Author: hlee, Contributing Editor

Rendering a cat's eye really isn't difficult at all, and can be very rewarding, like on those occasions when a family cat portrait calls for those bright, alert and expressive features that characterize your cat. This tutorial will not only show you how to render a cat's eye, but will also offer an alternative technique to coloured pencil layering. With a bit of practice, you'll find that other animals' eyes will be easier also. Let's use this cat's eye as our reference: (photo courtesy of MissMouse)

When doing your drawing, it's a good idea to start off with a light pencil sketch. Careful observation is important, of course. Pick out the major portions of the eye, such as the iris, the pupil and the highlights, and mentally note or pick out the colours you think you will need. Here, I've decided upon these colours: black (PC 435) white (PC 938) pumpkin orange (PC 1032) naples yellow 7 canary yellow (PC 916) chartreuse (PC 989) jade green (PC 1021) grass green (PC 909) dark green (PC 908) deco blue (PC 1015) light cerulean blue (PC 904) sienna brown (PC 945) dark brown (PC 946) Since I use Prismacolour pencils (with the exception of the naples yellow - by Derwent Studio) most of the time, I've tried to include their generic names to help a bit in the colour matching. However, I'd encourage experimenting with variations, and to rely on your own eyes, mind and instincts for your colour choices. Try to make all the corrections early in the process. Most coloured pencils are fairly forgiving, but since we'll be doing some colour layering, erasing may not be as easy a task later on as at the beginning stages.

When you're satisfied with the sketch, get ready for the fun part. It's colouring time! I've started with the outline of the eye, eyelining it with the black, stroking it more often on the dark area and going over the lighter streaks gently. It really doesn't matter where you start, though some people may choose to work their way outwards from the center. Apply the colours with medium pressure- bearing in mind several layers will follow to give the colours their richness, depth and consistency - so you want them to go on smoothly. Pressing hard won't speed the process - it will just make it more difficult. The first layers consist of the base colour - the main colour that you see at first glance. Grass green for the pupil. I use the same procedure as with the black outline, except here I prefer to put in colour with a small, circular motion, to cover larger areas more easily.

Here, the iris consists of a blend of orange, yellow and green. Since yellow is the middle colour, and the lightest - it takes less effort layering than other secondary colours - I set it in first. Returning to the pupil (this is one of the keys to this coloured pencil layering idea) the subsequent layer is white. The white acts as a "primer" on which another layer of colour can be set in over it, and the previous layer will show through and play its part subtly in the finished drawing. Now do the same for the rest of the eye - base layer of dominant colour, followed by a layer of white, second layer of the next colour you want to mix with the dominant one, then white again, and so forth. Exactly how many layers of colour, is up to you, though I usually keep a minimum of five to seven when I'm not too lazy to indulge in it. It also depends on how many shades and hues of colour you can find in the areas you are depicting, so don't be overwhelmed by the array of to-do's.

Looking at the reference image again and seeing orange, I've introduced the pumpkin orange to the two corners of the eye and under the pupil, noting that the latter looks darker and the colour more saturated in the photo. As a result, more dark green and black.