Have you ever seen a cat so captivating? I recently had the pleasure of painting a truly remarkable feline, a black cat with a wonderful, curly whiskers. Her piercing yellow eyes were quite startling against her black coat. Here’s how I went about painting her.

I wanted to try and capture her lovely face in watercolour. Not an easy task. I started with those gorgeous yellow eyes. Getting her eyes done helps to anchor her in the painting.

Then the challenge was to create the glow of the sun in her black fur. You’ll know how much I love painting black cats (and dogs!) I used a series of golden tones to outline the edges of her shape.

To give her black fur a sense of depth and texture I used several dark colours, applying them wet in wet, allowing the colours to blend with each other. This is tricky – too much water and it all becomes muddy! Not enough – it dries too quickly, giving hard edges to each patch of colour. I want her fur to look soft. I’m trying to get a soft transition between shades, while preserving the golden highlights at the edges.

Everything has to dry fully before I can start on the details, finishing her pretty eyes and adding those amazing curly whiskers. I made them multi-coloured to reflect the different colours I’d used in her coat.

Painting this gorgeous black cat was a truly rewarding experience. Those big yellow eyes seem to seem to invite us into a world of mystery and enchantment. Here she is in a gallery frame.