Miss Marla the Tabby, my little lovely grey kitty.
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You are here: Crafts / Catty Art – Feline Silhouette Paintings Tutorial

For a while when people asked how many cats I had I would respond “too” knowing full well that they thought I meant “two”. It isn’t that I’m keen on fibbing it was simply because I was so embarrassed that I have 4 cats. Trust me, when you say four you see the “Oh, you’re a crazy cat lady” look instantly hit their face. I always dreaded seeing that face.

Paint some simple cat silhouettes. Free patterns and tutorial at Dream a Little Bigger

But sometime last year when I was working on this blog I realized that I’ve really been putting myself out there in a lot of ways. Who cares if I four cats? So what if I kind of technically am a crazy cat lady? It is what it is and I’m awesome. :)

To be honest I never intended to have one cat let alone four. I was terrified of them at first. But Russell had Georgie and he was a sweet, gigantic cuddle boy. In spite of that I was still totally freaked out by him and it made it worse that he seemed to like me so much. I’d wake up with this cat half on my pillow and half on my head and some irrational part of me just knew he was trying to smother me in my sleep.

Georgie soon became diabetic and started to wither away. It was sad that I only started to not be afraid of him after he became so sick. I fell terribly in love with him and was sad to watch him slip away. The vet recommended another cat to help keep his spirits up. My sister gave me a little kitten named Gracie that had been dumped on her front porch. They became fast friends and you could tell it made George happy. Georgie hung on about a year after Gracie came along but he finally had to be put to sleep.

Needless to say three others came into the mix and now I feed every single stray and feral cat that comes along my doorstep. I’ve found homes for probably a dozen over the last couple of years. Nowadays, I freaking love cats and I’m probably pretty lucky that I’ve managed to keep the number down to ONLY four. In honor of my kitty love, I made some silhouette paintings that took about an hour for both. You can too!

For this project you will need:

  • Stretch & Strut cat silhouette images
  • Projector
  • Canvases
    (I used 8×10)
  • Paint in 2 colors, or more
  • Paint brush

Paint some simple cat silhouettes. Free patterns and tutorial at Dream a Little Bigger

Print your images and use them with a projector. Project the shape onto your canvas and trace using a pencil.

If you don’t have a projector, you can always size and print the image, cut around it and trace onto your canvas that way.

Paint some simple cat silhouettes. Free patterns and tutorial at Dream a Little Bigger

Next use your paint to fill in the cat shape and another for the negative space. I alternated colors but you could do them the same, totally different colors, whatever you dig.

Paint some simple cat silhouettes. Free patterns and tutorial at Dream a Little Bigger

When dry, hang your paintings and enjoy!

Paint some simple cat silhouettes. Free patterns and tutorial at Dream a Little Bigger

Oh, and by the by – Max wants you to know that it’s National Dress Your Pet Day. Don’t you love his little green tie? He’s been rolling around with the other kitties and it’s pretty furry but he’s still a dapper creature. Happy Monday!


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17 Comments

  1. Allison Murray says:

    I am so sorry about Scooter, losing a pet is so very hard :(

    Max is incredibly, surprisingly soft but he isn't very bright but I love him like crazy anyway.

    I am so happy you like the post and will definitely take you up on your advice about drawing my precious kitties :)

  2. Blog-hopped from "Scrap In Progress" where your feline art was mentioned and admired :)
    what a gorgeous furrrend you have in Max! Beautiful! I bet he feels like velvet.
    He is a lot like my Scooter, a beauty of a big black fella, adorable. He passed away 6 months ago tomorrow,
    age 19 1/2.
    Please give your kitties an under-chin scrunch from me (or a behind the ear one, if they are that way inclined!) as I do so miss furry hugs!
    Also, can I give some advice- draw, draw, draw them, and then draw them again. I didn't. I never thought my drawings were good enough. But the few sketches I did of them I now love, and wish I had done more. Somehow they mean more than the best photo.
    Off to enjoy more of your lovely blog now!
    HUGS!

  3. Allison Murray says:

    Thanks, Judie. I am so glad you checked out the blog!!

  4. Love your blog and the cat pictures are such a winner!

  5. Allison Murray says:

    It sounds like we have a lot in common, Cynthia! Thanks for checking out the post and taking the time to comment :)

  6. awwwhhhh your cat is so gorgeous with his green tie…how cute is that!! I love your story about how you became a catwoman. If I had it my way I´d have a dozen cats and open a sactuary for lost kiitty kats so I totally understand what you are saying. I love your little paintings of the cats too.

  7. Allison Murray says:

    Ooh, I would love to see the results! I have a new Cameo but I haven't quite gotten the hang of it, yet.

  8. I am going to try this with my Silhouette Cameo in a vinyl, for my wall.

  9. Allison Murray says:

    I love the idea of the mouse! I am way too changeable to paint directly onto my walls but that sounds awesome!!

  10. I painted the cat silhoutte on the wall…with a mouse in front of it…Every time I walk by I have to look twice.
    This is a fun idea with the canvases too!

  11. How in the world did you get your cat to wear that?! My cat would have clawed that thing off if i could even get it on him! I love that silhouette tutorial and I think i might try it out soon!

  12. Allison Murray says:

    Actually, Evon – I think Max is the most laid back cat ever. We had one practice day where he walked backwards for about two hours shaking his head, but after he fell asleep and woke back up he just didn't care anymore. Now he'll wear it with no problems! Hats, on the other hand are always a no go.

  13. Allison Murray says:

    Thanks, ladies!

  14. Love these! From one crazy cat lady to another! ha