If you've always wanted to capture the lithe beauty of your feline friend on paper, Classic Sketchbook: Cats will help you learn from the best. Whether dashing off a quick sketch with minimal detail, or making a finished portrait where every silky hair and polished whisker stands out, the best cat artists are able to capture the very essence of feline-ness. How do they do it? Firsthand observation of cats will tell you a lot about the way they sit, yawn, position their tails, and curl up to sleep, but it won't tell you how to get those things down on paper. For that the best instruction comes from looking very closely at the work of artists who are famous for their cats. Classic Sketchbook: Cats is the second in a series of draw-in books that began with Classic Sketchbook: Botanicals. The series shows how it's done by looking at details of museum-quality works, then coaching readers to try the techniques with the help an expert's suggestions. In this case the expert is Patricia Wynne, a nature illustrator with a specialty in animals. Printed on quality uncoated stock, suited for drawing, the book is divided by subject areas such as fur, paws, eyes, and cats sleeping, playing, or preying. The left-hand page features a close-up of a drawing or painting by a noted 18th, 19th, or early 20th century artist. (These include works by Theodore Steinlen, Suzanne Valadon, Gwen John, Franz Marc, and Edward Burne-Jones). The right-hand page is largely blank, with a box for the author/illustrator's brief coaching tips, insights, and observations.