2 Minute Feline sketches

I've done quite a few figure drawings and drawings of people, as that's my main interest, but i'm trying to branch out to drawing animals. I'm going to try and increase my speed and reduce the amount of lines i use for these so that they flow better, but any other tips would be appreciated :)

Polyvios Animations April 1, 2020 5:59am

pandalance_, nice job on your 2 min felines. Keep it up. One critique is, though the line work is showing some, cat-like reflexes, for lack of a better word,(no pun intended) but you've got some long way to go. So, that you can do some more 60 second sketches of felines, because you will capture even more and more humour and feeling, on your next animals.

Hope you'll find these the biggest help to you and me.

Polyvios Animations

Pandalance April 1, 2020 1:52pm

Ah, thanks. My line work tends to be better when i'm more confident so i honestly just need to get more used to drawing felines/animal anatomy and i think smoother lines will come naturally. Will do more 60/30 second felines today!

Ajanisensei (unregistered visitor) April 3, 2020 1:24am

You captured the feel of the cats. I like it

RyGuyKC April 3, 2020 1:44am

Increasing speed is a great way to practice gestural drawing which is an excellent skill to build as a graphic artist. It helps break that static "stiff" look in art that seems unatural. Your sketches display that gestural dynamic and breathes life in the cats. So nice job on that. If you're oveall goal is to reproduce the same effect while also having more polished work (with less lines) then you are on the right track. Just keep practicing. This is a skill that takes a lot of practice to develop. So draw draw draw until you are sick of drawing. Soon drawing anything quick and polished will become second nature to you. Just look back at your sketches and studies in a couple months and you'll see your advancing towards your goal. I do suggest you practice contour studies and drawing sillouettes of animals to get a better understanding of their underlying structure. The more familiar you get with that the faster you improve. Great job!

Pandalance April 5, 2020 5:42pm

Yeah, looking back at my old figure studies is always encouraging as i can clearly pick out what i've improved. And the contours/silhouettes is a good idea, as form is something i have trouble with in animal drawing a lot more than with humans or objects (though i really should do more still lifes!) Thanks for the encouragement!

Retrodictionary April 7, 2020 7:11pm

I certainly like these cats! They have a lot of energy. I am learning to draw cats, too, and one thing I've found with them is that their overall shapes are often determined more by their thighs and shoulders than by their rib cages and hips. So in fast drawings, I tend to draw those first, then fill in the torso area afterward.