How to draw a cat step by step

How to draw a cat step by step. This is taken from the book by Jack Hamm (1916-1996) How to Draw Animals. I modified the instructions and pictures for educational purposes.

The book is a wealth of further information and it guides you in the details of drawing animals in general, by learning to know their proportions, their similarities, and their differences.

Interesting is how Jack Hamm starts his book by giving a general way of drawing animals (mammiferes) with a few general strokes. Here they are

When you combine these shapes they form a "general animal" body:

On the negative side, perhaps the drawings in his book are a little bit stiff and rigid because partly taken from taxidermy photos. However, the theory behind is certainly worth reading. Maybe, Hamm's book can be later combined with the Dover's book The Art of Animal Drawing: Construction, Action Analysis, Caricature by Walt Disney's artist Ken Hultgren (1915 - 1968) where drawing are really taking a more lively carachter.

TUTORIAL

Step 1. Draw a square.

Step 2.Divide the square in half

Step 3. Divide the top part in half with a litle longer lines. Then draw the pelvis (top right) and shoulder (top left) as oblique lines.

Step 4. Draw a top line half long as the square. This is the head position under the ear. Draw a parallel line to the shoulder, about 20% longer. Also notice that the paws at the bottom fall right under the shoulder and pelvis left sides.

Step 5. Beginning of the "feet" and "hands"

Step 6. Further positioning

Step 7. Limbs are positioned. See the shapes of the "general animal"?

Step 8. Head and neck.

Step 9. Ears and tail are drawn.

Step 10. Final Jack Hamm drawing

Now that you learned about the cat family proportions, you are ready to next step

(continues...)

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