Watercolor Painting of a Cat (& a video clip about a John Singer Sargent painting)

watercolor of a cat

Save for later & Share!

Cats Who Model for Artists

Here is a watercolor painting of a cat. This is Jack.

He’s not my cat, but we see each other constantly and we’re quite fond of each other.

He’s as affectionate as he is mischievous.

He’s expert at negative-attention harvesting; swatting at glass vases to munch flowers, grooming himself on the kitchen table, darting between legs to get outside (he’s an indoor cat living in coyote country).  

He usually makes his escape while you’re carrying armloads of groceries and cat food into the house, etc.

He’s either sprawled in your lap, soaking up the love, or sharpening his claws on the leather chairs.

And he makes a great model for painting and sketching. I love him.

tabby cat in the art studio

The Two Sides to Jack; Rug-Shredder and Purr-Bomb-Cuddler

cats in the art studio and fur in the paint
Art Studio Jack – holding a pose long enough to inspire sketches and loose studies

When to Put the Brushes Down for the Day

As a Card-Carrying Member of the Noodle-the-Details-Artist-Club, I loooooved this 3.5 minute video clip narrated by Erica E. Hirshler Croll, senior curator of paintings, Art of the Americas, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

She’s talking about John Singer Sargent’s painting Daughters of Edward Darley Boit – painted in 1882. The portrait measures 87 x 87 inches. <–see it in scale here. (If you’re as math-challenged as I am – that’s a smidge over 7 ft x 7 ft.)

This short clip carries a heap of swoon for Sargent’s mastery, and the message applies just as easily to watercolors.

If the video below doesn’t show, you can watch it on YouTube here

Paint Something Soon

Do you have a play list of videos you return to over and over for art studio inspiration?

Could you share a link to them in the comments?

Thanks for stopping by today, and I’ll see you in the next post!
Belinda


P.S You can subscribe to get each new post as an email. Sign up here (its free).

watercolor portrait of a cat
Stealthy Mischief 11×4 watercolor portrait of a tabby cat

Art Quote


I met this last week a young Mr. Sargent about eighteen years old and one of the most talented fellows I have ever come across; his drawings are like old masters, and his color is equally fine. He was born abroad and has not yet seen his country. He speaks as well in French, German, Italian as he does in English, has a fine ear for music, etc. Such men wake one up, and as his principles are equal to his talents, I hope to have his friendship.

J. Alden Weir 1874
How to name your art
Check This Out: Super Power your Art Titling Skills! How to Title Your Art

Save for later & Share!

6 thoughts on “Watercolor Painting of a Cat (& a video clip about a John Singer Sargent painting)”

  1. @James, the first time I walked up to a large Sargent painting in a museum and saw the mastery of single strokes of color, with no scumbling or fussing, *and* almost no resolution on the subject till I walked away again, I wept. SO MANY LESSONS. Now, we just have to remember those lessons while making. 🙂

  2. Excellent painting of Jack!! I love these elongated paintings.

    I had a print of a Sargent hanging in my office for years – and I would stare at the brush strokes in dresses and a fountain of water. He is definitely one of my absolute favorite painters. Great video – thanks!

  3. Love your painting and the video.
    MmmmHmmmm. Message heard.

    Those pinafores have always been amazing to me. Actually the whole set up of the portrait would still be considered daring.

    William Kuhn, who wrote Mrs. Queen Takes the Train, a wonderful read, is writing a book about Sargent. I can’t wait to read it.

    XOXOXOXO Barbara

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *