Hi All,

This is my first post here so I hope I've put it in the right place. I'm quite new to art, though I've always enjoyed sketching with pencil I've never really tried much else. I'm attending a local class now and gradually learning more.

My question, or rather request for advice is about creating a portrait of one of my cats. I've looked through the tutorials I can find on drawing cats and fur but I'm still struggling. I can draw my other cats relatively well (at least for me) but I have real difficulty drawing one of my cats, Napoleon, who is totally black and very shiny. He's getting on in years and I'm worried that I might not have him for long, he's a lovely affectionate little man who has lived for the last 10 years without one of his front legs after he was shot by some vile creature.

I've tried drawing him a few times but there just doesn't seem to be enough I can do in terms of detail to create anything other than a black amorphous blob. I'm not sure whether pencil drawing is the best way to go either. One of the reasons I am asking for help is that one of my neighbours fell in love with Napoleon when she first met him and has always been there for him, giving him treats and making a fuss of him. I know she's going to be as devastated as I will be when he passes on and I want to give her something to remember him by. Photographs don't seem to carry enough detail either and I wanted to give her something that was a 'thank you'.

Any advice on drawing or painting would be really appreciated.

Andy.

Concentrate on the "shiny". Make the highlights white, even though they're "really" black fur. Make the more diffuse reflections light grey. Make most of the fur dark grey, and reserve black for deepest shadow.

I have a tip for trying to take a photo of him for reference. Make sure you have a dark or medium toned background surrounding him and not white or light colors like yellows or pinks. A dark object will look even darker in a photo if it is surrounded by lighter tones. Use the flash if indoors and also plenty of shattered light.

I also recommend trying to catch him doing something he loves to do. Take plenty of photos from different views and different poses. I hope you have a digital camera.

Bobby

Hi,

Thank you both for your advice, I have got a digital camera and I'll try to get some good photos to try the sketching tips out.

Thanks again.

Andy

Bobby's also got a great thread here:
http://www.drawspace.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7141
on drawing hair, which will help you a lot in depicting fur.


Dave

Hi

You also might want to look into this workshop that was done by Jeanette last year.

http://www.drawspace.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6208

good luck

Good advice about using light highlights. Also I would suggest if taking photos indoors that you bounce the flash off the ceiling or other walls rather than a straight frontal flash which will wash features in a flat light and turn the eyes white. My next commission is a black cat.