It's Triple Tabby Thursday!

Hey Beautiful People!

I'm back earlier than I thought because I finished up three more cats today and, well, I basically couldn't wait another day to show you them.  I am actually on schedule to have HALF of the book's 26 cats completed by Monday (!!!) and that makes me think I will finish all 26 by March 9 if all goes well.  I'll certainly be far enough along on the last few that it will be a scintillating conclusion to this Kickstarter campaign. 

So let's get into it, shall we?

 G is for Grace,
whose hip wedding gown
was inspired by that go-go
song from Motown.

Grace gets her name from two women in fashion history! 

Grace Kelly, an heiress turned actress who influenced many in the mid-20th century....and....

 the incomparable Grace Jones, whose fashion reign went from the 1970's for many decades beyond.

And in case you were wondering which song from Motown that our kitty Grace was influenced by......it's Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' hit "Going to a Go-Go."

 These dresses in the video are somewhat like the wedding gown I was envisioning for Grace, but Go-Go boots were a must.  Here's a photo of I took while I was making her: 

 And here she is in all her bridal glory: 

 I might decide to remake her head a little wider so it shows off her side curls better, but she's basically ready for her Kickstarter debut.  

 W is for Wallis
who sharpened his nails
so he could tap dance
in white tie and tails!

Wallis is named for Wallis Simpson, an American socialite and fashion icon of the 1930's.

I looked at a LOT of images of white tie and tails for my Wallis, and decided that it would be a great photo if he were in the same pose as Fred Astaire in this image: 

This was a BIG challenge to first figure out all the parts.....

And then to put them all together! 

 I made a stand so I could photograph him for this Kickstarter update, and probably on the final piece, but in the book I'll rig up a fancy hidden support so he appears to be standing alone. 

Okay....now for my favorite cat so far. 

 Y is for Yves,
who struck up a pose.
He likes to call this one
"Schrödinger's Rose."

Y! A Yowler in Yellow Yoga Pants!

Yves was named for the very very famous Yves Saint Laurent. I got to see a show of his work at the deYoung Museum a few years back and it was just fantastic. (It would have been great to have Grace's wedding gown be more like the iconic YSL 'cocoon' design, but that's for another book.....)

I thought it would be a great opportunity to take advantage of the yoga theme and have my cat strike its best Vishnu pose with four arms and the tail all holding iconic cat toys, which presented another construction challenge. Here's my blocked out kitty before I started shaping the parts: 

 and a shot from the top, before painting commenced: 

 I worked hard on this one, because I had a feeling it would become my cover kitty. 

 Here's another studio shot from a slight angle so you can appreciate the form better. It's holding a laser pointer, a mouse, a ball of yarn, a bird and a leaf of catnip. 

 Okay....it's time for me to get a catnap in before I finish up the four I have on my workbench. I had a great boost of pledges yesterday and am now holding at 84%!  Woohoo!  Big love to everyone who has supported this book. Click here if you're now convinced that you want to see Catabet in print and are ready to pre-order your copy today!

And now for your moment of Zen: