Painting Cats

As someone who has had cats since they were small and who engages in creative pursuits to relax, I was instantly drawn to ‘Painting Cats’ as it ticked a lot of my boxes.

The introduction and beginning chapters are written in a really personable manner, the author touches on her own experiences and introduces us to her own cats in her writing. All throughout, she cleverly intertwines her subjects (cats) with her medium (watercolour) cleverly weaving in the unpredictable nature of cat ownership with the creative process.

The instructions are easy to follow and very beginner friendly, they are encouraging in embracing mistakes. The book is all inclusive, not just providing instructions for painting, both in step-by-step format and with reference images, but also provides a list of the different equipment, styles and colours that will be needed in your artwork.

The illustrations throughout are stunning, the watercolour medium presents the cats in a lovely, whimsical and relaxed fashion that makes it a real joy to read.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review, these thoughts are all my own.

Terry Runyun excels at painting watercolor cats, so I was happy when saw this book. This book will guide you through some of the basics of watercolor painting and will soon have you painting cats of all sizes and colors.

"Cats are the perfect example of how to live fully in the moment without caring about how things will turn out."

The inspiration behind Terry's art comes from her siblings Tucker and Rylee, and in this book, she showcases her beautiful cat paintings and provides practical advice and techniques for watercolor painting. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, you can benefit from her explanations of tools and techniques. And Cat lovers, you're going to absolutely adore the stunning pictures in this book. I really need to get my hands on the actual book, The pictures are absolutely beautiful.

"There is no limit to what you can create with cats as inspiration and with watercolors at hand."

This is an "INSTANT REVIEW" as I had read a friend's copy!

Synopsis (from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review.)
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In this follow-up to her hit Painting Happiness, Instagram sensation Terry Runyan shows you how to play with watercolour to create quirky cat portraits – and let go of stress.

Perfect for cat lovers and watercolour artists of all skill levels, from absolute beginners to more experienced, Painting Cats teaches you how to go from a blob of paint to a beautiful portrait of your fluffy friends. Drawing on art therapy techniques that emphasize fun and freedom in creativity over technical perfection, Runyan guides you step by step through the process of adding details to loosely painted shapes to create your own unique and distinct cats!

This joyful book brimming with inspiring watercolour artwork and you can easily embrace techniques and lessons in creative mindfulness whilst having lots of feline fun and letting your creative instincts go free.

A blob of paint can go a long way --- not that watercolours use blobs of paint! I loved the ideas in here and as I personally paint in acrylics, I could also use the techniques to make creations in that medium... not that I need more paintings. I have about 250 completed ones split between three closets at the moment that are going to go away to the Mission Charity Store very soon as I need the room and don't even remember 99.9% of the ones that I painted. (let's just say that there are a lot of different versions of cats, trees, lakes and planets in my home!)

Great instructions and cute ideas abound - if you are NOT an artist, Terry does an annual calendar that you can hang on your wall so you can enjoy happiness and cats without you creating them. #shortbutsweetreviews

Thank you so much to Net Galley, the publisher, and author for providing this whimsical book on how to paint cats using watercolors. I love the authors ideas and tips for creating cats. The author really encourages creativity and creating your own unique cat rather than following one specific project. The author provides plenty of information and tips for anyone to be successful. There are also instructions for various watercolor techniques such as wet on dry and dry brush painting. I think this is a great book for beginners who love painting unique and fun cats. I look forward to following her techniques to create my own watercolor paintings. Thank you again for a fun and informational book. I can’t wait to get a physical copy of my own!

Absolutely stunning books not only full of amazing art tips even the most beginners could follow but some utterly beautifully illustrations of cute cats doing cute cat things. Am not arty but as the resident family crazy cat I would love to get this book as a gift and give some cat crafts a go. I will be buying this book for my very arty niece age 11 who loves cats. Thank you the ARK this cute pictures brighten my day

Thank you Leaping Hare Press and NetGalley for a copy of Painting Cats.

I requested this purely to learn how to paint cats! I never expected a crash course on watercolor and expanding our creativity. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially the cat coffee shop page. Highly recommend to everyone (not just cat lovers!). <3

This is a great book, not only is it about cats, but it uses the painting of cats as a tutorial on how to use watercolor, add expression and movement to what is being painted (in this case cats). There is cat- tails woven throughout the book, which makes it more fun to learn and helps give ideas o personalities. All the way through there is information and instructions and lovely cat watercolor paintings to learn with.
Really fun book. Thanks you NetGalley and the publishers for the DRC

I sought out this book on the back of enjoying 'Painting Happiness', a previous book from Terry Runyan, and I can testify that this too, is a book that has brought me happiness!

At first glance it might seem quirky - lots of projects with cats as hair pieces, as restauranteurs and up to countless other interesting shenanigans! What really appeals to me however, is the modern style of the artwork, and the step-by-step approach that makes creating really great art accessible to us all. The use of watercolour is lovely and really complements this style. This is a book that is as delightful to browse, as it is to fully engage with the projects! For anyone interested in creating beautiful art, or anyone who just likes cats!, I would highly recommend this book.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity ti review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

This book is the cutest!
If you love kitties and painting – or if you have someone in your life who loves kitties and drawing, or someone who is learning how to paint and draw, who needs an extra push and extra encouragement to draw, paint, be creative, then this book is the perfect gift!
Sketch or no sketch, watercolor, adding layers and mixing colors, adding paper cutouts, being creative and fearless, all while painting cats. Love it! This book is almost 150 pages of pure kitty cuteness and inspiration. It will not tell you how to draw a cat step by step, but it will encourage you to be creative, take that first step, and then ten more steps.
Oh, and did I say that the book is absolutely adorable? Yup. It is absolutely adorable!

This book is a pure joy. It is fun, quirky and so different. It’s suitable for adults and kids since the author teaches in free flowing form of painting. I absolutely enjoyed painting and following along. It just brings a smile to my face every time I follow along and paint or even when just going through it. Highly recommend to have this in your collection.

As a cat-lover, I love this book. Terry Runyan makes painting cats seem so easy. Will definitely get this one when it is out.

A detailed “How- To” book on watercolors using cats as the focus. I like how they related the cats to the watercolor in the beginning of the book. The steps were also easy to follow. A good book for beginners and advance watercolor-ers alike! Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC to review.

Ah it is just so gorgeous. Perfect for any amateur painters with a love of cats! Really helpful advice on general usage of watercolours too that will extend beyond painting our feline friends 😻and I am just so in love with Terry’s artwork anyway the book is a joy to behold.

This is a really fun book that will help kids or adults paint darling cats. I appreciated that Runyan showed how to paint via several methods like wet on wet, wet on dry, starting with blobs and sketching first. She also talks about how to use acrylic markers, masking fluid and colored pencils to enhance the paintings. The writing is charming and the art is gorgeous. Delightful.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Painting Cats Curious Mindful & Free Spirited Watercolors by Terry Runyan is both a fun and thoughtful guide to—well, like the title says—painting cats.

And these cats are cute and fun! Terry tells us what supplies we need and guides us thru techniques to try when painting kitties. She brings her cats, Tucker and Rylee, along on our watercolor journey.

She tells us to stay playful, be curious, and to stretch ourselves as we play with our paints.

Mindfulness is an important part of our journey as well.

“Cats are the perfect example of how to live fully in the moment…”-Terry Runyun

I loved all of the cat artwork shown throughout the book, it made me smile, and I can’t wait to try more of the suggested techniques!

Thank you to Netgalley and Leaping Hair Press for allowing me to read an eARC in return for my honest opinion.

Terry Runyan works her magic once again in this cat specifically about painting cats. Only cats? I hear you cry! Don’t worry ‘Painting Cats’ is full of ideas and methods to use in all areas of painting and art.
There are so many variations on the theme of watercolour cats, you will be learning about all kinds of water colour techniques as well as creating your own cat clan!

This is such a cute book! I loved the idea behind it and the introduction all about cats was lovely. The instructions and tutorials were really detailed and easy to follow. The illustrations made it come alive and helped me to understand what to do. As a beginner at watercolour, the book made starting a new hobby easy.

This book is a guide to loose and fun watercolor paintings of cats. The introduction to this work was fun, discussing different and common personalities/characteristics of cats and how to incorporate those into your creative process. This includes a brief foray into the practice of mindfulness and using your art to relax and unwind. There was also some basic color theory included, which is helpful when mixing paints or deciding what colors would look best together in a painting. It also included some basic watercolor techniques, making this read quite approachable for those who have minimal experience.

My favorite portion was probably the bit about painting cats in clothes. This included painting the clothes on separate paper, cutting it out, then painting the cat and placing the clothes on them. It resulted in whimsical, cute paintings that were reminiscent of illustrations in children’s books. I quite like the author’s illustration style, and the clarity of the instructions makes it easy to take the ideas in the book and incorporate your own art style.

If you like cats and are interested in watercolors, then you should check this one out. My thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for allowing me to read this work, which will be published September 12, 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is such a cute book!! The little painted cats throughout the book are a cute little touch.

There is the color wheel using cat heads instead of dots. A section on the different techniques, which there are more then I could have imagined. The author gives examples of the different types of backgrounds to use while painting the cats. Are you worried about painting the mouths and eyes? Don't worry, the author has you covered and gives you some ideas on how to do that.

I'm definitely going to need a physical copy of this book. It is so cute as well as a great book to learn how to paint cats.

Thank you #NetGalley for #PaintingCats by Terry Runyan.

Really fun, whimsical art book with a good balance of tips and examples. The back of the book has a lot of additional references too!

This is a lovely book, lots of basic info about techniques and an abundance of adorable cat paintings!

This would be a lovely present for a new-to-watercolours artist, particularly one that wasn't quite confident enough to start painting by themselves and wanted some hand holding

I received an advance copy for free from NetGalley, on the expectation that I would provide an honest review.

Some time ago, I reviewed Terry Runyan's previous book "Painting Happiness", and as with her original book, this one is a joy.

Filled with the slinking, sinuous shapes of cats, "Painting Cats" is a guide to free you mind from the human confines and embrace mindful creativity the way a cat would embrace life - with curiosity, a care-free attitude and the ability to let the watercolours flow without overthinking.

As with other craft books, this one includes a short section on the artist's preferred tools - the paints, brushes, pens and papers - but this is only a brief initial section, with a more comprehensive guide at the back of the book.

Then we explore the creation of watercolour cats in all their blobular glory, from a simple mindful splodge to the emergence of the full feline. It's all about being playful and spontaneous. There is a nice section on colour theory and some good watercolour and other art techniques to explore before diving into the fun personalisations you can do with your painted kitties. From storytelling to still life, personalities and poses, crowds, cat-hats and anims friends, if there is a place for a cat, it's in here!

The illustrations in this book are all highly stylised in the artist's style, however the tips, techniques and prompts are all easily transferable to one's own style.

All in all, this book is a fun journey into playful painting, and unpredictable minfdulness. A must for cat-loving artists. Or artistic cat people.

~Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

What a beautiful book of fun and whimsical illustrations accompanied by supportive, encouraging and helpful insight from Terry Runyan! I only recently got to know her and her work through an online watercolor class simply titled "Cats on Heads." Even though I'm more of a dog person, I do appreciate the appeal of cats and this book has wide appeal even if you're not in the dog or cat camp.

There are many books/resources that will go into great technical detail about watercolor painting, but this book keeps to fairly simple and accessible techniques (e.g., she tells us to paint "blobs" that we'll eventually turn into cats) while walking you through Terry's creative process, one that can followed by any of us!

This book is great for cat lovers, animal lovers, aspiring artists, seasoned artists, and/or people who are curious to try something new.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Leaping Hare Press for the ebook - I've been inspired to paint some of my own cat-shaped blobs :)

An adorable guide to the many ways of painting cats with watercolors. From blobs, to wet on wet and wet on dry techniques.

I enjoyed this painting book quite a bit. The steps to painting fun, whimsical cats were easy to follow and understand. I really like Terry Runyan's artwork, and this book did not disappoint.

I really enjoyed this. The author presents step-by-step technique to create abstract cat paintings. I teach adult crafting and believe I could teach people who do not know how to paint how to do this. The author's cat paintings are adorable. If you are looking for instruction on how to paint realistic cats with watercolors, this is not for you. However, the author does include one beautiful example of a realistic watercolor cat. I would recommend this book to people who want to experiment with watercolor painting and of course to cat lovers.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun and easy way to play with watercolors! This is a great book for those who love cats and watercolor alike. I haven't painted in a while, but reading this book and seeing the great pictures in it made me itch to grab a brush again. This book makes for a great gift and something to do together with friend and the kids.

I requested this book because recently I had taken a workshop on painting cats on head and thought this would be a great addition. Little did I know the author was the same artist who gave the workshop!
Terry’s work is whimsical and so much fun. I love the illustrator side to her painting and could see many children’s books made with her cats.
The book provides various watercolour techniques to obtain the many different cat styles. She shows you how to paint the cats themselves and then how to create worlds for your cats. I.e. cat’s in a coffee shop, cats on a boat. The lists are endless!
I throughly enjoyed reading and looking at all of the different cat paintings in this book. I definitely want to give this cat painting a go and see what I can create.

Thanks to Net Galley and Leaping Hare Press for the advanced copy.

P.s. if you can take a workshop with Terry for more cat fun!

Beautifully designed book with good instructions on how to paint cats. It shares info on how to use watercolors as well as other media like fineliners. There are a lot of beautiful examples. Reading the book made me want to get started right away.

I adore artist Terry Runyan's whimsical work, including her previous Quarto book, Painting Happiness, and now Terry instructs you in using watercolor to paint charming cat portraits. Her colorful illustrations bring me joy and are sure to elate you too. Great fun!