Create a gorgeous “Boho Cat Artwork” with Artist Teresa Small. This project is perfect for beginners who are wanting to learn to use Atelier Artists’ Pigmented Inks.  Our Atelier Inks provide you with the best possible combination of usability and vibrancy of colour!

• Atelier Artists’ Pigmented Inks: Titanium White, Burnt Siena, Sepia, Yellow Ochre, Red Earth
• A3 Watercolour Paper (300gsm)
• Brush – Round Taklon, Size 8
• Paper towel
• Cup of water
• Lead pencil
• Eraser
• Optional: Gold Leaf 
• Optional: Jo Sonja Tannin Sealer & Gold Leaf Size

Step One

Ensure you have your materials ready, favourite music playing and have set up in a relaxing environment. Please feel free to add your own creative flair to this project and change up the shapes/colours as you would like.

Step Two

Using your pencil, lightly sketch the outline of the shapes and lines. To make it easier, you can first divide your page and reference image into halves to ensure you are roughly in proportion. When sketching, keep your pressure incredibly light as not to dig into the paper so your marks are easy to erase – but do not erase when you think you “made a mistake.” Instead keep those overlapping scribbly marks, because you can achieve accuracy more clearly when you see your past marks. When happy with the drawing, erase around each line and over the top to have only the faintest outline of the drawing remaining. Think of your drawing as a light guide to be covered up rather than a crisp outline of form.

Step Three

Shake the bottles and mix together a large amount of Titanium White Ink with a drop of Red Earth Ink. This colour should be ultra-light, because acrylic always dries slightly darker. Fill in the sky with this colour. To cut in around the shapes point the brush so it is 90 degress from the edge you are painting.

Step Four

Wash your brush in water and dry it with a paper towel. Shake the bottles and mix together Yellow Ochre and Titanium White in equal parts. The colour should be the same value (lightness) as the sky. Colour in the farthest away mountain with this colour. Wash and dry your brush.

Step Five

Give the Burnt Siena bottle a good shake and mix it with two parts Titanium White. Colour in the middle mountain with this colour. Wash and dry your brush.

Step Six

Using Burnt Sienna , colour in the section that the cat is sitting on. Burnt Sienna is a transparent pigment so you may need to let it dry and add on a few layers. Always shake the ink bottles before using them, even if they were only shaken a few minutes ago! Pigments can settle quickly.

Step Seven

Shake Sepia thoroughly, then use that colour straight from the bottle to colour in the cat. Sepia is also a transparent colour and the cat will need about 2-3 layers of ink. Be sure to allow each layer to dry before painting the next. Let the artwork dry.

GOLD LEAF – Optional

Step One

Using Jo Sonia Tannin Sealer& Gold Leaf Size paint the circle of the moon. Ensure you have good coverage and that you have cut in around the details of the cat’s head. 

Step Two

Carefully open the gold leaf pad and press the leaf onto the wet Tannin Sealer. Avoid using your fingers as the gold leaf will stick. Wearing cotton gloves can enable you to touch the leaf, although this is not 100% necessary.

Step Three

Peel back the gold leaf pad and let the artwork dry for an hour.

Step Four

Using a dry, clean brush buff away the excess gold leaf and watch as your artwork comes to life!

Step Five

Frame your artwork in a A3 photo frame and hang it on your favourite wall!