Tom — the eternally scheming cat from Tom and Jerry — is one of the most beloved cartoon characters ever animated. His blue-grey fur, expressive face, and endlessly elastic body make him a joy to draw. Parikshet shows you how to capture Tom's classic look step by step.

🖍️ What You Need

  • Pencil and eraser
  • Blue-grey marker for the fur
  • White for the muzzle and belly
  • Black pen for outlines
  • Pink for the inner ears and nose

How to Draw Tom the Cat Step by Step

  1. Draw the head — a rounded shape, wider at the top and narrowing toward the chin. Tom has a fairly large, expressive head.
  2. Add the ears — two pointed cat ears on top, with pink inner ears. Tom's ears are quite large and angle outward.
  3. Draw the eyes — two large oval eyes close together, with big pupils. Tom's eyes are very expressive — they go huge when he is surprised or scheming.
  4. Add the muzzle and nose — a wide white muzzle area around the mouth, a small pink or red nose, and whiskers sprouting from each cheek.
  5. Draw the mouth — a wide cat mouth, often in a sly grin or a shocked open shape.
  6. Sketch the body — a slim, flexible body with a white belly patch. Tom's body is bendy and cartoonish — it stretches and squashes.
  7. Add arms, legs, and tail — slender limbs with three-fingered paw hands, and a long curving tail.
  8. Colour — blue-grey fur, white muzzle and belly, pink ears and nose.
💡 Parikshet's Tip: Tom's expressions are everything — his eyes and mouth stretch enormously for comic effect. Draw his eyes huge and wide when he is shocked, or narrowed and sly when he is scheming. The exaggerated face is what makes him Tom rather than a generic cat.

🌟 Did You Know?

Tom and Jerry was created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera in 1940 and won seven Academy Awards — more than any other animated series character. Remarkably, the cartoons contain almost no dialogue: the entire comedy is told through movement, expression, and sound effects, which is exactly why Tom's exaggerated facial expressions are so important to his character.

Tom's Expression Range

  • Scheming — narrowed eyes, sly grin, rubbing paws together
  • Shocked — huge round eyes, jaw dropped open
  • In pain — eyes squeezed shut, mouth wide (after Jerry's tricks!)
  • Smug — half-closed eyes, confident smirk

🎯 Try This: Draw the Tom and Jerry Chase

  1. Draw Tom mid-run, leaning forward, arms reaching out.
  2. Draw tiny Jerry the mouse running ahead of him, looking back with a grin.
  3. Add motion lines and a dust cloud behind them.
  4. Set them in a classic kitchen with a table and a mouse hole in the wall.