11 Realistic Drawing Ideas of Cats and Big Cats
Here are 11 pencil and charcoal pencil realistic drawings of kittens, cats and big cats - hope it gives you some inspiration
In this blog post I share 11 of my drawings of kittens, cats and big cats!
I love drawing cats, they have such expressive faces and amazing symmetry.
It was nice to notice the similarities and differences between the facial structure of cats and big cats, and capture their wonderful markings.
Here are some quick tips for drawing cats and big cats
- As always start with the head - I like to lightly mark in the ears and eyes, as the proportions aren't always how they first appear. The eyes were often lower down, and the ears bigger than I realised.
- Spend the most time on the eyes - the eyes really brought the images to life, and some of them took me ages, working on light and shade sometimes made all the difference.
- Don't underestimate how long the markings will take! The leopards fur took ages, and the tigers, but it was really enjoyable to get lost in the markings - almost like colouring in.
- Don't be afraid to rework, or keep working on something. Sometimes and eye, or a leopard spot didn't look right - even when I'd shaded it. Having a great putty rubber really helped me make tiny shifts which made a big difference.
Cookie as a Kitten
This is our cat Cookie, when he was just a kitten. This was one of the ones I found the hardest, probably because of the pressure to capture our pet. I think I managed to capture his cute and cheeky personality.
Bobcat
I enjoyed drawing this one a lot more than I thought I would. I loved making this creature appear on the page and there was something about it's lovely eyes and markings that felt very relaxing to draw.
Open-Mouthed Profile of a Leopard
This one was a great challenge - it was nice to draw a big cat in profile but the teeth were really difficult - this one probably took me the longest of all the images and was my second attempt. I had to keep checking the proportions.
Kitten sketch
I enjoyed playing with contrasts in this one - lots of shading and details around the ears and eyes and then lots of white space.
Lion and Cub
When I saw this image I really wanted to draw it, as it's so lovely. But I was a bit intimidated. I actually found it easier than I thought I would. It was nice to draw a picture that was a bit zoomed out, so their bodies were in it too.
Close up of a Leopard
I loved drawing this one so much. It was such a different image. I loved how close up it was and how full of character its face is. I really enjoyed adding all the markings and found it very relaxing. This was one when I kept adding or taking away to keep improving it.
Leopard looking to the side
This one really annoyed me - I think it's the same issue I had with the tabby kitten image lower down. I find animals looking to the side, with their faces at an angle really tricky. I couldn't get it quite how I wanted it, but done is better than perfect!
Tabby Kitten
I found this one annoyingly difficult! I thought it would be simple, but something about the angle was tricky and it's impossibly tiny nose! I felt relieved when it was done! I didn't get it quite right but never mind.
Snow Leopard
I really enjoyed drawing the soft fur of this young snow-leopard. I wanted to leave lots of white space to represent the whiteness of its fur.
Cat Looking Up
This was a fun quick sketch to do, I enjoyed being a bit looser and quicker with the markings, and working on a different view of a cat's face.
Tiger Close-Up
I loved how this tiger looks as though it's looking straight at the camera. There was something very satisfying about drawing it's very symmetrical markings.
I hope you enjoyed our realistic big cat drawing ideas.