How to Color a Black Cat

Here are 3 simple and effective tips on how to color a black cat with any medium of your choice. This particular cat can be found in Coloring Book of Shadows: Season of the Witch.

Watch the video below or scroll down to read these tips in a concise written format.

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TIP #1. Leave whitespace or highlights.

• Notice how I didn’t color it all black.
• The tail is nearly 50% highlight in yellow and white.
• Each of the legs is a third or more of highlight.
• These strips of light give definition to the darkness, and the other way around.

TIP #2: Pick a consistent light direction for your highlight — and stick to it as much as you can.

• Notice how the highlight is on the left of the tail, the left of each leg, the left of the body.
• The only place I broke the pattern a little is on the face, but if the main highlight is still on the left of the face, especially if you squint at it.

TIP #3: Do Research and use References.

• I googled black cats, paintings of black cats, photos of black cats so I could see how the highlights fall on the complex areas like the face – before I started.
• I added additional highlights around the face to define it from the body — and also on the forehead and nose of the cat, the places where the face protrudes into the light.

So give it a try, I hope that helps!

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If you liked this video and want to know more of my magical art secrets, check out my class on coloring here.

If you want to color this particular cat, you can find it in Coloring Book of Shadows: Season of the Witch.