The Versatile Master Artist

Gu Weijing gently signaled Ah Wang to continue lying obediently in front of him.

He withdrew his gaze,

and recalled the scene just now, vividly sketching the moment the tabby cat was so relaxed it seemed its soul might emerge from its body, capturing it as a pencil line draft in his sketchbook.

That magical moment was not magic at all.

According to ”Pet Mind Reading Skill,” cats and dogs have vastly different habits; dogs are much more domesticated, while cats remain more wary of strangers.

However, both types of pets enjoy being gently stroked.

This reminds them of the sensation of being licked by their mothers as kittens or puppies, releasing dopamine in their brains. Sometimes, people observe their pets rubbing against their legs as a display of seeking affection.

The Knowledge Card even teaches a massage technique for enhancing emotions while petting animals.

Human massage has a history spanning thousands of years, and animal massage is not a novel concept either, mostly used as a practical way to stimulate muscle growth.

A long time ago, during the breeding process of Kobe beef, steps like playing music for the cattle and giving them massages with special brushes were already included, evolving into an assembly line operation. Even expensive racehorses receive physiotherapy after competitions, with academic papers showing that compared to control groups, massaged horses can see a near 10% improvement in short sprint speed and endurance.

But offering massages to less expensive animals like cats and dogs is still relatively rare.

In ”Pet Mind Reading Skill,” animal massage is divided into six techniques: pressing, stretching, rubbing, kneading, squeezing, and pointing, each targeting specific areas of their muscles and joints.

Some high-end pet centers and pet hospitals might offer such services,

but none can achieve the effect of Gu Weijing, who has reached the skill level of dissecting basic anatomy with his understanding of pet musculoskeletal structures.

Dissecting cattle with a knife, analyzing cats require one’s fingers, or even a pencil.

[Title: ”Untitled Sketch”]

[Sketching Technique: Level 5 Tier Two Professional (357/10000)]

[Chinese Painting Techniques: Level 4 Tier One Professional (2252/5000)]

[Emotion: Heartfelt (Perfection)]

”Effortlessly empathizing with pets, not only capturing the intricate muscle details but also their subtle emotions. Turning them into little spirits at the tip of the pencil; if an animation studio were to hire me for a poster, perhaps the effect would be great.”

He realized his animal drawings and emotions can connect with the models empathically.

And being one in spirit with pets is the pinnacle of animal illustration.

In history, there were those who painted horses, cranes, and cats and dogs.

Each artist claimed their brushwork expressed the excitement, rebelliousness, or solitude of animals.

Most of it was exaggerated storytelling, the artist’s subjective emotions forced into the narrative.

But Gu Weijing truly brought this realm to reality.

The only small flaw is when he uses ”Menzel’s Painting Basics,” the drawing emotion becomes fixed as ”Simple Works.”

From an emotional standpoint, it seems to start hindering himself.

Gu Weijing casually named the sketch ”Tabby Cat · Relaxed.”

He flipped through his previous sketchbook pages.

He maintained the good habit of drawing line sketches, honing his line skills while accumulating creative materials.

Illustrators often create their material libraries for future reference, much like students compiling their mistake notebooks in school.

For the past few days, he’s been visiting Ah Wang when free.

Besides the recent piece, he created many sketches like ”Tabby Cat · Yawning,” ”Tabby Cat · Sleeping,” ”Tabby Cat · Tail Wagging,” among others.

”Next time, perhaps Mr. Tree Sloth can help find suitable pet-themed illustration commissions for me. Hmm... it shouldn’t be a very complex request.”

Because they are adorable.

In the serious art domain, depicting animals is just a branch.

Yet in the illustration field, animal illustration is a prevalent form.

The number of famous works is almost countless.

For instance, Andy Warhol’s cat series, ”Nils Holgersson’s Wonderful Journey Through Sweden,” ”The Wind in the Willows,” and Disney’s ”Mickey Mouse” series.

In the world of famous illustrations, animal themes occupy nearly half.

As long as you have the skill, you can easily find well-paying high-end commissions.

”Grandpa Wu, I’m taking your Ah Wang out to play.”

Gu Weijing checked the time, cradled the tabby cat in his arms, and prepared to head out. Being a weekend, he had agreed with Shengzi to visit Good Fortune Orphanage to paint together.

He intended to bring Ah Wang for Little Moli to play with.

Outside the orphanage, there are stray cats, which the female director sometimes feeds. But those cats could have ticks and possibly carry rabies.

Uncle Ah Lai never allows Moli to get near them.

So the little girl can only look longingly.

Today, Little Moli will surely be delighted.

”Just be careful; it might scratch you. Our family cat is wary of strangers, doesn’t recognize anyone except our Wu family.”

Old Wu lay across the antique bracelet display counter doing accounts, casually commented.

The old man takes pride in their cat’s watchdog abilities, boasting that they’ve raised a little tiger.

Ah Wang never lost a fight with neighborhood pets, once chasing a much larger Shiba Inu into a river.