Skip to content
PlayOwl
An orange cat face with pointy pink-lined ears, green eyes, a pink nose, a smile and long whiskers.
The finished drawing.

How to draw

How to Draw a Cat Face

  • Easy (level 2 of 5)
  • 10 min
  • 11 steps
  • Ages 5–9 (a guide, not a rule)
Start Drawing Draw on Screen Print

Draw on paper: Paper, Pencil. Optional: Eraser, Orange, pink and green crayons or markers.

Draw it on the screen

This lesson is all about a cat's face, not its body. You draw a wide head and pointy ears, then two light guide lines show you where the eyes, nose and mouth go, so both sides match. When you can draw the face, try the Sitting Cat lesson next: it builds a whole cat, body, legs and tail, from guide shapes.

Want to try the whole animal? How to draw: Sitting Cat.

Rather color it? Print the cat face coloring page.

Step by step

  • New lines: purple, thick and glowing
  • Lines you already drew: gray
  • Guides: dashed blue, draw them lightly
  • Erase: dotted pink with an eraser
  1. Step 1 diagram, with the new lines highlighted
    Step 1 of 11 Draw a big oval for the head, a little wider than it is tall.
  2. Step 2 diagram, with the new lines highlighted
    Step 2 of 11 Draw two pointy ears on top of the head.
  3. Step 3 diagram, with the new lines highlighted
    Step 3 of 11 Draw a smaller point inside each ear.
  4. Step 4 diagram, with the new lines highlighted
    Step 4 of 11 Draw a light line down the middle of the face and one across it. They are guides you will erase.
  5. Step 5 diagram, with the new lines highlighted
    Step 5 of 11 Draw two big ovals for eyes. Sit them on the line across, one on each side of the middle line.
  6. Step 6 diagram, with the new lines highlighted
    Step 6 of 11 Draw a tall, thin oval in each eye and fill it in.
  7. Step 7 diagram, with the new lines highlighted
    Step 7 of 11 Draw a small triangle nose on the middle line, just under the eyes.
  8. Step 8 diagram, with the new lines highlighted
    Step 8 of 11 Draw a short line down from the nose, then two little curves for the mouth.
  9. Step 9 diagram, showing what to erase
    Step 9 of 11 Erase the two guide lines.
  10. Step 10 diagram, with the new lines highlighted
    Step 10 of 11 Draw three long whiskers on each side of the mouth.
  11. Step 11 diagram, with the new lines highlighted
    Step 11 of 11 Add three short stripes on the forehead.
An orange cat face with pointy pink-lined ears, green eyes, a pink nose, a smile and long whiskers.

You did it!

Your drawing does not have to look like this one. Every artist draws a little differently.

Color it on screen Print a practice sheet

Tips for this drawing

Helpful hints

  • Press very lightly for the two guide lines so they are easy to erase.
  • No eraser? Draw the guides so lightly you can hardly see them. Colors will hide them.
  • Change the mood by changing the eyes and mouth: half-closed eyes make a sleepy cat, an open round mouth makes a cat saying meow.

Common mistakes

  • The eyes end up near the top of the head and the face looks squashed. Put the eyes right on the line across the middle. That leaves room for the nose and mouth below.
  • The ears are tiny bumps. Make each ear tall, almost as tall as an eye is wide, with a sharp point at the top.

Make it simpler

Skip the guides: draw the head, two triangle ears, two dot eyes, a nose and whiskers.

Face guide lines

A light line down the middle and one across show where the face goes. The eyes sit on the line across, and the nose and mouth sit on the middle line, so both sides of the face match.

  • An orange cat sitting sideways with its face turned to the viewer, pointy ears, whiskers, stripes and a curly tail.

    Sitting Cat

    Growing (level 3 of 5) 15 min Ages 6–10
  • A tan puppy face with long brown floppy ears, a brown patch around one eye, a cream muzzle, a black nose and a pink tongue.

    Puppy Face

    Easy (level 2 of 5) 10 min Ages 5–9
  • A gray origami cat face with two pointy ears, a flat chin, two eyes, a small nose and long whiskers.

    Cat Face

    Starter (level 1 of 5) 5 min Ages 4–8 Origami Square of origami paper No scissors No glue