Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Daily Sketch Reprise: Confusing Cuddle Puddle

charcoal sketch of three black cats
“Confusing Cuddle Puddle”, vine charcoal, 8″ x 6″ © B.E. Kazmarski

I made the mistake of turning on the little high-intensity work lamps today, and this was the result. See if you can figure out how many cats are here and just how they are positioned.

Seeing them curled up under my work lamps was the second biggest inspiration to do daily sketches, probably because I see them that way every day. Four of them piled up was my second daily sketch entitled Reticulated Kitties. (Sleeping on the bed was the first.)

At least when they’re sleeping they hold still long enough for me to get everything in the right place. Yes, a pile of black cat, and they are so close they might as well all be one.

I will add, a year later in 2013, the frustration of working with vine charcoal is that it tends to flake off this smoother paper, even with a fixative. This original no longer looks like this, and I’ve since begun to use a small pad of paper with more tooth and texture to hold the charcoal.

Charcoal has a similar blending style to yesterday’s conté sketch and it’s often difficult to decide which one I want to use, whether I want the dense black of charcoal, and put up with its ephemeral nature, or the softer strokes of conté, not as dense black, but which stay put!


Click here to see other daily sketches, and for a gallery of the ones available for sale, visit my Etsy shop in the “Daily Sketches” section.

 


 


All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.

Bernadette

From health and welfare to rescue and adoption stories, advocacy and art, factual articles and fictional stories, "The Creative Cat" offers both visual and verbal education and entertainment about cats for people who love cats, pets and animals of all species.

4 thoughts on “Daily Sketch Reprise: Confusing Cuddle Puddle

  • I really like seeing this drawing; I find my eyes being attracted to go look at it, repeatedly, again and again. I honestly think it’s GREAT! 😉 Beautiful, tight grouping together of the animals; to me, it looks like being just 3 cats; I’m wondering if there are any more…?! But, all I do know for sure, is that both the design of the group/and, the wonderful mark making is just most thoroughly ‘exquisite’ no less. 😉

    Reply
    • Paul, that’s exactly why I called this on “confusing”–I’ve sketched them in a pile a number of times, but this one in particular it’s hard even for me to tell when I first look. And there are five of them altogether, so it could be up to five cats if they happen to be piled on top of someone.

      Reply
  • Hey it’s Jet here. Hi Miss Bernadette.

    We so appreciate your artistic talent AND your talent at explaining your process. We learn more and more with each visit.

    Reply
    • Thank you, Jet! You animals in black are always a challenge.

      Reply

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