A few christmases ago, I decided to paint a picture for my grandparents of their two cats: Max and Miro.

I worked with egg tempura, filling out the undertones of their silky fur before painting in the grey bits and the whiskers.

MAX

Max is a lovely cat, quite talkative nowadays, where he used to be wary and shy. He likes to greet me on the garden path, before I ring the doorbell, and his meow is fairly loud. I say a polite hello back, of course.

Max has white socks and a white tummy, and he always gets into fights with the other cats. Although, he is a little older now, and spends more and more time lazing about in front of the heater. 

MIRO

Miro was Max's brother, a shy cat who was all fluff and fur. His tummy would get knotted from lying on the sheepskin rug in my grandmother's sewing room. His fur felt like rabbit fur.

It was a rare occurrence to see Miro, but when he did show up, he liked to be playful - chasing string and things, and taking swipes at his brother as they passed each other on the stairs.