Cats rule the Internet! No doubt one day they'll take complete control over our lives. To prepare for this day, we need to know the enemy. By drawing a cat, you'll understand what they really are made of. So grab a pencil, and I'll show you what cats are made of! Show
This cat drawing tutorial will show you how to draw a cat step by step. Also, this realistic cat drawing tutorial can serve as inspiration if you're looking for cat logo designs for your brand or business. You can create an amazing cat logo like this in minutes, using the Placeit logo maker.From black cat logos to cool gaming cat logos, Placeit is the place to go if you need a cat logo in minutes. The Placeit logo maker helps you make a cat logo design without leaving your browser. Scroll down after this tutorial to find a selection of top cat logo ideas from the Placeit logo maker! What You'll Learn in this Realistic Cat Drawing Tutorial
If you want some references to work from, you can find plenty of cat photos over on Envato Market. Just make sure that you don't get too distracted by all that cuteness, and remember to come back and finish the tutorial! 1. How to Draw a Cat's Skeleton StructureStep 1Let's start this cat anatomy drawing tutorial with the base. Learning the skeletal structure is the first step to creating a believable pose. The bones are a support for the muscles, and the joints between them define the range of motion. Step 2Luckily, you don't need to remember the exact shape of the bones. You just need to know how long they are and how they're connected to each other. The good news is, most four-legged animals have the same bone structure, with the bones' length and the distance between them being the only differences. Learn it once, and you're set forever! You should remember your skeleton as a group of ovals (joints, skull, chest, hips) and lines (bones, backbone). Once you've remembered this structure, you can easily draw every pose. Drawing cat poses will be easier. Step 3There's one more thing you need to remember: every joint has a specified range of motion. When you break their limits, your animal will look broken. To understand it, take a good look at this running animation. While running, a cat uses a full range of motion, so you can see which movements are natural. What you should observe in the cat's anatomy and movement:
If you want to take a better look at the running cycle, here's a great reference: a video of a cheetah in slow motion. Step 4Let's talk about some cat pose drawing tips. You may say, "I don't need it, I can feel the proper pose". Well, maybe, but there are a few mistakes a lot of people make from simple ignorance. This is a very popular interpretation of an animal's skeleton. It comes from confusing the hind and forelegs. They are not the same! Just compare your hands and feet. Well, this pose isn't universally wrong—it'll work quite well in cartoons, where the characters use their legs as propellers. In the real world, though, the hind legs reach at most 120 degrees rotation (even with cheetahs). Also, the cat will try to keep its head in the same position while running—unless it's some mad zombie-cat (check the animation again for the proof). Wow, that's an interesting skeleton! It comes from adapting the bones purely to the cat's thigh shape. The problem is it's not only bones that make the thigh shape—it's mostly muscles, and you can't ignore that. Also, the first pose has a crouching foreleg and a sitting hind leg. Small cats eat in this pose, but their chest isn't on the ground then. Another problem comes from a weird habit of cats. They use a "pacing" gait when walking—they move two legs from one side first, and then two legs from the other side. This mistake will not be noticed by most people, but hey, it's still a mistake! Luckily, cats change to a "diagonal" gait when speeding up. Step 5Once you've learned everything about building a pose, sketch your own cat pose drawings. 2. How to Draw a Cat's Muscle StructureStep 1Muscles give shape to the cat's anatomy. You can draw a body without knowing the muscle structure, but guessing is not the best way to go about it. You may think it's too complicated to learn, but I can show you that it's not that hard. First, cover your pose with simplified muscle masses. Yes, it's that easy! If your cat is going to be very furry, it's actually all you need. The muscles won't show anyway. Step 2That's my cat covered with basic muscle masses. Step 3To keep the cat proportions, those of us who prefer short- or medium-haired cats need to learn some more. Still, it can be simplified too. These are big masses that can be visible under the skin. If you want to learn it painlessly, just use this reference to start. After a few exercises, this structure will sink in itself. Step 4Now my cat has muscles too! Step 5There's one more thing. Cats have quite loose skin; in some areas it's not used to cover the muscles. If you have a cat, try to touch the area between the thigh and the calf—you'll feel only skin and fur! Thanks to this additional skin, you can't see the thigh or calf when a cat is sitting. Step 6Draw the additional skin too to complete the body shape. 3. How to Draw a Cat's PawsStep 1Let's talk about cat paw anatomy. A cat's hind and forepaws are different, just like your hands and feet. You can use them to imagine a paw structure. Cats walk on their fingertips, using just a part of the "palm" for support. They also have a little thumb (dewclaw) and a small appendix on the wrist (pisiform), but only on the forepaws. The hind paws are actually very similar to our feet. Step 2Cat paw anatomy is totally unique in the animal world. Their claws are retractable, but this doesn't really work like most of us imagine. A claw is attached to the last bone of a finger. Surprisingly, this part is placed next to the previous bone, not on the end of it. Only when it's retracted does it come close to the end. What does that mean for us? The claws, including the little bones they're attached to, are placed at the outer side of every finger. It means they're not symmetrical. If the illustration below confuses you, check out photos of sphinx cats—as they have "no fur", the claws are more visible. From viewing these, you can easily see why declawing is a controversial issue. Step 3Here we have the left and right forepaw, both with claws retracted. Try to do the same position with your hand to learn where the forearm ends and where the paw starts. Step 4Let's learn how to draw the cat paw anatomy.
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Step 6You may need to add the pisiform (outer view) or the dewclaw (inner view), if you're drawing the forepaws. Step 7Now cover the whole shape with fur. The claws have their special, thin coat, covering them only on the top and sides. Step 8OK, those were fluffy, soft paws. What about paws à la Angry Kitty? They're easy too once you know the anatomy. Step 9Now my cat has complete paws. 4. How to Draw a Cat's Face ProportionsNext up, the cat face drawing. Cat facial proportions differ among breeds, but there are some rules you can use for a "typical" cat. Step 1Draw two circles, one big and one smaller. This is the rough shape of the head and muzzle. Step 2Divide the smaller circle into six roughly equal parts. Step 3Divide the middle line into six equal parts. It will help us find the right place for the nose and mouth. Step 4Put a simple triangle between the lines, as shown below. You can also start the mouth. Step 5Draw the rest of the muzzle using the lines as landmarks. Step 6Now we're going to set a place for the eyes. Add four guides using the lines we've already established. Step 7You can now easily add the eyes. Step 8When you want to draw a kitten, you need to change the proportions a bit to get bigger, round eyes. Step 9To complete the head shape in this cat face drawing, add ears and structures for the cheeks. Step 10Drawing a head in profile isn't really hard once you know how to place the guide lines. Step 11So now we know how to draw the head of a cat, but it's still just the base for a real drawing. In the next steps, we'll take care of every single element of a cat's face. 5. How to Draw a Cat's EyeStep 1Next up, a little cat eye drawing tutorial. If you followed my previous tips, you should have an oval/circle as an eye base. Step 2We can see three elements around the cat eye drawing: the edge of the lower eyelid, a row of upper eyelashes, and a dark area in the inner corner. Part of the third eyelid can be shown too. Step 3Add a pupil:
The size of the pupils can be important for a picture's authenticity. If you draw a cat with big, round pupils, and it's on a sunny beach (or in front of a fire), it will look unnatural. Step 4Add dark "veins" around the pupils and lighter ones everywhere else, branching off radially from the center of the eye. Step 5It's not only the eyeball that makes the eye. If you were drawing a human face, you'd add eyelids, eyelashes, and probably eyebrows too, to make it more complete. For a cat eye, we can add lighter areas around it, and also a dark, narrow ellipse over the eye—it's the place where a few whiskers come out from. Step 6When the eye is closed, it becomes a dark line. Both the light areas around it get closer too. Step 7The side view may be a little tricky. From this view, a transparent dome of the lens is visible, and the rest of the eye seems flat (try looking at photos of cats to see this). Step 8Once you know how the eyes should look, you can add them to the face. 6. How to Draw a Cat's NoseStep 1Start with a long diamond. Its bottom is usually darker. Step 2Add two "wings" for the nostrils. Step 3Draw the holes. They're not similar to human inner nostrils, so be careful here. Step 4Add the nose bridge. It should be round on top. Also, the sides of this bridge will be slightly darker, and the fur will be a lot shorter. Step 5Our kitty has now got its cute nose! 7. How to Draw a Cat's EarsStep 1Cat ears are not really as simple as we would think. They're not just triangles or even cones—they're a complicated structure that you will need to learn in order to make your drawings more realistic. Step 2To draw an ear from the front, start with a circle. Then divide it into four parts, drawing the lines at a small angle. Step 3Use the guides to draw the outlines of the ear. Step 4Cats have a weird fold on the outer side of their ears, called a "tragus". It's quite hard to draw from the front, but it's necessary—draw it and people will think you're a cat expert! Step 5Now you can add hair tufts. Their amount will depend on the breed, but generally it's best to attach them to the inner side and leave the outer part bare. Step 6But hey, there's more! Cats can rotate their ears, so what about other "poses"? You can use the same method for them. Just keep in mind that ears are bigger than what we usually see. You can cover this bottom part with soft fur. If you compare the ears of long hair and "no hair" cats, you'll see what a difference fur makes in terms of how large the ears appear. Step 7Our cat can now hear! 8. How to Draw a Cat's WhiskersStep 1Whiskers are a cat's additional sense. They have them on their mouths, above the eyes, under the chin, and behind the paws. Whiskers grow out of little, dark "holes" in the fur. We've already drawn the "whisker spots" above the eyes, so now add some little ones on the muzzle. Step 2Generally, cats have 12 whiskers on every side, but you don't need to stick to this number. Having 13 on the left and 15 on the right is OK too! Just keep them very thin and light. They also should be longer than half of the head. 9. How to Draw a Cat's FurStep 1The amount of fur determines the shape of the head. A cat head without fur is triangular. Then, when some short fur is added, its shape softens. Add longer fur and the head will become round (also, kittens look cuter and younger with round heads). When you add extremely long fur, the head becomes a trapezoid. Step 2Also, the shape of the body depends on the length of fur. Short or flat-laying fur will accent the slim body of a cat, while long, thick fur will make the silhouette bigger. Always start with a slim body when you're drawing a cat, and add the fur later, changing the silhouette to your needs. Purrfect Job, Well Done!Great work! You know everything about cat proportions, their skeleton and muscles, and all the rules that make cats cats! Now you know the enemy, you can create your own cat drawings. 5 Top Cat Logo Designs From Placeit Logo MakerYou know how to draw a cat step by step and everything about the cat anatomy drawing process. Now, if you need cat logo ideas, we've got you covered too. You don't need design software to create professional cat logos. You can make incredible cat logo designs from your browser, using the Placeit logo maker. Just create an account, choose the cat logo you like the most, customize it in minutes, and download it. That's it. Here's a selection of cat logo ideas to get you inspired: 1. Abstract Black Cat LogoDo you love black cats? Then you'll love this sophisticated black cat logo with an abstract and elegant aesthetic. This multipurpose cat logo design can work for any type of business or brand. Easily customize this black cat logo in the Placeit logo maker. 2. Cool Cat Logo Design for Clothing StoresIf you're launching a clothing line and want a memorable logo, consider this cool cat logo design. This cat logo template features a hand-drawn cat wearing glasses. Customize the details and text to achieve a unique result. 3. Cute Cat Logo for StreetwearWho doesn't love cute cat logo designs? This might be one of the cutest cat logos you can find. This example is for an urban clothing line, but you can adapt it to any business. And the best part? You can customize it and download it in just a few minutes. 4. Stray Cats Logo TemplateLooking for more cat logo design inspiration? What about this cute scratching cat logo? Use this stray cat logo for clothing, pet stores, pet accessories, and more. 5. Cat Logo for Gaming TeamsCat logo designs are also very popular for gaming and eSports teams. This cool cat logo could be your next team logo. Customize the colors and text in minutes using the Placeit logo maker. Find More Cat Drawing and Cat Logo InspirationI hope you enjoyed this realistic cat drawing tutorial. Now it's your time to practice a cat face drawing, a cat eye drawing, and cat proportions. But if you're looking for even more cool drawing tutorials, along with more logo inspiration, check out these resources before you leave: Editorial Note: This post has been updated with contributions from Maria Villanueva. Maria is the Associate Editor of the Tuts+ Design channel. |