How to Paint a Cat Hiding Among Pumpkins

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Divide the space on a sheet of 11" x 14" watercolor paper.

    Hold the paper in landscape orientation and in pencil, draw a line 2 1/2 inches from the bottom. ,,  Draw growth lines radiating from the stem like large crescent shaped lines.  As in nature, perfect lines and spaces aren't required. ,  This will be the cat's head.  Add ears, a face, tail.  Embellish the cat further with whiskers, eyebrow whiskers, and a bow tie. ,  Use a box for a template and draw two rectangles in pencil by going around the box. ,  Divide up the windows with a large cross to create four panes. ,  Add mice, if desired.,  All types of watercolor work, but you will need to make up puddles for the wall and shelf, so use tube paints in yellow ochre and brown for those areas. ,  Paint fast and loose, avoiding having the color appear dry.  While damp, draw darker growth lines starting at the stem and continuing to the pumpkin's base. ,  Cover the entire cat with a loose wash. ,  Do the bow tie in green.  Do features in dark brown.  Do stripes on the cat., Do around the windows, or the wall, with diluted brown.,  Do them with a fully loaded brush in one stroke, replenishing with paint as needed.  Do the small moldings holding the glass panes with a smaller flat brush.  Turn your paper as you work. ,  When the moldings are completely dry, wet one pane with water, allowing it to soak in for a minute.  Fill a pointed brush with pale blue and barely touch it to a corner or side of the wet glass pane.  Let the water carry the pale blue over the entire pane, helping it along as needed with the point of your brush.  Repeat on all eight panes.  Allow to dry thoroughly.,  Paint the fruit on the sills, add texture to the walls, moldings and shelf, if desired.  Do this with a brush filled with paint and a light, glancing touch.,  Mixing the residue from the center of your palette often gives a nice neutral shade of gray.  If not, use just a touch of black diluted with water.  Make sure the piece is really dry.  Keep the same color for all the shadows.  Do lines near the edges of all the moldings.
   
   Make small shadows under the pumpkins and cat.  Make shadows on the ledge in front of the fruits on the window sills.,  Do a shadow under the stems of the pumpkins.,  Punch up the kitty's features and behind his ears.  Detail the bow tie with darker green.,  It will bring a smile to the face of the viewer, especially cat lovers.
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   Step 2: Sketch four fat circles.

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   Step 3: Make three of the circles pumpkins by adding a stem at the top.

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   Step 4: Draw a cat by putting a smaller circle near the bottom of the remaining big circle.

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   Step 5: Create two windows above the row of pumpkins.

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   Step 6: Put lines around the rectangles for moldings.

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   Step 7: Draw apples and pears on the window sills.

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   Step 8: Prepare color media for painting.

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   Step 9: Paint the pumpkins from a puddle of orange the consistence of milk.

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    Step 10: Wash a slightly lighter yellow-orange over the cat.

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    Step 11: Add details to the cat with a smaller

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    Step 12: pointed brush.

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    Step 13: Paint yellow ochre around the pumpkins for the shelf.

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    Step 14: Do the window moldings using a brush approximately the width of the molding.

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    Step 15: Do the outside view through the window panes.

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    Step 16: Do finishing touches.

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    Step 17: Paint in shadows

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    Step 18: subtle and working from a puddle of transparent gray.

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    Step 19: Darken slightly the area behind the pumpkins with shadows.

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    Step 20: Let the piece dry again and check it over to see what needs accenting.

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    Step 21: Show your work proudly.

Detailed Guide

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