The Alley Cat.

I love cats! I have painted pet cats: beautiful, pampered, smooth cats, however this time I decided to draw an alley cat in a dingy alley. A large ferocious, brave cat, the type that has to fight for survival.

I started with the basic outline and coarse fur.

I then added the garbage cans, a must have for an alley scene! I drew a garbage can many years ago, odd I know, but I drew everything I could for practice. I made of copy of that, cut the two bins out and placed these in the background.

I added highlights, colour and texture to the fur, keeping it thick and coarse. I gave the scene a smoky atmosphere, lit with light from a street lamp nearby. The final touch was the green eyes of a hunter – dangerous, wild eyes, after all this cat is the king rat catcher of the alley!

On a softer note, I do think that even alley cats would love a comfortable home and a loving human being.

It’s just an old alley cat that has followed us all the way home. It hasn’t a star on its forehead, or a silky satiny coat. No proud tiger stripes, no dainty tread, no elegant velvet throat. It’s a splotchy, blotchy city cat, not a pretty cat, a rough little bag of old bones. ‘Beauty,’ we shall call you. ‘Beauty’ come in. ~ Eve Merriam

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Copyright © Caroline Street Art/Poetry/Photography

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