Daily Sketch Reprise: Winter Afternoon, 2015

January 29, 2018 Bernadette

sketch of four cats sleeping on bed. — “Winter Afternoon”, pastel pencil on black pastel paper, 9.5″ x 6.5″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Look closely and you’ll see four cats in this sketch. Basil, Bella, Bean and Mewsette spent the entire long, quiet winter afternoon on the wool afghan. The light caught each of their coats in different tones and textures: Basil at the top left is very mocha, and in the top right Bella is only shades of blue, while Bean and Mewsette, tucked up against each other and facing opposite directions, are combinations of both colors.

I walked past several times and looked in on them, photographed them, and decided to finally sketch what I visualized. I did have to finish some of the placement of the afghan square colors from a photo because I only had so many fingers to hold pastel pencils. But I’m so happy to catch a scene I see every day. I’ve never left the afghan on the bed all day, but this winter, this family of cats collects there nearly every afternoon, and I will always remember that.

Hint: to find the cats, look for curved lines and ears.

Where to find this artwork

By request I’ve added this original sketch and prints to my shop!

You can find this artwork printed on paper and canvas in various sizes, giclee as well as digital prints, on Portraits of Animals.

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What else was I sketching on this day?

Emeraude From Above, 2013

ink brush drawing of cat — “Emeraude From Above”, ink brush pen, 5.5″ x 8″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Emeraude was just quietly sitting in the middle of the bathroom floor when I went in to visit, even with those pesky boys shuffling all around her looking for food and treats in vain. I admired her quiet peacefulness.

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Heart to Heart, 2013

sketch of two cats — “Heart to Heart”, purple gel pen, 6.5″ x 5.5″ © B.E. Kazmarski

Jelly Bean and Mewsette were apparently trading secrets on my work table as I was hard at work. I doubt they noticed I stopped folding greeting cards and started sketching them.

Just wish I had picked up something better than the purple gel pen to sketch with. Each line has a blob of ink at its beginning and end, and then skips in the middle, tight areas like their noses are a little disappointing. I love the purple, though.

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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.