My First Ocelot

This month I've started learning how to draw animals. I'm going to work on certain creatures one at a time, the first of which has been the ocelot. It's been such a cool experience, having never drawn animals before in any real capacity, to try to figure out their unique geometries. At first I found that my cats looked alot more like dogs. I guess because I've spent much more time around dogs. To help me learn more about the anatomy of the cat, I got this book called Cyclopedia Anatomicae ( http://www.amazon.com/Cyclopedia-Anatomicae-Illustrations-Animal-Figure/dp/1884822878 ), which showed me the skeleton and muscles of the cat and the way that it's joints bend. I also used a bunch of photographs of ocelots that I founds online, most notably from National Geographic sources. There's something really beautiful about the form of the cat as it follows the agility and the power of the species. For example the curve of their backs down toward their hind legs and tail, comes from how much power they exert through their hind legs and how much influence their tails have over their ability to balance when they climb and jump. In the case of the Ocelot, I was also really fascinated by their coloring and spotting which was hard to get a hang of. I mean are the spots random, or is there a pattern. There was so much I took for granted until I started drawing them. I think I am almost at the point to be able to move on to the large piece I had planned. I am still having some trouble with the proportions of their whole bodies. With humans there are a billion books on the geometry of the body, but with the cat, I kinda have to figure it out from pictures. Anyway - I had a great time with these sketches. The ocelot is such a powerful and graceful creature. I feel they are the epitome of feral beauty.

Will keep u posted on further developments!