Playful Illustrations Merge Cats With Different Kinds of Plants

Cats and Plants Illustrations by Lim Heng Swee

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Cat owners know that felines have a fickle relationship with household plants, often using leaves as unwilling toys when they're bored. Malaysian artist Lim Heng Swee uses that relationship as inspiration for his newest series of graphic illustrations called Cats and Plants. Similar to his other project, Cat Landscapes, these minimalist pieces seamlessly merge playful kitties with different natural elements.

While in some of the pieces, the cat takes on the form of a cactus, succulent, or pointy-eared leaf, others feature white or black felines directly interacting with the plants in some way. For example, Swee cleverly draws a cat “scratching” the natural shape of the leaf with its claws in one illustration. Another depicts a tall house plant in a pot with a black cat fused with the color and shape of the soil.

Since Swee's compositions depend on simple, geometric shapes, he keeps his style similarly minimalist and pared down. Cats, flowers, and leaves are rendered using only the most essential details. This, combined with the limited color palette, lets the brilliance of his ideas shine unobstructed.

You can purchase prints and other cat-inspired merchandise via Swee's Etsy shop, and keep up to date with his latest projects by following him on Instagram.

Malaysian artist Lim Heng Swee combines cats with nature in a series of digital illustrations aptly called Cats and Plants.

Cats and Plants Illustrations by Lim Heng Swee

Cats and Plants Illustrations by Lim Heng Swee

Cats and Plants Illustrations by Lim Heng Swee

Cats and Plants Illustrations by Lim Heng Swee

Cats and Plants Illustrations by Lim Heng Swee

Cats and Plants Illustrations by Lim Heng Swee

Cats and Plants Illustrations by Lim Heng Swee

Cats and Plants Illustrations by Lim Heng Swee

Cats and Plants Illustrations by Lim Heng Swee

Cats and Plants Illustrations by Lim Heng Swee

Cats and Plants Illustrations by Lim Heng Swee

Cats and Plants Illustrations by Lim Heng Swee

Cats and Plants Illustrations by Lim Heng Swee

Cats and Plants Illustrations by Lim Heng Swee

The series also shows the reality of what cats do when they come in contact with actual plants…

Cats and Plants Illustrations by Lim Heng Swee

Lim Heng Swee: Etsy | Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Lim Heng Swee.

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Margherita Cole

Margherita Cole is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and illustrator based in Southern California. She holds a BA in Art History with a minor in Studio Art from Wofford College, and an MA in Illustration: Authorial Practice from Falmouth University in the UK. She wrote and illustrated an instructional art book about how to draw cartoons titled 'Cartooning Made Easy: Circle, Triangle, Square' that was published by Walter Foster in 2022.
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