Why we draw cats

Did you know that the query "How to draw a cat" generates 40 MILLION results if you ask Google.

Interestingly if you query "why we draw cats" Google becomes deaf and pretends it hasn't heard and serve up more takes on "how to draw a cat".

I think the reason people draw cats is because we own cats - lots of them! There's about 7.5 million in the UK and where I live there's about 600 cats per square mile.

We also draw cats because when we've fed them they lie down and stay pretty still for rather a long time - and it's a lot easier drawing a cat which doesn't move!

....and because we love them.

One year ago today Cosmo died. (RIP Cosmo 2000-2015)
I can't believe it's a year. I still miss him every day. I still get tearful when I try to talk about him.

One year ago right about now we were taking him to the vet for the last time - and then brought him home again for some last drawings of his last sleep.

It seems this year as if rather a lot of people I know have also lost their cats.

I've watched as new kittens have arrived - but I simply haven't been able to replace him (and not just because Somali kittens are very difficult to find!) but simply because he is totally irreplaceable.

What I do know is that I wouldn't be without all the drawings I've got of him.

I look back through sketchbooks and suddenly there's yet another drawing of Cosmo - usually half finished because he decided to move while snoozing.

I've found it difficult drawing in the last year.

Maybe this explains why. I came across this comment by me in an earlier blog post

Did I not tell you all that Cosmo has to sit right next to me and watch while I draw? And if I show the slightest inclination to pause and reflect and not remain alert to his likely next move, he's climbing into my lap - right across the artwork.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Always draw the ones you love - because you never know when they're not going to leave you.

It applies to everybody - not just cats.....

RIP Cosmo 2000 - 2015

Cosmo's last catnap - back home 1.6.15

My much loved cat Cosmo died yesterday evening.

Many thanks to all the staff at my vets for their compassion and excellent support at the end.

He came home with me last night.  Last night and again this morning I drew him resting on a comfy cushion on the sofa - having his last catnap - before he went for his final trip to the vet prior to an individual cremation.  I've done this before and I highly recommend spending time with and drawing your pet after death - it really helps as part of the grieving process.

Cosmo was born in August 2000 and died just a few weeks short of his 15th birthday. He was an absolutely gorgeous big Somali boy cat with the oddly named 'usual' colour fur. He also has such a lovely nature that I wouldn't hesitate to have another Somali in future - although there could never be another Cosmo!

He's been a regular on this blog over the years. He featured in the fourth post on this blog Drawing and Flu and a series on catnapping starting in 2006.

Plus he was always up for a "filler image" for blog posts on more general themes (eg the sketch below which featured on Managing Business Risks as an Artist.)

The Catnapping Series: Sleeping on the job
pen and ink

and this post about How to make it easy for people to link to you - and how to sketch a cat!

30 second sketches of Cosmo in pencil

In 2008, I drew A Day in the Life of Cosmo. Looking back at it, his daily routine didn't change that much over the years - although there was a lot more "lolling" and "evening cuddles" and rather less athletic exercise, door climbing and "cowboys and indians". He's now on a permanent "big sleep".

A day in the life of Cosmo
12" x 16" pencil
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

He had a spell as a model for my drawings that were exhibited at the annual exhibitions of the Society of Feline Artists.

I spy a spider12" x 8", coloured pencils
exhibition in SOFA Annual Exhibition 2008 at the Llewellyn Alexander Galleries
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Latterly his claim to fame is he featured on a number of different pages in my book Sketching 365

A very quick pencil sketch of Cosmo (page 125)

plus sketching media became digital in addition to pencil and pen and ink.

Cosmo Catnapping #11 (on 11.01.11)
drawn using Sketchbook Pro and a mouse!

He's going to be much missed.

and finally......

I want to find him a really nice casket for his ashes.

I'd be really grateful to hear of any artist who works with wood or metal who I could commission to incorporate a line drawing into a suitable secure casket in wood or metal.

Imagekind: an update and a new Catnapping gallery

Introducing the first image in the Catnapping Gallery
(http://makingamark.imagekind.com/Catnapping)
(click the image to see a larger version of the screenshot/ click here to see the real thing)

The major changes in my Imagekind account in the last 24 hours with are that:

• I have signed up for a Platinum Account which gives me unlimited images in umlimited galleries and unlimited bandwidth
• I've now got four flowers in the flowers gallery (check the change in the banner in the right hand column)
  
• plus I've published a second Gallery for the "Catnapping" drawings series.

I've also decided to start providing feedback on the Imagekind site in stages as there's a lot o good points being raised and a lot to comment on!

The new Catnapping Gallery

I've realised that I have a number of drawings which I will never extract from sketchbooks but which could look great as a print. The other benefit of selling prints is that I don't have to scratch my head and try and remember whether or not I was using pigment based archival ink in the pen and ink drawings!

The first gallery of monochrome drawings - the catnapping series - has been created and can either be accessed if you put 'catnapping' into the search facility at the top of the site. or you can find it here http://makingamark.imagekind.com/Catnapping.

For all catlovers I've also got a separate Feline Art Gallery (for colour images) waiting in the wings and will introduce it when I write about the SOFA exhibition in September. It will include any images which are included as originals in the show.

I'll also be reviewing drawings of other subjects to see whether I can generate a good enough scan for a print.

Upgrading

There are a number of options. The free account offers one gallery, up to 24 images, storage facilities of a maximum of 200 MB plus and 200 MB bandwidth per month. That's great if you only have a small number of images or you just want to test the service.

However after a day, although I'd identified a few irritations by and large I was sold on the concept and the service and was itching to get on and try loading a sample of images - and I wanted more than one gallery for these.

I looked at the prices and, if you crunch the numbers and have the cash available, there's no question that the upfront payment of an annual fee offers best value for money. So last night I signed up for the annual Platinum option which gives me unlimited facilities in relation to images, galleries and bandwidth. The choice is pay an annual fee upfront of $94.99 for the Platinum option (which = $7.91 per month) or spend $7.99 per month for the Pro option or $11.99 per month for the Platinum.

Scanning and scans

I'm scanning smaller works @300dpi and saving as a tiff file. This giving me files of about 20+ megabytes. Using PS Elements I'm also making sure I save the SRGB file information with each image. The colour looks fine on my screen and has needed absolutely minimal tweaking. This is in the context of my scanner having the following resolution settings:

• Scanner resolution digital: Up to 9600 x 9600 dpi
• Scanner resolution optical: 2400 x 4800 dpi

The imagekind website - intuitive navigation and signposting

The site is easy to navigate and intuitive up to a point. Generally it's very well written. However people have commented about options not being available when they are and I don't think it's as clear as it could be in relation accessing certain information. In addition, the actual choices available - while excellent - can get quite bewildering. I came to the conclusion that are some gaps and omissions - for example I only learned about what the tiny '+' icon on images of paper, mats and frames did late last night - as I was setting up my 4th image! (For those who haven't a clue about what I'm wittering about - read on!)

Two welcome additions would be:

• a very basic step by step set of instructions walking you through the whole process which can be printed off (one for buyers; one for creators and one for sellers) and
  
• a checklist at the end to make sure you've done or considered every option you have.

What is available

The following are aspects of the service which people commented on or asked about. It does seem to me that the site is well set up for artists as well as photographers who can often dominate similar services.

I can confirm:

• you can choose whether to set your mark-up (ie fee/'profit') on the base price of each image by a specific number of dollars or a percentage of base price (I'm opting for the latter)
• this page describes the 'creative options' available - in brief. To access the detail you need to upload
  
• for the custom framing (customers will click the custom frame button in the above screen) you can have a choice of:
• as many sizes as your image allows (minimum size 800 pixels) upto a maximum of 6
• 8 different papers for different purposes and with different prices. You can get detailed information about each one by clicking the little '+' sign in the bottom left hand corner. Some are particuarly suitable for paintings in oil, acrylic or pastel which have a texture.
  
• there are 20 categories of frames and in excess of 500 individual frames listed (some appear in more than one category). For each of them you get images and text of the detail of each frame by clicking on the '+' in the bottom left hand corner
  
• a collage frane (for more than one image) - I've not looked at this yet but do have some sets which might suit this
• you have a choice of 3 acrylic and 3 glass glazing options. One of the acrylic options offers UV protection.
• all your customers can choose the papers, mats, frames and glazing that they want and they can afford. the process keeps people informed as they make their choices as to the impact on prices.
  

Updating and RSS Feed

The updating within the site doesn't seem to work too quickly. For example, I created the new catnapping gallery some 5-6 hours ago and uploaded one image and am still waiting to see it appear on the "recently listed" screen.

A big plus point is that each gallery that I create has an individual feed - that comes through straight away. This can automatically update subscribers/fans of your work whenever you publish.

I seem to be doing a lot of saving, going back in tweaking, saving, having another look at the moment and I don't know that will work its way through to the feed. I've subscribed to my own feed (something I always do so that I know if something is wrong) so we'll see what happens. It would be good to have an e-mail option because I know a lot of people read their feeds via e-mails rather than a feedreader.

This feature has implications for how you allocate your images between galleries. For example, I don't think all my fans of the catnapping drawings will also like my flower drawings - hence I have two different galleries.

What improvements I'd like to see

Most of this is a subject for a future post - but I do have one niggle.

Member art covers orginals which are paintings and drawings in traditional media, photographs and digital art. You can view Member Art by subject (limited choice) and genre (limited choice). What you can't do is just see images of paintings and drawings using traditional media. I think there should be an option to do this very early in the process.

International Shipping....and tax!

I'm going to deal with what I've found out so far in the next post.

If you want to make sure you read this and don't have a subscription can I suggest you go either to the top right (just under the map) or scroll right down the bottom of this page and subscribe to this blog via your regular feedreader or by e-mail.

Links:

• my website: Catnapping Gallery
• imagekind: my Catnapping Gallery
  

Catnapping #11

Catnapping #11
5.5" x 8" - pencil in Daler Rowney A5 black hardback sketchbook
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Cosmo made himself very comfortable on his bed last night. He now has three completely separate places - and beds - to sleep in my sitting room. He's taking over, I'm beginning to think of it as his bedroom!

Actually I try to make as life as comfortable as possible for him as I do a lot of work sat in an armchair with a drawing board on my lap. Cosmo likes to watch and sits on the arm - before he decides he would be much better sitting on my lap! Unfortunately, he's a not very good at hearing 'No' when it comes to his creature comforts!

[Just after I had published this I realised that I'd dated it incorrectly - as you do - now fixed! Catnapping #11 on the 11th of the 11th]

Link: Catnapping - a series of cat drawings Technorati tags: art , cats , cat drawings, catnapping , drawing , drawing cats , pen and ink , sketchbook

Catnapping #10

Catnapping #10

sepia pen and ink (5.75" x 4")
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

All my recent travelling has meant that I've not seen the cats as much and I've not done a cat sketch in a long time. I've resolved to address this and to try and produce at least one a week as a minimum - although I've still to persuade Polly to model for me. Every time I stare at her when she's awake, she thinks it's an invitation to come and smother me with love and affection and provide a furry cat collar for my neck. That's unless she's just done something naughty - and knows it!

On the other hand, my Somali cat called Cosmo never needs to be persuaded to model as in 'catnapping'. This is #10 is his very own catnapping series - which you can see more of here.

Cosmo and "he who must not be bored while I sketch" (MNBB for short) have a very special relationship. Cosmo even displays certain dog-like qualities of devotion towards MNBB. One of the good times to sketch Cosmo is when he's taking his after dinner nap and is sat very close to MNBB. On this particular occasion, I was sketching away when MNBB started to get up from the sofa - having not realised that I was sketching. Cosmo has built-in sensors for knowing when MNBB makes a move and would have woken up. My instant reaction was to say "DON'T MOVE!" sotto voce but in that sort of very firm Barbara Woodhouse voice which she used to use to make dogs sit immediately even if she did not know them. MNBB continued to sit and I finished the sketch quickly........which fortunately only took another couple of minutes! Such is the understanding of MNBB for my sketching - for which I'm eternally grateful!

Technical details are that it's black ink (Pilot G-Tec-C4) in an A6 Winsor and Newton Heavy Weight wire bound sketchbook with removable sheets (80lb paper)

Link: Catnapping - a series of cat drawings

Technorati tags: art , cats , cat drawings, catnapping , drawing , drawing cats , pen and ink , sketchbook

Catnapping 9

This is the ninth in Cosmo's catnapping series.

It took about 2 minutes and is unfinished. He woke up, rolled on his back, looked at me with big eyes and waited for his tummy to be tickled! ;) It's not quite one line but it's very nearly. I've hesitated to post it - but I like it (a lot! ) and so here it is.

Technical details are that it's black ink (Pilot G-Tec-C4) in an A6 Winsor and Newton Heavy Weight wire bound sketchbook with removable sheets (80lb paper)

Technorati tags: art , cats , cat drawings, catnapping , drawing , drawing cats , pen and ink

Catnapping # 8

This is a very quick sketch of my cat Cosmo which I did yesterday. It's #8 in his catnapping series! It's on a page of my moleskine and is done with a mechanical pencil with an HB lead. I love the way I can get good rich darks and very light tones with the leads I use.

Cosmo is a very much a 'people person' cat and he's a very happy boy since I reorganised the furniture in my study/studio and he now has a chair to sit on just behind where I sit at my computer. However, his absolutely favourite perch is on top of the arm of the armchair I often sit in when drawing. His favourite trick is just ever so slowly rolling off it on to my drawing board so that he can get a cuddle. He succeeds about half the time - the rest of the time I just yell!

You can see more of the catnapping series in my website gallery of cat drawings and there are links to other recent catnapping sketches below. I've renewed my Associate Membership of the Society of Feline Artists again and hope to be showing with them in the Annual Exhibition at the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery in September. Last time I showed with S.OF.A. at this gallery one of my coloured pencil drawings actually ended up in the gallery's window!

Note: My apologies to people with subscriptions to this blog - I realised when writing this that I'd never got round to giving the first two posts below their own individual hyperlink - hence the updates for these two posts being published.

Related posts: Drawing and Flu, Catnapping, Catnapping #6 and #7

Technorati tags: art , cats , cat drawings, catnapping , drawing , drawing cats , pencil , moleskine

Catnapping #6 and #7

Cosmo (my Somali cat) absolutely adores his new bed which I got at Crufts earlier this month. It’s BIG and has just the right mix between firm and squishy plus a comfy sheepskin cover. All in all it’s absolutely spot on for a really big cat who likes to be comfortable. In fact he loves it so much that Polly (my Abyssinian) is making a bid to take it over. So naturally he has to defend his territory and it’s now his #1 place to have a quiet kip in the evening. And last night I finally found my sketchbook for catnapping drawings which I had mislaid. So here’s yet another catnapping drawing (#7). This is done in sepia ink which I'm rather fond of for drawings of brown cats.

Plus I've included a graphite drawing of him done last month (Catnapping #6) when he failed to co-operate until the end - hence no front feet!


Technorati tags: art , cats , cat drawings, catnapping , drawing , drawing cats , pen and ink , pencil

Catnapping

Another sketch of Cosmo having a catnap. This one was done (double page spread in the MoleSkine) on New Year's Day evening.

Cosmo catnapping 2

The reason I've not posted it before today is I've been pondering about whether I've opted for the right blogger software and whether, if I need to change, I need to do it sooner rather than later. But every time I look at all the alternatives I get a headache. And as the flu bug has only diminished rather than disappeared I think I'll leave that for when I'm feeling a bit more invigorated and generally up for a bit of cyber thingummies. Especially as I've just managed to lose all my refinements of the basic template because I fancied looking at what it looked like in blue! Grrrrrrr!!

[Image size changed and technorati tags removed January 2016]

Drawing and Flu

What don't we want for Christmas? Flu! Which is what I've had for the last week. It made cooking the Christmas Day meal a bit of a challenge, quickly followed by the most dozing I've ever done on that day. I tried drawing while I had flu - and produced things even I had trouble recognising in the morning. I blame the temperature!

Cosmo catnapping

Anyway, last night I produced this and this morning I've decided I must be on the mend as it is recognisably Cosmo (my Somali boy cat) lying on the plump back cushion of the yellow armchair and resting against its back - a place much favoured for dozing by all my cats over the years. This will become the latest edition to the catnapping series which can be seen on my website. It was done in my A5 size Daler Rowney black hardback sketch book. This has very smooth paper and the pages are perforated which makes it easy to either extract drawings if need be or to draw across two pages with ease. The drawing was done with an ordinary mechanical pencil. And I still can't decide whether or not I would have preferred it with all his dangling paw included - I'll maybe see next time he adopts this pose!

[Image size adjusted January 2016]