📚 Chaotic Kitties 🐈

Written by

LunaTopaz

in

Last year in 2025 I wanted to paint some cats. I wanted to draw a charming, relatable scene featuring several cats relaxing on a bookshelf that is very clearly their bed. All of the books and plants are in the way.

An early pencil sketch by Luna Topaz showing a cat lounging on top of a bookshelf, drawn on watercolor paper. Luna is starting to work on drawing the plants around and on the bookshelf. The cat has knocked one of the plants on the floor.

I worked on the drawing in between customers while I was vending at the market.

A watercolor painting work in progress by Luna Topaz featuring three cats relaxing on a bookshelf. The piece uses soft washes of orange, green, and blue to build a cozy, whimsical atmosphere.

I started with several layers of washes of watercolor.

A watercolor painting in progress by Luna Topaz showing several cats lounging on a bookshelf. The piece is taped with blue painter’s tape and features warm green and yellow tones with playful shapes and objects. There are plants around the bookshelf and also one of the cats has knocked a plant on the floor. Another cat has stepped in the dirt and created pawprints.
Close-up photo of a watercolor painting by Luna Topaz featuring a gray kitty next to a bookshelf who has stepped in the dirt of a potted plant that has fallen on the floor. The cat walked around and stretched, causing there to be dirty pawprints on the floor.
A close-up shot of a watercolor painting by Luna Topaz featuring two cats sleeping on a bookshelf with plants and books. A dreamy star and moon light hang on the bookshelf, creating a whimsical vibe.

I continued adding more layers and developing values and depth. I tried to use textures for the cat fur.

A watercolor and gouache painting in progress by Luna Topaz showing a close-up of one of the plants curling around the background.

I worked on the plant in the background using gouache. I do kind of wish I had made the center part of the plant a bit more darker in value so that the plant would stand out more.

A watercolor and gouache painting in progress by Luna Topaz showing several cats lounging on a bookshelf surrounded by plants. The background features curling green leaves painted in gouache.

I kept adding more layers and working on the cats. I used white gouache at the end for their fur highlights and lights in areas around the bookshelf.

A finished watercolor painting by Luna Topaz titled "Chaotic Kitties" showing playful cats climbing and lounging on a bookshelf surrounded by lush green plants and tiny stars. One of the cats has knocked a plant onto the floor and another cat has stepped in the dirt creating pawprints. The scene creates a cheery, whimsical, chaotic atmosphere.

I added little stars in the backgrounds around the plants and finished everything up. Here’s the final painting and a few close ups.

A close‑up of Luna Topaz’s “Chaotic Kitties” painting showing the leg of a warm orange cat resting on a bookshelf surrounded by leafy green plants and colorful patterns.
A cropped section of Luna Topaz’s "Chaotic Kitties" painting featuring a pink‑haired cat tail and a blooming plant, painted in soft watercolor tones.
A detailed view of Luna Topaz’s "Chaotic Kitties" painting showing a blue cat stretching after stepping into the dirt of a plant that fell off of the bookshelf, creating a mess of pawprints.

I hope my painting brought you some joy and you enjoyed the process!!

Have a lovely day~!

~ Luna