Paint a Cute Cat
From Scratch 🐱

Using your pencil, lightly sketch the cat in the center of the canvas. Draw a large circle for the head, two small triangles on top for the ears, and a rounded body shape below. Add two small front paws at the bottom and a curved tail wrapping around the right side. Keep all lines light — they will be covered by paint.

On your palette, mix Lemon Yellow with Titanium White to create a soft pale yellow. Using your large flat brush, apply this color evenly across the entire canvas. Paint right over your pencil sketch — the lines will show through. Let dry for 1–2 minutes.

Load your brush with Gamboge and fill in the entire cat shape — head, ears, body, paws and tail. Apply the paint generously with smooth strokes following the body shape. Don't worry about the edges being perfect — loose, rounded strokes look natural and cute.

Switch to Burnt Sienna. Using a medium brush, paint curved stripes across the top of the head, along the cheeks, on the body and tail. Add small triangle shapes inside the ears. Follow the body's curves — stripes that follow the shape look more natural. Keep them loose and uneven for a hand-painted look.

Using a fine brush and Lamp Black, paint two large oval eyes near the center of the face. Leave a small white dot unpainted in each eye for a sparkle effect. Below the eyes, add a small upside-down triangle for the nose and a curved "w" shape for the smiling mouth.

Still using Lamp Black and your fine brush, add a few thin curved lines on the chest area and between the paws to suggest fur texture. Keep these light and minimal — less is more!

Step back and look at your painting. Touch up any areas where the background shows through the cat body. Add any missing stripes or deepen existing ones with Burnt Sienna. Your cute cat is complete! 🐱