Ways of Drawing Cats: A Guide to Expanding Your Visual Awareness

by Simon Jennings (Editor)

Describes the anatomy of cats, offers advice on observing and sketching them, and discusses perspective, lighting, silhouettes, markings, and cat faces

Genres: Reference

64 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1994

Reviews

[Ali Deters · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love cats and doodling, which is why I purchased this book.

When I bought it, there were only a couple of copies out there (online, used), so I was relieved to find a copy in excellent shape. And I do like (not love) this little book, but it’s not what I expected.

I thought it would be a coffee table sized book, but it’s on the small side. Maybe around 5x7 inches (no ruler on me, just an estimate). There are 64 glossy, thick pages (full color). As for content is sectioned as follows:
Introduction 7
Anatomy 8
Seeing 14
Observation 16
Sketchbooks 17
Flexibility 18
False starts 19
Lightning sketches 20
Moving subjects 21
Perspective 22
Foreshortening 23
Cats and kittens 24
Farmyard cats 28
Black cats 34
Silhouettes 35
White cats 36
Ginger cats 38
Cat faces 40
Fur and markings 41
Siamese cats 42
Sleeping cats 44
Cats and their owners 46
Big cats 48
Basic essentials 52
Index of possibilities 54
Acknowledgments 64

Cool cover design: translucent vellum jacket with neon orange text overlaps black and white hard cover. A+ for the cover.

The cover does feature a load of cat doodles from all angles, in black and white, so I assumed (and hoped) that the inside would be full of the same. Not so. C- for this disappointment.

Some of the spreads display several sketches, some maybe four to five images, sometimes in water color, sometimes charcoal, etc… and most of it is very loosely done. There is informational copy specific to each section, but it’s not copy heavy and it’s an easy read. Overall okay. C+ to B- for style.

It’s a nice little reference, but I would say it doesn’t go in-depth into anything. For example, one section is about Siamese. No other formal breeds have a section. Black cats, white cats, barn cats, Siamese, sleeping cats. How interesting, those choices. Not sure how to grade this randomness.

The “index of possibilities” section at the end shows images of cats represented through history, in various mediums, from cave paintings, story books, fine artists, advertising, etc. Didn’t expect this section at all, but it’s nice. Actually fun to see how cats have been regarded and art style evolved over time. An A- for the cool surprise.

Someone said this is a kids’ book. Perhaps. But I still like it, and I’m a middle aged artist/cat lover… so maybe I’m a big kid at heart 💜

Hope this is a helpful review. If thinking about buying but not sure, feel free to ask questions.

[Artlab]

Children/Drawing