Animals add light to our lives and love to our homes, none more so than our constant companions of the past few thousand years, dogs and cats. Artists have long taken inspiration from these helpful, confounding, complicated creatures. Two thousand years ago in Mexico, an artist fashioned the adorable pup below out of clay. Around the same time in Egypt, another artist sculpted a playful dog out of bronze. Notice how simple the shapes of the sculptures are, yet we can still tell what animal they are.

Left: Dog Figure, Mexico, Colima, Coahuyana Valley, 200 BCE–500 CE, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of Ann Nisenson, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA; Right: Prancing Dog Figurine, Egypt, Roman Period (30 BCE–395 CE) or later, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of Carl W. Thomas, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Meanwhile, cats were as regal in the ancient world as they still behave today. Pet? I am a goddess! Using gold paint and earrings, the artist made it clear that this was an important animal.

Figurine of the Goddess Bastet as a Cat, Egypt, 21st–26th Dynasty (1081–525 BCE), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of Varya and Hans Cohn, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Companion, guardian, friend. A dog’s human in ancient China had the sculpture below buried with him so he did not have to go into the afterlife alone. Notice how the lines inscribed (that means “cut into the clay”) on the face give the dog an expression. What do you think the dog is feeling?

Funerary Sculpture of a Dog, China, Sichuan Province, Eastern Han Dynasty, 25–220, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of Diane and Harold Keith and Jeffrey Lowden, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Independent and solitary, you often see cats out and about, following their own plans. It is a wonder cats and humans ever became so close. Yet a purring kitty curled beside you can be such a comfort. The two works from Japan, below, show both sides of cats' personalities.

Left: Nagasawa Rosetsu, Cat Amidst Spring Flowers, c. 1775, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Japanese Art Acquisition Fund, gift of David and Margaret Barry, Laurie and Bill Benenson, Marilyn B. and Calvin B. Gross, Meloni Hallock, Nicolas Hamatake, Stephen O. Lesser, and Dr. Fiona Chalom and Dr. Joel Aronowitz, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA; Right: Kaigyokusai (Masatsugu), Sleeping Cat, Alternate Title: 眠り猫, mid- to late-19th century, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Raymond and Frances Bushell Collection, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Does each of these works of art capture the unique personality of the animal? How? Can you name some ways you think each of them acted, and what in the picture makes you think that? Give each of the animals a name that matches their personality.

Have you ever tried to draw a dog or a cat? It may not be as hard as you think. When artists are learning to draw something, they make many different drawings of it, over and over again to try out ideas, and get them right. These drawings are called studies. Look closely at the studies below and use them as examples in your drawing. If you have a pet, make a pet portrait like the ones above, so your beloved animal will stay with you forever. If you don’t have a pet right now, draw the one you wish you had!

Both: Attributed to Frans Snyders, Study of a Dog, n.d., Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of Dr. W. R. Valentiner, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Left: Nanzan Kōryō, Cat, n.d., Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of the Robert and Helen Kuhn Family Trust, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA; Right: Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, Cats, 19th–20th century, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of Varya and Hans Cohn, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

If you have a printer, print out this blog and add your pet names to the pictures and draw your pet portrait at the bottom. If you don't have a printer, use any paper you have. We’d love to see your creations! Have an adult post your drawings to social media and tag @LACMA.