It's always a good idea to use reference as you draw. Shading can be very time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. Cats have a variety of coat patterns, so feel free to shade yours differently. As you add the value to the body, use strokes that go in the general direction of the fur. The area around the eyes and muzzle should be white.Īdd the base and stripes to the body too. For a tabby cat like this, use a medium value as a base and add a dark value on top for stripes. You can also skip this step entirely if you prefer a white cat instead. You can add even more value throughout your drawing for extra detail.
This helps ground the cat so it doesn't appear to be floating. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value.Īdd a cast shadow underneath. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it. Re-draw any final sketch lines you may have accidentally erased.įinal Step: Add some shading to your stretching cat drawing to give it more dimension and volume. Don't worry about erasing all of the guides. Step 22: For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Use quick, short strokes on the tip and on the right side of the tail for the fur. Follow the path of the guide and draw the shape of the tail around it. Step 21: Use the curved line on top of the body as a guide to draw the cat's tail. Add a few strokes along the back, near the head, to emphasize the skin folds among the fur. Use quick, short strokes mainly along the underside to represent the fur. Simply darken the outer edges of the guides to create the shape of the body. Step 20: Use the remaining lines and shapes as guides to draw the rest of the stretching cat's body.