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How to Draw a Chibi Cat

ByStepan Ayvazyan
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This lesson will show you how to draw a chibi cat in a very simplified and cute style with a recognizable look.

The chibi style is a specific set of techniques that artists use to depict an animal, character, or person. By applying these particular methods, you can clearly show the viewer that the figure is a chibi character rather than an animal or person drawn in a standard cartoon or anime style.

In this lesson, we will show in detail how to draw a chibi cat using very simple yet effective methods to convey the desired style on paper.

How to draw a chibi cat step by step

Step 1: Sketch the oversized chibi head

The head of chibi characters, including animals and specifically a cat, is proportionally larger than that of a real animal. Sketch the outline of the head in a pear-like shape, clearly emphasizing the rounded cheeks on both sides, as this is another defining feature of chibi characters.

Sketch the oversized chibi head

Step 2: Draw the small torso of the chibi cat

Now sketch the chibi cat’s torso as a simple rounded shape that slightly overlaps the head. As mentioned earlier, the body in chibi proportions should be small compared to the head. It should also remain very rounded and free of unnecessary detail.

Draw the small torso of the chibi cat

Step 3: Draw the chibi ears and tail of the cat

Now carefully sketch the triangular ears at the top of the head, keeping in mind that in chibi characters and animals the ears are usually slightly larger than in real ones. At the back of the body, outline a plump, rounded tail in the form of an elongated oval.

Draw the chibi ears and tail of the cat

Step 4: Sketch the short oval limbs

In the lower part, sketch the chibi cat’s small limbs as short oval shapes, keeping in mind that one of the legs is partially hidden behind the body. Check the proportions of your drawing to make sure the cat has a relatively large head, a small body, short limbs, a fluffy tail, and oversized ears.

Sketch the short oval limbs

Step 5: Draw the face of the chibi cat

Now move on to the face and begin carefully adding details, making sure not to include anything unnecessary, since the chibi style is primarily about minimalism. Draw the chibi eyes as two large ovals, fill them in with black, and leave small highlights. Between them, sketch a small triangular nose and indicate the mouth with a pair of short lines. The facial features should be placed fairly low on the face, leaving a large forehead area above.

Draw the face of the chibi cat

Step 6: Trace the head and whiskers

Now carefully trace the outline of the cat’s face with darker, cleaner lines, and add a couple of short strokes inside the ears to indicate their structure in a very basic way. Then draw three short lines on each side of the chibi cat face to represent the whiskers. Erase all remaining construction lines and unnecessary marks from the chibi cat’s head.

Trace the head and whiskers

Step 7: Clean up and trace the chibi cat

Carefully and gradually trace the remaining parts of the chibi cat’s body, erasing the construction lines as you go and leaving only clean contours and a small amount of detail. For a small extra touch, you can draw a collar on the chibi cat chest, but still avoid going too far into unnecessary details.

Clean up and trace the chibi cat

The chibi style has become highly popular in recent years, and cutely depicted people, characters, and animals in this aesthetic appear more and more often in various works and even around us in everyday life.

Drawing in the chibi style involves a number of clearly defined techniques that make it immediately recognizable to the viewer.

These include extreme simplification of forms and details, intentionally cute proportions with oversized heads and small limbs, and minimal shading or volume, resulting in a flat finish. All of these are characteristic features of chibi, which is essentially a further simplification of the anime style.

In this lesson, we showed the entire process of drawing a chibi cat in a very simplified manner, using truly basic shapes without shading or texture.

This is the approach you should follow when drawing chibi cats or other animals so that the viewer clearly understands that the style is distinct from standard anime or general cartoon drawing.

We have also shown how to draw a cat in a cartoon style in another lesson, where you can compare the differences in approach.

Stepan Ayvazyan

Professional artist, photographer and sculptor. Co-founder and co-owner of Drawing For All. Has been drawing and studying art since childhood, and is an expert in the field of fine arts. Has been teaching drawing since 2013.

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58 Comments

          2. lol i traced to…its so cute! my lil sis wants about a billion of these lol

      1. I’m latterly finished every thing except whiskers and colouring the easy xDDDDD

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    1. because they want more steps so that its like smaller yk so its more like step by step

      Reply

  12. this was so easy to draw but i just traced it but is some cute πŸ₯°πŸ₯°πŸ₯°πŸ₯°πŸ₯°πŸ₯°πŸ₯°

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  13. This was so easy to draw but I just traced it but it doesn’t matter it’s too cute for me not to trace or Draw thank you for this cute cat I can add it to my book of cute drawings love this cat.πŸ₯°πŸ₯°πŸ₯°πŸ₯°πŸ₯°If you click on my name you can go to this app called tinker just so you know

    Reply

  14. This was soooooo easy to draw, and I hope it’s ok if added some of my own features…like more fur. I’m also gonna put it on a 5 by 5 foot canvas, paint it and, hang it in my room! Can’t wait!

    Reply

    1. ooo nice. I have a sketchbook full of chibi and anime stuff. My fav is the chibi sub zero. I sent it all to my uncle whos a poster maker, and hes making them into posters for me

      Reply

  20. Lol this is SO cute I love it and I will use this kitty for my school project in year 6

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  32. this is so cute i love it so much and no need tracing!!!❀

    Reply

  33. this is so cute i love it so much and i dont need to trace it im proud of myself!!!❀

    Reply

  38. love it’s so cute me and my friend loved it (i hated it) but good job.CCCCUUUUTTTE…………………………………………………………………..

    Reply

  41. I haven’t started mine yet but it looks so cuuuttteeeeeπŸ₯°πŸ˜πŸ₯°πŸ˜πŸ₯°πŸ˜πŸ˜πŸ˜πŸ˜πŸ˜πŸ˜πŸ₯°πŸ₯°πŸ₯°πŸ˜πŸ˜πŸ˜πŸ₯°πŸ₯°πŸ₯°πŸ˜ŠπŸ₯°πŸ₯°πŸ˜πŸ₯°πŸ˜Š

    Reply

  42. Mine is ugly as hell 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

    Reply

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