Dav Pilkey changed everything. Before Dog Man hit the shelves, kids' graphic novels were often overly polished or trying way too hard to be "fine art." Then came a character with a dog’s head sewn onto a policeman’s body. It was weird. It was messy. And it was exactly what people wanted. If you’re trying to figure out how to draw Dog Man and Cat Kid, you have to start by unlearning everything you think you know about "perfect" drawing. These characters were canonically created by two fourth graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchins. That means if your lines are a little shaky or your circles aren't perfectly round, you’re actually doing it right.
Drawing is hard. Seriously. But Pilkey’s style is built on basic geometric shapes that anyone can mimic if they stop overthinking the process.
Why the Dog Man Aesthetic is Deceptively Simple
Most people look at Dog Man and think, "I could do that in five minutes." Maybe. But there’s a specific soul to the line work that makes the characters pop. Dog Man himself is basically a collection of rectangles and sausages. His head? A rounded rectangle. His body? Another one. His ears? Long, floppy ovals.
The trick isn't in the complexity; it's in the expression.
When you start sketching Dog Man, focus on the snout first. It’s the anchor of his entire face. You draw a soft, rounded shape that looks a bit like a loaf of bread. Toss three little dots on the side for whisker follicles—even though he’s a dog—and a big black oval for the nose. If the nose is too small, he looks timid. If it’s big and bold, he looks like the hero we know.
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The Secret to Cat Kid’s "Li’l Petey" Charm
Cat Kid, also known as Li'l Petey, is a different beast entirely. While Dog Man is sturdy and a bit blocky, Cat Kid is small, circular, and incredibly expressive. He’s the heart of the Cat Kid Comic Club series for a reason. To get him right, you have to master the "V" shape of his head.
He doesn't have a neck. Don't give him one. His head sits right on top of his small, pear-shaped body. His eyes are just two simple dots, but their placement is everything. Put them too far apart, and he looks confused. Put them close together, and he looks intensely curious.
One thing most people get wrong about Cat Kid is the "stitched" look. Since he's a clone of Petey (the world's most evil cat turned reformed dad), he has that iconic jagged line across his forehead. It shouldn’t look like a surgical scar; it should look like a doodle. Keep your hand loose.
Step-by-Step: How to Draw Dog Man Without Losing Your Mind
Let's break this down. Grab a felt-tip marker. Pilkey often uses bold, thick lines, so a Sharpie or a heavy brush pen works wonders here.
- The Head Foundation: Start with a horizontal oval that’s slightly flatter on the bottom. This is the "snout" area. On top of that, draw a smaller, vertical dome. This is his forehead.
- The Iconic Hat: Dog Man’s police hat is essentially a thin rectangle sitting on his head with a semi-circle on top. Don't forget the little badge in the center. It doesn't need to be a detailed shield—a simple star or a circle with a dot works.
- The Body: Draw a large rectangle below the head. Connect it with two very short lines for a neck.
- Arms and Legs: These are "noodle limbs." Think of them as flexible tubes. His hands are often just circles with three lines for fingers. It’s very "old-school animation" style.
- The Details: Add the "Z" on his chest for his badge. Give him three hairs sticking out of his head if he’s not wearing his hat.
Honestly, the most important part of Dog Man is his mouth. He’s usually panting with his tongue out or wearing a giant, toothy grin. If he's happy, the world is happy.
Navigating the Cat Kid Comic Club Style
In the later books, specifically the Comic Club series, the art starts to vary. This is because the characters in the book are making their own comics. This gives you a massive amount of creative freedom. You aren't just learning how to draw Dog Man and Cat Kid; you're learning how to be a comic creator.
Mastering Cat Kid’s Cape
Cat Kid’s cape is a character in itself. It’s short, usually red, and flares out behind him. When drawing it, don’t make it look heavy like Superman’s cape. It should look light, almost like a napkin tied around his neck. Use quick, flicking motions with your pen to give it a sense of movement.
The ears are also crucial. They are sharp triangles. If you round them too much, he starts to look like a bear. Keep them pointy!
What Most People Get Wrong About Pilkey’s Art
The biggest mistake is trying to make the lines too straight. Dav Pilkey has been very open about his struggles with ADHD and dyslexia, and how drawing was his escape. His art reflects a sense of kinetic energy. If you look closely at the original drawings in Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls or Mothering Heights, the lines are scratchy. There’s a lot of "over-drawing" where lines overlap.
Use a "sketchy" approach. Don't use a ruler. If your line wobbles, let it wobble. That’s the "Pilkey Touch."
Another misconception is that the characters have to be perfectly on-model. They don't. In the Dog Man universe, characters change size and proportion depending on their emotions. If Dog Man is scared, make him smaller and more shriveled. If he’s excited, blow his proportions up!
Tools of the Trade: What Should You Use?
While you can draw these guys with a literal pencil on a napkin, if you want that "published" look, you need the right tools.
- Paper: Anything with a bit of "tooth" or texture.
- Ink: A Pilot G2 or a Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen (Black, Size B or M).
- Color: Pilkey’s colorist, Jose Garibaldi, uses a lot of vibrant, watercolor-style textures. You can mimic this with Crayola markers or, if you’re digital, a "dry brush" setting in Procreate.
The colors are usually flat but have a slight grain to them. If you’re coloring Cat Kid, his yellow should be bright—think "school bus yellow." For Dog Man, his fur is a classic golden brown, and his uniform is a deep "police blue."
The Philosophy of "Flip-O-Rama"
You can't talk about drawing these characters without mentioning Flip-O-Rama. This is the built-in animation feature in every book. To draw your own Flip-O-Rama featuring Cat Kid:
- Page One: Draw Cat Kid on the right side of the paper with his arms down.
- Page Two: Place a second sheet over the first (you might need a light box or a window). Draw him in the exact same spot, but with his arms up in the air.
- The Flip: Follow the instructions in the books to fold and flip.
This teaches you "keyframing." It’s the basics of animation. It also forces you to draw the character twice, which is the best way to build muscle memory.
Actionable Steps for Aspiring Artists
If you really want to get good at this, stop looking at one-off tutorials and start looking at the books as textbooks.
First, trace a page. Yes, trace. It’s not cheating when you’re learning; it’s a way to feel how the artist’s hand moved. Notice how the curves of Cat Kid's head feel under your pen.
Second, try drawing Dog Man from a weird angle. Draw him from behind or looking down from a skyscraper. This forces you to understand the "3D" shapes (the cylinders and spheres) that make up his body rather than just copying a flat image.
Third, create your own "hybrid" hero. If Dog Man is a dog and a man, what would a "Hamster-Cop" look like? Applying Pilkey's logic to new designs is the ultimate test of whether you've mastered the style.
Go grab a stack of printer paper. Don't worry about wasting it. The goal is to fill the page with as many "Li'l Peteys" as possible until one of them finally looks back at you with that perfect, mischievous grin.
Focus on the eyes and the snout. Keep the lines thick and bold. Forget the eraser—if you make a mistake, turn it into a hat or a cloud or a piece of kibble. That’s the George and Harold way. That's the Dav Pilkey way. Now, get to work and make some comics.
Next Steps for Mastery
- Study the "How 2 Draw" sections at the back of every Dog Man book; they provide specific geometric breakdowns for secondary characters like 80-HD and Sarah Hatoff.
- Experiment with line weight by using a brush pen to see how varying the pressure changes the "energy" of Cat Kid’s cape.
- Practice "character acting" by drawing Dog Man reacting to three different things: a ball, a vacuum cleaner, and a giant piece of broccoli.
- Apply the "squash and stretch" principle to Cat Kid’s body when he jumps to give your drawings more fluid, professional movement.