How to Draw Cats in Simple Steps - Polly Pinder

How to draw cats in simple steps

Little Miss enjoys drawing and a few months ago she was wanting to draw an accurate picture of her cat. Not being the greatest artist, I was pleased to find this in a second hand shop .

What I wanted was something which would explain to her how to draw cats to scale and without making them look misshapen.

The book is A4 size with a simple drawing of a cat on the front along with a series of line drawings at the bound side.

The blurb on the back cover promises the reader that even beginners can create great pictures using the step by step techniques shown in the book. Inside the book there is a brief synopsis of the author/artist, Polly Pinder and then there is an introduction written in the first person, which I think is a lot more personal especially when younger children are reading the book. Pinter explains how she draws cats and suggests using a pink pencil in the first stage and reducing the drawing to simple circles.In the next stages of the drawings she uses a turquoise colour so that the blends and stages can easily be seen, and it is at this stage that legs and ears are drawn in. The third stage the whole drawing becomes turquoise and then the additional features, are drawn in using a pink pencil. The next stage is when the cat becomes more feline (still in pink) with whiskers and fur being drawn. The final stages are drawn using a graphite pencil and then the cat is coloured in its natural and final colours.

There is then further explanation on the type of pencil to be used for the drawings and the ways in which colours can be added for the final picture. I must admit that when I was first reading this I found the explanation of the way the drawings are executed a tad confusing but we ploughed on to the pictures to give it a go.

There are 28 cats in total which each step by step stage taking up a whole A4 page and as far as I can tell all of them drawn in six stages as explained in the introduction, and yes, each of the drawings features the pink and turquoise pencils so it is indeed very easy to follow. There are drawings of short- and long-haired cats and kittens including a good selection of favorite breeds, from domestic and pedigree cats as well as tabbies. The cats are shown in a range of positions, standing up and lying down so there is something for everyone.

The ISBN is 978-1-84448-369-369-3 and the RRP is £4.99 although it can be picked up more cheaply at amazon. Published by Search Press

VERDICT…

Based on the principle that all drawing is based on the construction of simple lines and shapes, this book is really easy to follow. Once Little Miss got to grips with the way the different stages are drawn, she was very quickly able to draw passable cats which have got better. Although she doesn’t use it as often now as she used to I am sure it will be something she will dip into when the mood takes her.

There are other book sin this How to Draw series- Dragons, Flowers, Birds and if ever I see them on offer I will buy them as a useful introduction to sketching.

Recommended for anyone with an interest in cats and sketching.

Thanks for reading

Daniela xx