Kitties for Kiddies Donation

Honestly, this is the most time I've ever spent with a cat in my life. 

Thank goodness it didn't have real fur or claws, that would not have been fun for me ;)

This little buddy is a ceramic cat that I painted as a donation for "Kitties for Kiddies", an auction fundraiser for the Islesboro preschool on the island of Islesboro, Maine. The event is taking place tomorrow, July 25th, so I'll hopefully be able to share how much they were able to raise after the event! I hope my cat fetches a pretty penny for those kids, along with the several other area artists' cats!

Here it is when I first received my blank cat-canvas:

I started with a base coat of a tan color, since I was going to paint him orange and white. You can see that a little bit on the other side. Then I painted him orange with some white stripes, and started adding my details. I was going for a little storyline––I titled the piece "Catch of the Day"

...it'll make sense in the end, it's not animal cruelty!

I wanted to have him wrapped up in rope and fishing net gear, caught by some determined little fishermen (Islesboro is a fishing community, I thought they might appreciate the theme!)...

And here's the finished cat and some details! The rope and fur go all the way around the legs, torso and tail. It was new for me to work three dimensionally, but it was fun and for a good cause!

Can you see why he's so worried now?! He's the Catch of the Day! 

Happy bidding! I hope lots of funds are raised for the wonderful preschool!