Daily Sketch Reprise: Under the Table, 2012

October 20, 2025 Bernadette

pencil sketch of two cats on chair under table — Under the Table, pencil, 7.25″ x 7″, 10/14/2012 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Mr. Sunshine and Giuseppe press themselves together in order to both fit on the chair that’s pushed under the table. It’s a novelty and providing daily entertainment for the five—I moved a new table into the kitchen and rearranged the chairs and each of them has to try it all out from every angle possible. Cats on the chairs under the table is probably a scene or memory that everyone who lives with cats remembers. I used pencil because visualizing and realizing this scene even though it was right in front of me was a challenge, and I handle myself best in pencil when it comes to these sorts of difficulties.

But how do you distinguish two black cats in the semi-darkness on a chair under the table? Well, aside from the two meatloaf shapes, on the left you see an ear, and on the right, a profile, Mr. Sunshine and Giuseppe, respectively. And I kept the shading lines distinctly angled. Part of the fun was the angle, as I couldn’t get too far back from the scene and ended up making it a bit bigger than I had wanted.

I wasn’t going to do a sketch today; I had errands and when I came back my electricity was off until after 4:00 p.m. It was a sunny day but the cats were busy napping and could not be convinced to wake up from their places for even a five minute pose. Still, after dinner I was itching to sketch and saw these two on the chair, one of the scenes I’d been wanting to catch.

I want to tell everyone that Jelly Bean was very b-a-d while I was sketching though he thought he was intensely funny and cute as usual. When I squatted down next to the table to sketch he moved on to the table right over his brothers and reached down from all angles to poke them when I wanted the boys to stay still—it was hard enough drawing them between all those spokes on the chair! When he got tired of poking his brothers he reached out and grabbed a paw full of my hair, a big mistake as small cats have gotten almost irretrievably tangled in it. And so he did when I said, loudly in a stern voice, “Jelly Bean” and he couldn’t get his paw out fast enough. It’s a good thing I’m accustomed to pulling on my scalp from having tangled curly hair all my life and Jelly Bean got his paw back.

Somehow I managed to get this sketch done.

Other cats under the table

Click here to see another similar pose, but in color.

Daily Sketches 2011 to 2015

I think I accomplished what I'd set out to do three years ago today, a challenge to me and entertainment and enjoyment for you: to create a quick sketch of my cats each day as a way to practice and experiment, and present the sketch on that day with no editing, no waiting, no excuses, just to do the sketch and share it.

Read more about the reason for the daily sketches in Daily Sketches: the Idea, Most Popular, Awards.

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.

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This sketch is still available, framed, for $75.00. I have too many to list all of them so I just mention them here when I can. Please get in touch if you’re interested! Email bernadette @ bernadette-k (dot) com.

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.