Drawing cats with Lee Ames

As I continued my random fascination with drawing cats, I stumbled upon a now-forgotten series of drawing books by artist Lee Ames.

From the 1970s to the 1990s, he created 26 editions of the “Draw 50…” books, with titles like “Draw 50 Birds” and “Draw 50 Vehicles”. I found a dog-eared compilation “Drawing with Lee Ames” in the Bishan Library, then I borrowed “Draw 50 Cats” from the library’s ebook collection.

Lee Ames is a master teacher because he makes difficult subjects seem easy to draw. I followed his step-by-step instructions and drew the four cats here with little difficulty. Of course, I have the advantage of being an artist, but as I studied his approach, I found much to apply to my own teaching methods.

If you or your child is thinking of picking up drawing, do check out Lee Ames’ books on the National Library Board’s Libby app. Many of the “Draw 50…” books are available to borrow.


I help people learn and grow through the power of words, visuals and AI.