawing for yourself! Feel free to get creative and draw your own cat as well.

Thank you for stopping by this blog post and have a wonderful day!

SketchBook Original: How to Draw Cats

This post has been originally commissioned for SketchBook Blog in 2016. After the site’s migration, the original is no longer available, but you can still access the content here. Enjoy!

Cats are amazing animals—they’re fluffy and cute, yet they’re not really so different from their wild cousins. Having one is like having a miniature panther in your house! They’re very graceful, with a body that’s designed for hunting, and this elegance makes them a wonderful subject to draw. They also make a great “model animal” — once you learn how to draw them, you’ll be equipped with basic skills necessary for drawing dogs — and even horses! They have a surprising amount in common. I’ll show you.

Simplified cat anatomy

Every animal’s body shape is defined by two anatomical levels: skeletal and muscle structure. They can be hidden under fur and skin, but without them the cat would be shapeless. Fortunately, we don’t have to learn the shape of every bone and the name of every muscle — we only need to draw what is seen.

A cat’s skeleton can be simplified to a set of lines. You need to memorize the proportions and location of the joints along with their limits. But once you have practiced this a few times, it’s all you need to start a drawing of a cat.

The easiest way to learn this method is to look at a photo of a cat and to draw the “skeleton” you can see in its body. After dozens of such sketches this will become automatic for your hand. Tip: if you want to draw cats from imagination, try not to look at the photo after you start sketching — this way you’ll practice using your memory as well.

When drawing, pay special attention to the spine. In cats it’s very flexible, and it’s limited only by the ribcage and the hips.

Although muscles are more complicated than a skeleton, in case of cats they can be highly simplified. This is because cats have a very loose skin that covers the outlines of the muscles even in hairless breeds. This makes them very easy to draw!

After you draw the skeleton, you can start “dressing” it with parts of the body. Feet…

… thigh and shoulder…

… and the loose skin between the parts.

Now you can draw the outline for the rest of the body. It’s rather blocky and can be similar in shape to a long loaf of bread.

Finally, you can cover all the parts with loose skin, keeping only the outlines you need. I like to imagine I put the cat inside of one-piece pajamas — tight around the specific parts of the body, but loose in between.

There’s no one-and-only correct order for drawing the body. Sketch it the way you want! Again, practice with a lot of different photo references to understand it better and to make the movement more automatic for your hand. You need to work out your own method that will work best for you.

Cats drawn from skeleton to skin with simple shapes and a little bit of practice.

How to draw a cat’s head

Cats come in many shapes, but there’s a certain arrangement of proportions that creates a typical “cat face.” You don’t need to memorize them 100% — general rules are more important here. Start with a T-shape stuck to the imaginary head. These are the lines of the eyes and nose, and they should define the direction of the head even when you can’t see it yet as a whole.

Add a muzzle. It has the shape of a sack pinned to the point between the eyes.

Cut the muzzle into half, then cut the upper half as well. This will create the length of the nose bridge. In some breeds it may be longer (in others, shorter), but a half of the muzzle is a “safe” choice for a generic cat.

Turn your cat into a panda for awhile!

Place the eyes in the middle of each “eye patch.” They shouldn’t touch the muzzle, and they should be slightly crossed with that original eye line.

Add the forehead. It can go straight from the nose line, but you can also create a “step” at this point, depending on the breed.

… and the rest of the skull.

You now have enough guide lines to add the details:

Cat ears are very complicated, not only difficult to draw, but also hard to imagine in 3D. They can’t be simplified to any basic form, but they can be roughly converted to a set of parts: a base (a), a “roll” or a “horse ear” (b), two pairs of flaps (c), a pouch (d), and the “front yard” (e). Even when covered in fur these parts define the shape of the ear.

We can draw them step by step: start by drawing a spherical base and the opening of the ear. This will establish their position and length.

Add depth to the ear by drawing a kind of half-rolled leaf. If this is hard for you, you may need to practice perspective and drawing forms in 3D first.

Create the “front yard” area between the ear and the eyes.

Add the flaps. Again, perspective is important here!

Finally, add the rest of the base and the little pouch covering the outer flaps.

This process gives you a generic cat head, and now you can modify it to create the breed you want.

Let’s add heads to our sketches:

Monika’s quick sketches with heads added — note the importance of the ears.

How to draw cat paws

Cats paws are unique — their deadly claws are hidden inside cute balls of fluff. All this fluff, again, makes them quite easy to draw. Let me show you! A typical cat has five fingers but uses only four for walking. The fifth one (a) is called a dew claw, and it’s positioned like your thumb. It doesn’t normally touch the ground. Each finger has a pad beneath, the same you have under your fingertips. There’s also one additional pad called pisiform (b). You can feel the bone it covers on the outer side of your wrist—in humans it’s not covered by any pad.

The hind paws have only four toes, and no pisiform either.

You can sketch the paws while drawing the skeleton. Imagine they’re pieces of wire, and that they must support the cat’s body.

Draw the basic shape of each paw. Notice that the 3D view (c) is a combined version of two 2D views (a, b).

Add the outlines of fingers and toes. Don’t forget about the dew claws in the forepaws, placed like your thumbs.

If your cat is short-haired, you can add ovals in the front of fingers and toes to accentuate the shape of the bones beneath. Also, don’t forget about the pads, if they’re visible, and the pisiform in the back of the forepaws!

Finally, the outline of the paws. In short-haired breeds the tips of the claws in the hind paws can often be seen, so you can add them as a nice accent.

Add the fur

After you sketch the pose and the anatomy, you can make your cat complete by adding fur. The longer the hair, the “fatter” every part of the body must be. Also remember that hair grows in a certain direction all over the body. Don’t forget about that “one-piece pajama” look!

Before you draw a certain breed, spend a few minutes analyzing pictures of it. How do you need to modify the face’s proportions to achieve that look? How long is the fur, legs, tail? You don’t need to draw every little detail, but some elements are necessary if you want people to recognize the breed.