Featured Daily Sketch: Black Cats Dreaming in Color, 2014

January 24, 2026 Bernadette

pastel sketch of three black cats in colors — “Black Cats Dreaming in Color”, soft and hard pastel on Canons Mi-tientes, 11″ x 9″, 1/11/2014 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

From 2014: The way the frilly colorful lines worked out in this sketch always reminded me of both confetti and some Christmas wrapping paper we had when I was little and looks so festive. And likely the three brothers are dreaming of the wonderful things that will fill the house for them when they awaken.

Don’t ask me where this came from because I couldn’t tell you. I simply followed the visual ideal I had, not even a clear idea, and kept adding colors to this until it felt right.

The boys were all tucked onto Emeraude‘s bed, which you might remember is covered with a blanket with pawprints in different colors; here is a photo and a sketch. I like it because it’s colorful and happy and provides a nice backdrop when I look at Emeraude. She seems to like it too, since when I change it around and that blanket ends up there she steps right onto it and purrs. It has happy connotations for me and, I presume, for her. Apparently it does for the boys as well since they curl up on it whenever Emeraude chooses to sleep elsewhere.

And so they were, and I did find the way they were tucked together interesting, highlights in their fur, shapes, abstract, but it was the colors too and pictured a soft sketch in black and gray pastel with blue and earthy highlights in soft pastel, but I didn’t want to stop there this time. I also wanted a toned background instead of plain white and went with a warm-toned flecked gray, the better to enhance the lighter colors. I saw the running outlines of color to distinguish them on top of the sketch, kind of like a sketch I’d done summer 2012 using harder sticks of Nupastel. That was fun, just following intuition and grabbing one pastel after another to draw and stop and picking up yet another. But that wasn’t enough, it wasn’t done yet.

So I continued on with a few extra outlines around the outside and knew I was following in the right direction. Then I went farther and farther and made confetti and finally it was done.

So there we are. It looks as if they are in a nest. Really, they are.

Where to find “Black Cats Dreaming in Color”

Choose a print or card of “Black Cats Dreaming in Color” on the product listing. I offer prints as:

digital prints on matte-finish art paper
giclees on art paper
on canvas in standard sizes
as a 5″ x 7″ greeting card or a set of four 4.25″ x 5.5″ note cards

And also find this image on gift items

Right now I know I don’t have any products with this art, but search “Black Cats Dreaming” to find what’s currently available.

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.

"Feline Style Sampler" book of sketches and portraits.

A collection of 34 images of feline artwork

**The award-winning* Feline Style Sampler**

Now in its third printing since 2013! 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.

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*Certificate of Excellence, Cat Writers' Association 2014 Communications Contest

Gifts featuring cats you know! Visit Portraits of Animals

Fine Art • Photography • Gifts • Greeting Cards • Books • Commissioned Portraits & Artwork

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Feline Artwork from 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.