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How to draw a cat

A sitting cat is two circles, two triangles and a curl. Follow the six steps below — each new line is shown in pink — then draw along on the free canvas.

◆ Easy◆ 6 steps◆ About 10 min
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Cats are one of the most-drawn animals in the world, and a sitting cat is the friendliest place to start because it is almost symmetrical: if one side looks right, you mirror it and you are done.

The trick is to draw the scaffold first. Two light circles fix the size of the head and the body before you commit to a single real line, so the proportions are right before the details arrive.

Finished, coloured drawing of a cat from the Draw Anything tutorial

What you need

  • Pencil or the Pencil tool
  • Black brush or pen
  • Orange and pink colours

Opens the free canvas with each step shown faintly underneath, so you can trace your way through.

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Step-by-step: how to draw a cat

  1. Step 1 of 6: Draw two guide circles — how to draw a cat

    1Draw two guide circles

    Lightly draw a circle for the head and a wider oval underneath for the body, slightly overlapping. Keep these faint — they are scaffolding and will be erased.

  2. Step 2 of 6: Outline the head and ears — how to draw a cat

    2Outline the head and ears

    Go over the head circle with a slightly flattened shape — real cat heads are wider at the cheeks. Add two triangle ears on the upper third of the head, not on the very top.

  3. Step 3 of 6: Add the face — how to draw a cat

    3Add the face

    Place two tall oval eyes on the middle line of the head, a small triangle nose just below, a mouth shaped like a soft “w”, and three whiskers on each side reaching past the cheeks.

  4. Step 4 of 6: Draw the body and front legs — how to draw a cat

    4Draw the body and front legs

    Curve two lines down from under the head, following the oval, to a flat base. Two straight lines in the middle become the front legs. A ground line stops the cat floating.

  5. Step 5 of 6: Add the tail and erase the guides — how to draw a cat

    5Add the tail and erase the guides

    Sweep a tail out from the right side and curl its tip back in. Draw a small inner triangle inside each ear, then erase the guide circles.

  6. Step 6 of 6: Colour it in — how to draw a cat

    6Colour it in

    Fill the cat with one main colour, use a lighter shade for the chest between the legs and pink for the inner ears. Try a striped tabby by adding a few darker curved lines on the head and back.

Tips for a better cat

  • Eyes on the middle line. The most common mistake is putting a cat’s eyes too high. Half the head is above them.
  • Ears grow from the head. Let the ear lines merge into the head outline instead of sitting on top like a hat.
  • Whiskers last, and lighter. Draw them with a small brush size and quick strokes, or they will look like spikes.
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Try a variation

Once the sitting cat feels easy, try a sleeping cat: one big oval with the head tucked in and the tail wrapped around the front. It uses exactly the same circles, just rearranged.

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