As a lover of chubby cats, I've put together some tips on how to draw chubby cats so that they look chubby.

There are two main patterns of fat distribution in cats that make them look chubby

First: A cat with a small face and a barrel-shaped body.

I think the most famous example of this pattern is the huh cat, which became a popular internet meme.

This pattern has a large body and a small face.

This pattern is often seen in hybrids.

Second: Cats with loose skin that makes them look chubby

A cat with these characteristics is the British Shorthair breed.

If you want to draw a chubby cat, be sure to search for this breed. You're sure to find plenty of hints for its distinctive body shape and facial features.

British Shorthairs have a tendency to slack skin, especially around the neck, which makes the face look large and the body appear chubby.

Since they have large faces and a shape that's perfect for anime, the chubby cats that you often see in anime and manga are often drawn based on this breed.

You can see the difference clearly by comparing these two patterns.

Based on my knowledge of this cat breed and real-life chubby cats, I will explain the key points to drawing a convincing chubby cat, organised by body part.

Tips for drawing a convincing chubby cat

stomach

Let's draw loose, saggy skin on the belly.

 

Loose skin is the distinctive sagging that is seen on a cat's belly.

 

Rather than a simple lump of fat, try to draw a shape that hangs naturally with gravity.

 

The distinctive feature is that the back of the belly is loose, not the front.

face

Excess loose skin around the neck makes the face appear larger and plumper.

Smaller ears will accentuate the size of the face and make it appear plumper.

What kind of cats are prone to having big faces?

Cats that are prone to having large faces - in other words cats with puffy looking cheeks - are often unneutered male cats.

This cheek area appears to be the jaws.

It seems that the area around the cheeks swells due to hormonal influences, and one theory is that it plays a role in protecting the body when bitten during fights.

Taking this background into consideration, the idea of chubby cats may make even more sense.

limbs

Short, thick legs will make the cat look even chubby.

Keeping in mind that the cat's bone structure is naturally chunky will give it more presence and make it look more convincingly chubby.

Tail

If you make the base of the tail about twice as long as a normal cat's, you can draw a chubby, well-balanced cat.

In fact, British Shorthair tails are very thick at the base.

Conclusion

The points introduced here are just the beginning.

There are many individual differences in how cats gain weight and why they look chubby.

By observing various cat breeds and their individual differences and pursuing your own image of a chubby cat,

you can further expand the range of expression.

 

This concludes our explanation of how a chubby cat's flesh develops and the key points on how to draw it [for those who want to draw a convincing chubby cat].