Cats have appeared in this studio's work in several different forms over the years. Watercolour portraits, amigurumi figures, crochet pieces with cat motifs, and photography. The work here isn't about making cute cat content — it's about the actual challenge of capturing cats accurately in different media. Which is harder than most people expect, particularly in paint and in crochet construction.
The watercolour side of the studio mostly does pet portraits to commission, and cats come in second behind dogs in terms of how many are requested. The challenge with cats is fur: the layered, directional quality of a cat's coat doesn't respond well to loose washes, and getting it right requires wet-on-dry layering that takes considerably longer than a dog portrait of the same size. Tabby markings in particular require patience — too precise and the painting looks stiff, too loose and it doesn't read as that specific cat.
The studio has painted short-haired cats, longhaired cats, tabbies, tortoiseshells, solid black cats (the hardest subject in watercolour, where the form entirely depends on subtle shifts in reflected light), and a ginger cat that made several appearances across two separate commissions because the client's cat lived a very long life and two portraits seemed appropriate.
If you'd like a watercolour portrait of your cat, the process is the same as for any pet portrait: send 3–5 photographs taken outdoors in natural light, a rough sense of what size you'd like, and a note about whether there's anything particular to capture about their character (the tilt of the head, a favourite position, the particular way they sit). For pricing, see the prices page.
Cats are among the more requested amigurumi subjects, and they're a good choice for the format. The basic cat form — compact, rounded body, triangular ears, a tail that can go several ways depending on mood — translates naturally into amigurumi construction. The trickier part is the face: cats have more expressive faces than many animals, and the placement of the eyes and the embroidered details on the nose and mouth changes the character of the finished figure quite substantially.
The studio makes amigurumi cats in two rough sizes: a palm-sized figure (around 10–12cm sitting) that works well as a shelf decoration or a gift, and a slightly larger figure (around 18cm) that reads better as a display piece. Both are worked in a 100% cotton yarn in natural skin tones, then hand-embroidered with facial details and stuffed with polyfill. Colour choices and marking patterns are done to the client's specification — so if you want a figure to resemble a specific cat, send photographs.
Amigurumi commissions open and close depending on current workload. The amigurumi guide covers the basics of the technique if you're interested in trying it yourself. For commissions, see the commissions page or email [email protected].
The photography side of the studio is mostly wildlife and dogs, but cats have appeared in the archive. Garden cats photographed outdoors, the particular quality of a cat in sunlight that's different from any other animal subject. A few of these are in the print catalogue in small editions.
For cat photography prints specifically, email with a description of what you're looking for and I'll confirm what's currently available. Most prints are made to order from the archive and are not permanently listed.
See also: dogs in art for a similar hub covering the studio's work with dog subjects, and the gallery for the full overview of what's currently available across all categories.