Featured Daily Sketch: Three Cats From Above, 2012

April 2, 2026 Bernadette

Three Cats From Above, colored pencil, 6x8, 3/31/2012 © B.E. Kazmarski — Three Cats From Above, colored pencil, 6×8, 3/31/2012 © B.E. Kazmarski

From 2012: Mimi calmly sat in the sun, Mr. Sunshine had a nice bath, and Giuseppe sat looking at them, at me, out the window, into my bedroom. I loved the arrangement of the three cats, each doing their own thing but being together as good friends and loving relatives can be. They were fairly content, and I had my materials in hand as I was standing there so I didn’t distract them with my own movements.

I thought I was done with the sketch when I’d done the quick studies of each of the three, then I though that what had visually tied them together for me was also the rug they were on, which is that ubiquitous pink-flowered rug we’ve seen frequently lately in sketches and photos, but I didn’t want the pattern, just the connection.

I like to get an interesting perspective on them, like looking at them from above. It’s challenging after seeing them from nearly eye level a good bit of the time when I can finish a drawing just from memory if they completely move away. Just being able to store away all these other details has caused me to study them even more closely from angles like this.

And I’ve also come to enjoy colored pencil a lot more than I ever thought I would. I actually love just drawing, making a nice expressive line on paper to try to capture the essence of a scene in the least amount of marks on paper, and will most naturally gravitate to my old ebony drawing pencils as my most familiar medium. The colored pencils are coming in a close second, even ahead of my former second favorite, the charcoal pencils. The colored pencil set in my little art bag is just a student-grade—really elementary school grade—dozen box of thick-lead pencils, just 12 colors to choose from. I have a 60-pencil set in my studio that a friend gave me when she was cleaning out her stuff. I’ll have to indulge some time.

From 2026: I’d say the same thing about this sketch today!

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

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This original sketch is still available. If you’re interested please let me know.

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.