Drawing animal fur, especially cat fur, can seem daunting. The texture, the way light plays across it, and the sheer volume of individual hairs can feel overwhelming. However, with the right approach and techniques, you can learn how to draw realistic cat fur that brings your feline portraits to life. This tutorial will guide you through a step-by-step method for drawing short cat fur using colored pencils, breaking down the process into manageable steps and empowering you to create depth and realism in your artwork. While we’re focusing on cat fur, remember that these principles can be adapted for drawing fur on any animal, making this a versatile skill to add to your artistic toolkit.
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced artist, this guide will provide valuable insights into layering colors, understanding fur direction, and using simple strokes to achieve a lifelike fur texture. You don’t need fancy materials to start; your favorite colored pencils and paper will work just fine. Let’s embark on this artistic journey and discover how to draw captivating cat fur.
Step 1: Laying Down the Foundation – The Base Color
The secret to drawing realistic fur lies in layering. We’ll begin by establishing a base color for the sunlit area of the fur, which is essential for creating depth and dimension. First, carefully sketch the line separating the sunlit portion from the shadow area using a light warm grey pencil. If you’re using Faber-Castell Polychromos, Warm Grey I is ideal. For Prismacolor, choose the lightest warm grey in your set. This initial line will act as a guide throughout the drawing process.
Next, lightly shade the sunny area with the same warm grey, working around any darker markings that are already visible in your reference.
Remember these key points for this step:
- Sharp Pencil: Keep your pencil sharp to create fine, hair-like strokes.
- Light to Medium-Light Pressure: Apply gentle pressure to build up color gradually.
- Directional Strokes: Stroke in the direction of the fur growth to start establishing texture.
- Smooth Layer: Aim for a smooth color layer, but don’t completely fill in the paper’s texture. Allow some of the paper color to peek through, which will enhance depth in subsequent layers.
Step 2: Introducing Warmth with Ivory Tones
Now we’ll introduce warmth and subtle highlights to the fur by layering a light yellowish earth tone. Ivory from the Polychromos range is perfect, being a delicate blend of Cream and White. If you prefer Prismacolor, Putty Beige or French Grey 10% are excellent alternatives that offer a similar effect. Apply these layers with very light pressure, ensuring you maintain the subtlety of the colors.
Continue to work around the areas where darker markings will be, preserving the lighter sections.
Focus on these techniques for this stage:
- Light Pressure: Maintain a very light touch to blend seamlessly with the previous layer.
- Sharp Pencil: A sharp point is still important for controlled strokes.
- Short Strokes: Use short, directional strokes that mimic the natural flow of cat fur.
- Suggest, Don’t Define: At this stage, we are aiming for the impression of fur, not drawing every single hair.
- Layer Visibility: Ensure some of the grey base layer and the paper color remain visible. This transparency is key to creating a sense of depth and realism in the fur.
Step 3: Enhancing Highlights with Cream
To further enhance the lighter areas and build up the highlights, we’ll layer Cream over the Ivory. This step will brighten the fur and add another dimension to the texture. Use the same type of strokes as before – either back-and-forth or directional strokes following the hair growth patterns, depending on the area and effect you want to achieve.
Carefully work around the lightest parts of the fur, particularly those closest to the eye and around any distinct stripes or markings. These areas will eventually become the brightest highlights in your drawing.
Key techniques for this step include:
- Consistent Strokes: Maintain consistent stroke direction to reinforce the fur’s flow.
- Working Around Highlights: Precisely work around the areas you want to remain the lightest, preserving these for later highlight enhancement.
Step 4: Introducing Depth with Light Browns
Now it’s time to introduce depth and form to the fur by layering light browns. Nougat from Polychromos or French Grey 70% from Prismacolor are excellent choices for this step. As we move to slightly darker tones, be more cautious when working around the lighter colors and values. Some areas of the fur may have very little brown, so observe your reference closely.
Continue using sharp pencils and the same types of strokes, maintaining light pressure. It’s always better to build up color with multiple light layers rather than applying one heavy layer, especially with darker colors.
Pay close attention to the areas around the eye and the side of the cheek, which often have subtle variations in value. Avoid creating sharp edges in these areas. Instead, use strokes that follow the direction of hair growth to blend the edges naturally into the surrounding fur.
Gradually add more layers of brown in the slightly darker value areas, such as around the stripes and the eye, to enhance the form and dimension of the fur.
Step 5: Blending and Darkening Values
To seamlessly blend the existing layers and introduce darker values, we’ll use Warm Grey II (Polychromos) or French Grey 20% (Prismacolor). Lightly layer this color over all of the sunlit area, avoiding only the very brightest highlights. This layer acts as a blender, unifying the previous colors and smoothing the transition between values. Use light pressure and apply the color evenly with either small circular strokes or back-and-forth strokes, ensuring smooth coverage.
Following the blending layer, it’s time to define the stripes and darker value areas. Use Walnut Brown (Polychromos) or Dark Umber (Prismacolor) applied with very short, directional strokes. Focus these darker browns within the stripes and naturally darker areas of the fur. To deepen these shadows further, add Black over the same areas with even shorter, more controlled strokes.
Step 6: Glazing to Refine Texture
If your drawing starts to appear too rough, or if individual strokes become too prominent, glazing with a warm, medium value grey can smooth out these areas. Warm Grey VI is an excellent choice for this purpose. Medium value Prismacolor greys also work well for blending. Select a color that is slightly lighter than the area you intend to blend.
Apply this glazing layer lightly over the rough areas to soften the strokes and create a more cohesive texture. Remember that the lightest highlights should also be the warmest (most yellow) in tone. Therefore, continue to work around these highlight areas to preserve their brightness and warmth.
Step 7: Deepening Dark Values for Contrast
To add the final touches and enhance the realism, we’ll deepen the dark values, especially in the stripes and shadow areas. For this step, switching to softer pencils like Prismacolors can be beneficial as they layer more easily over existing colors.
Darken the stripes and darker middle values using a mix of Prismacolor Black and Chocolat. Ensure your pencils are sharp and apply medium pressure for controlled and precise strokes.
Within the stripes, alternate layers of Chocolat and Black. If a stripe appears warmer in black tone, lean towards more Chocolat. For cooler blacks, add more layers of Black. Keep your strokes short and consistently follow the direction of hair growth to maintain the fur texture.
In the darker middle value areas between the stripes, carefully mingle Black and Chocolat to build depth and shadow. Again, keep your pencils very sharp and strokes very short, working meticulously around the lighter value areas to maintain contrast.
Step 8: Punching Up the Highlights and Final Touches
The final step is to make the highlights pop and add those crucial finishing touches that bring the fur to life. Use Cream to add bright accents throughout the lighter areas of the fur. Apply heavier pressure and use short, directional strokes to make these highlights stand out.
In the darker middle value areas, subtly mingle strokes of Cream with the existing Black and Chocolat layers. This might seem counterintuitive, but adding light strokes into darker areas can create a more nuanced and realistic fur texture by simulating subtle light reflection within the shadows.
Even in the shadow areas, you can use Cream to lightly layer and tint the color in the middle values. The goal here is not to add significant detail in the shadows, but rather to introduce subtle variations in color and value. A sharp pencil and medium pressure are ideal for this, allowing you to gently influence the shadow tones without overpowering them.
Continue layering and refining colors until the fur achieves the look you desire. Observe your reference image frequently and make small adjustments to values and colors as needed to match the realism you are aiming for.
Here is the completed cat portrait, showcasing the beautifully rendered short fur.
Mastering the Art of Drawing Short Cat Fur
And that concludes our step-by-step guide on drawing short cat fur! By following these layering techniques and focusing on directional strokes, you can achieve a realistic fur texture in your drawings.
Remember, to draw longer fur, simply lengthen your fur-like strokes while maintaining the same layering process. This method is remarkably versatile and can be adapted to draw various types of animal hair and fur, including horse hair and other short fur varieties, by adjusting stroke length and color palettes.
With practice, this technique will become second nature, allowing you to confidently draw any type of fur or hair you encounter. Embrace the process, experiment with different colored pencils, and enjoy bringing your animal art to life!
