Eightball

Isn't he great! I must admit I wasn't sure things were going to work out for "Eightball". He is black and my reference pictures did not have a lot of detail, some didn't even have all of his ears! He is a commission and they wanted only a small picture to fit into a 8 x 10 frame so I decided to take on the challenge. I made a very careful study of his face from my pictures and then began to construct his face. He looked like a mess of black at first but as I teased out my highlights he really started to take shape. I have sent off the proof for the owners and now I wait for their comments. I am pleased and I met the challenge so if they like him too that will just be the cream on the top.
One interesting thing I found as I worked is I really didn't know what a cat looked like. I went over to my sister's and I spent a lot of time studying her cats' faces and the way the light reflected off their fur. I found lots of similarities to dogs but their nose shape and eyes are quite different. This commission really forced me to learn more about cats and that excites me as well.