Olive Yong - Kawaii Kitties: Learn How to Draw 75 Cats in All Their Glory

LEARN HOW TO DRAW
75 CATS IN ALL THEIR GLORY

OLIVE YONG, CREATOR OF BICHI MAO

My name is Olive Yong, and Im a self-taught artist from Malaysia. Drawing has always been a passion of mine, and I mostly work with pencil and paper. In June 2019, I was introduced to digital drawing and started working with the Procreate program on the iPad. From there, I began to post my art across social media platforms under the name Bichi Mao. Within a year, Bichi Mao has amassed a large following. Im really surprised that people enjoy and love what Im doing, and their support gives me strength to continue creating.

Bichi Mao is a cute and relatable webcomic series revolving around cat characters presented in an adorable and simplistic art style, like the kitties youll learn how to draw in this book! Through my comics, I try to portray everyday ups and downs. What motivates me to keep drawing and sharing my art is that I want to continue spreading positivity and make people smile. I also enjoy sharing my views on certain topics to bring awareness to the public in hopes of helping to make the world a little kinder.

I hope that this book inspires you to not only learn how to draw these adorable kitties, but also to create your own characters, whether they are cats or something entirely different.

What Is Kawaii?

You might have heard the word. You have probably seen the hashtag. You definitely know the style. But what, exactly, does kawaii mean?

Kawaii is a Japanese concept or idea, dating back to the 1970s, that translates closely to cuteness in English. In Japan, the usage of the word is quite broad and can be used to describe anything cute, from clothing and accessories to handwriting and art. So, if you are a fan of emoji art or the style of beloved characters like Hello Kitty, Pokmon, or Pusheen the Cat, then you already know and love the kawaii style of art!

While there are many interpretations as to what constitutes the kawaii art aesthetic, most people can agree that kawaii art is usually composed of very simple black outlines, pastel colors, and characters or objects with a rounded, youthful appearance. Facial expressions in kawaii art are minimal and characters are frequently drawn with oversized heads and smaller bodies.

How to Use This Book

After some helpful information here in the beginning of the book about tools and drawing techniques, there are seventy-five step-by-step tutorials divided into seven sections: Playtime, Daily Activities, Being Curious, Playing Dress-Up, Sharing the Love, Discovering Breeds, and Bon Apptit. At the end of the book are Kitty Coloring Pages with lots of kawaii kitties for you to color and decorate.

Tools

Feel free to draw your kawaii kitties with whatever you have available to you, but here are some suggestions.

TRADITIONAL TOOLS

If youre drawing your cats with traditional tools, use a pencil, such as a 2B/HB (#2 pencil) for the initial sketch, and then use a black ink pen to finish your drawingonce your sketch is final. You may want to invest in a high-quality eraser to easily get rid of any unwanted lines and marks. A ruler may also be helpful for when youre working with straight lines.

For coloring your kitties, I recommend using color pencils, crayons, or watercolors. Have fun experimenting with what works best for you.

DIGITAL TOOLS

There are a number of software programs and apps for drawing digitally, whether you prefer drawing on a desktop, laptop, or iPad. Like I mentioned earlier, I prefer using Procreate on an iPad, but see what works best for your artwork, equipment, and budget.

Regarding the brushes included with these programs, I like the Monoline brush in Procreate, but again, have fun experimenting.

DRAWING YOUR KITTIES

I like to use a lot of curved lines in my drawings, which help contribute to that kawaii, or cuteness, factor. Here are the basic shapes you will see throughout the tutorials in this book.

Body Types

Slim

Average

Chonk

Head Shape

Body Shapes

Leg Shapes

Tail Shapes

ADDING FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

Facial expressions are what give these kitties their kawaii factor. Here, I show you how to place the facial features on your kitties heads and include a directory of some of my favorite facial expressions on the following page.

Facial Expression Placement

FACIAL EXPRESSION DIRECTORY