Animal Anatomy - Cats Part 1

So, people keep requesting an anatomy tutorial. Here it is:

This is probably the #1 anatomy mistake I see from people trying to draw cats. I'm not sure if it comes from drawing dogs too much or if it is a side-effect of the Evana craze. The side-legs can be a cute stylization, but if you're trying to get closer to real life, it doesn't work.

Hope this helps!

As always -
Art copyright to


Download for full size!

Another note, here is a great reference that shows the muscles better. It's from one of the books I have called Animal Anatomy for Artists (which has many other great drawings of lions/horses/dogs): [link]


PS! The cats in this tutorial were referenced from live footage and photographs I took myself. I wanted to make sure I mostly had everything right on this tutorial.