Digital @ The Arts Unit Creative Classes

Cat-toons!

Drawing cartoons using character cats as subjects

Student visual arts resource developed by The Arts Unit

Years 3 and 4 visual arts

What will I learn?

You will:

  • explore elements of drawing by creating a cartoon character cat

  • create images to communicate a cat’s character and make a collage drawing

  • reflect on interpretations of character and expression.

Before you begin

You will need:

  • paper, lead pencils and items for colouring. You could use pencils, textas, crayons or paints

  • scissors and glue.

  1. Explore

This is no typo or spelling mistake,

drawing of cats is now what I make.

I'm over the moon,

I can draw a cartoon,

of a cat in a hat,

or something like that!

Cartoon of a cat artist with an easel holding a drawing of a cat.

Can you draw Dr Seuss' Cat in the Hat?

Select the 'Cat in the Hat – Art Project for Kids' to learn to draw this fun cat character.


Look at the picture, outlined in black,

filled in with colour, now he's on track!

You might like to listen, to the Dr Seuss book,

while you're having fun, creating this look!

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss (Read Aloud)

Duration: 08:10

Watch the video 'How to Draw a Cat from the Word CAT' and learn to draw a regular cat.

Can you believe it starts with the word CAT!

How to draw a cat from the word CAT

Duration: 01:51

Check out the mouth, the eyes and the face,

Notice its body, as it's drawn with pace!

Such cute little whiskers, to complete the look,

it would be so much fun, to add this to my book!

Have a look at these purr-fect cat artworks from NSW public school students created as part of the Operation Art project.

Unusual Friends

Alannah Lewis – Narrabeen Sports High School
Student artwork - black and white cat with a butterfly on its nose, with light blue background

Dreamtime

Suenna Jeong – St Georges Girls High School
Student artwork - ginger cat with blue sea background with goldfish swimming around

Underwater Cat

Helen Hwang – Strathfield Girls High School
Student artwork - black and white cat wearing snorkel and googles with an underwater city background

Cool Cat

Zarli Srdoc – Goolgowi Public School
Student artwork - orange cat with rainbow ears and a gold money chain around its neck with a pink background

Little Miss Speckle

Anni Dong – Kensington Public School
Student artwork - grey cat with a scarf with mustard background

Orange Cat's Garden

Veronica Jee Hee Park – Strathfield Girls High School
Student artwork - ginger striped cat with garden background

The Land of Cats

Pippin McIntyre – Caniaba Public School
Student artwork - black and white cat with blue background

2. Create

Think about what you have learnt so far about drawing cats.

Now it is your turn to draw your own funny cartoon cats.

Find some paper – take a large sheet,

now you will fold it, oh what a treat!

Fold it in four – any way will do,

rectangles or squares, it is all up to you.

Step 1

Draw a cat in each space,

go crazy with that,

take a black texta

and outline each cat.

4 outlines of cartoon cats - 1 cat head, 1 cat seated facing ahead, 1 cat seated from side on with paws and tail visible, 1 cat face

Step 2

Decide on a face

to go on each cat,

we should know what it thinks

from looking at that.

Completed cat cartoons with facial features and coloured in.

Step 3

To make your cats pop

it's time to embrace,

adding background and texture

to each cat's space.

Completed coloured cats with black and white pattern backgrounds.

All God's Creatures Got A Place in the Choir

Year 3 Collaborative Artwork – Menai Public SchoolOperation Art
Student artwork of 4 coloured cartoon animals, a cat, a walrus, a chicken and an elephant with textured backgrounds

Tips for drawing cartoon animals

  • Start your drawing with the outline shape and build features and details of the animal onto this base shape.

  • Use strong, dark lines and simple colour fill to complete the animal image.

  • Emphasise the larger-than-real-life eyes and mouths to add expression to the characters.

  • Exaggerate facial expressions and the body of the animals by focusing on details and using distortion to create a comical visage.

  • A contrasting background allows the animals to stand out more once the whole artwork is completed.

3. Reflect

Look at your 'cat-toon' … what can you see?

Characters of cats, funny and free?


Beneath each cat, give them a name,

one that reflects their character and fame.


Your picture is finished, hang it up high,

share it with others, now don’t you be shy!

Congratulations!

Your work was purr-fect!

You have completed this Digital @ The Arts Unit Creative Class.

You might like to explore more of our Digital @ The Arts Unit Creative Classes:







Brushing up on animals - Years 5-6 visual arts
Cat-toons! Years 3-4 visual arts
What a stretch! Years 3-4 visual arts
Inspire me ... Years 3-6 music and visual arts
The abstract world of Kandinsky - Years 3-6 music and visual arts
Colour my world - Years 1-6 visual arts
Let's draw - Years 5-6 visual arts

Third-party content attributions

  • Unusual Friends, © Alannah Lewis, reproduced and communicated with permission.

  • Dreamtime, © Suenna Jeong, reproduced and communicated with permission.

  • Underwater Cat, © Helen Hwang, reproduced and communicated with permission.

  • Cool Cat, © Zarli Srdoc, reproduced and communicated with permission.

  • Little Miss Speckle, © Anni Dong, reproduced and communicated with permission.

  • Orange Cat's Garden, © Veronica Jee Hee Park, reproduced and communicated with permission.

  • The Land of Cats, © Pippin McIntyre, reproduced and communicated with permission.

  • All God's Creatures Got A Place in the Choir, © Year 3 Collaborative Artwork, Menai Public School, reproduced and communicated with permission.