Thursday, March 28, 2024
black catscat artworkcharcoaldaily sketchgiuseppejelly beanmewsettemr. sunshine

Daily Sketch Reprise: All Lined Up and Waiting for Dinner

charcoal sketch of four cats
“All Lined Up and Ready for Dinner,” charcoal pencil, 7″ x 8.5″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

They had to work for their dinner tonight! I went into the kitchen—some time before dinner—and this huge mass of black cats moving around on the cabinet just had to be expressed. It’s a difficult angle because there is little room on either side of the cabinet and they were moving sooo much, but I captured each of them one by one, Giuseppe, them Mr. Sunshine, Jelly Bean and Mewsette, as they showed up and spent just a few moments there. Charcoal is the quickest for something like this. No reference photo to finish up with. But I look at them all the time—I should know them well enough, shouldn’t I?

This is the same charcoal pencil as the sketch below, but I only had two cats to draw there and could be a little more definite.

. . . . . . .

What was I sketching a year ago today?

.

The Twist, 2014

conte crayon sketch of cat bathing
“The Twist”, conté on Canson mi-tientes, 9″ x 12″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Mewsette twists this way and that in the fervor of her bath. She knows she is modeling.

Something interesting I’ve noticed about my sketches—they have grown larger over time. I started out with tiny sketches, some only 2″ x 4″, on 8″ x 10″ paper, now I fill up all of a 9″ x 12″. That means my hand is warmed up and ready to flow over the paper. While my daily sketches have influenced my painting and sketching style and technique, now it’s time for my painting and sketching technique for commissions to influence my daily sketches. I notice I rarely sketch out a commissioned subject, preferring instead to just start drawing on the paper as if I’m painting en plein air. It’s an interesting turn of events.

. . . . . . .

Pencil Cats, 2012
pencil sketch of cats
Pencil Cats, pencil on multi-media paper, 6″ x 6″ © B.E. Kazmarski

I’ve been sketching at my desk downstairs more often than in my studio lately, and I left myself with only a few lead and charcoal pencils and a drawing pen; today I was wishing I had my colored pencils, but I made do with just the old Ebony drawing pencil.

Sunshine and Bean were attentively watching the wildlife outside the front door on our sidewalk and porch, birds, chipmunks and Fatso the squirrel. I understand this level of attention because I can watch this activity with the same level of concentration. Of course, I’m not thinking of killing and eating these things, but perhaps Sunshine and Bean aren’t either. Perhaps they just look like little mobile toys.

. . . . . . .

charcoal sketch of two cats on sunny windowsill
“Morning Watch”, charcoal pencil on multi-media paper, 7″ x 8″ © B.E. Kazmarski

Giuseppe and Mr. Sunshine survey their realm from the sunny second floor window.

These cool but sunny mornings have drawn all of us to the windows, especially the upstairs windows facing the east where the sun streams in. As an extra added attraction, the pussy willow leans over the deck roof and is a popular perching place for birds at any time, especially those visiting the feeders. I also have a small tray feeder hanging on the edge of the deck roof so I can see it from the kitchen; this feeder holds finely chopped nuts and other avian goodies, causing them to line up on the gutter along the edge of the deck roof. There’s quite a bit to keep them entertained outside of this window!

I also caught them snuggling in a wonderful photo after they were exhausted by bird watching, featured as today’s daily photo.


Click here to see other daily sketches.

For a gallery of the ones available for sale, visit Portraits of Animals in the “Daily Sketches” section.

Read about the reason for the daily sketches in Three Years of Daily Sketches.

Download your free desktop wallpaper calendar for computer or mobile, usually based on a daily sketch.

And don’t forget that each month’s Featured Artwork is also one of the free prints available on Portraits of Animals when you sign up for an account.

Desktop calendar, 1280 x 1024 for square and laptop monitors.

"Feline Style Sampler" book of sketches and portraits.

A collection of 34 images of feline artwork

Feline Style Sampler

Daily sketches, illustrations, commissioned portraits all in a small coil-bound gift book.

Click here or on the image to read more or find this book on Portraits of Animals.


Browse some rescued cats and kittens!

FinnBaxter-ad


Gifts featuring cats you know! Visit Portraits of Animals

AfterDinnerNap-Etsy

Fine ArtPhotographyGiftsGreeting CardsBooksCommissioned Portraits & Artwork

Original, Print or Greeting Card from Portraits of Animals

"Dinnertime!", pencil © BernadetteE. Kazmarski
“Dinnertime!”, pencil © BernadetteE. Kazmarski

Here is one of my favorite sketches, the third daily sketch of over a thousand, from way at the beginning of my series of sketches beginning on December 4, 2011, and one of the few to include Cookie. It’s Kelly, Mimi and Cookie enjoying dinner on the evening of December 7, 2011. Find it on Portraits of Animals.




Copyright

All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission, although links to your site are more than welcome and are shared. Please ask if you are interested in using and image or story in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of an image or a product including it, check my animal and nature website Portraits of Animals 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.


Subscribe to my e-newsletter

Subscribe to The Creative Cat Preview E-newsletter.


© 2022 | www.TheCreativeCat.net | Published by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Weekly schedule of features:

Sunday: Essays, Pet Loss, Poetry, The Artist’s Life

Monday: Adoptable Cats, TNR & Shelters

Tuesday: Rescue Stories

Wednesday: Commissioned Portrait or Featured Artwork

Thursday: New Merchandise

Friday: Book Review, Health and Welfare, Advocacy

Saturday: Your Backyard Wildlife Habitat, Living Green With Pets, Creating With Cats

And sometimes, I just throw my hands in the air and have fun!

 
PORTRAITS OF ANIMALS WEBSITE
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | LINKEDIN | PINTEREST | TUMBLR | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE| EMAIL | PATREON

HOME

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.

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this:
Verified by ExactMetrics