The Sphynx is the only cat breed where the portrait is not about the coat at all. The absence of fur — or rather the presence of a fine, suede-like down that is felt rather than seen — removes the element that defines portrait results for every other cat breed and puts all the work onto the face, the body structure, the wrinkles and the extraordinary quality of presence that Sphynx cats project in quantities that fully-coated cats rarely match. A Sphynx portrait is, in a sense, the purest form of cat portrait — the animal itself, without the visual intermediary of the coat.
Coat colours and how they render
Sphynx cats appear hairless but actually have a very fine down coat that gives the skin a chamois-leather quality. The skin colour and pattern follows the same genetics as coat colour in other cats — so a Sphynx can be black, blue, red, cream, tortoiseshell, tabby-patterned and more, all visible directly in the skin rather than through a coat.
The skin pattern of a Sphynx in portrait form is a different proposition from coat colour. The pigmentation appears in the skin itself and the portrait renders this as a surface of warm, living colour rather than a coat of fur. Black or dark-skinned Sphynx produce portraits of deep, unusual warmth in oil painting — the dark skin catching reflected light at the face's highest points in ways that create an image of great sculptural presence.
Pale and cream Sphynx cats produce the widest range of skin tone variation in portrait form — the warm skin colour picking up the ambient light and creating portraits of subtle, warm complexity.
Tortoiseshell-patterned Sphynx cats — where the red and black pattern is visible directly in the skin — produce the most complex and visually interesting colour portraits.
The wrinkles — particularly around the face and neck — are as defining for the Sphynx as for the Shar Pei, and each wrinkle creates a highlight and shadow that gives the portrait its tonal structure.
Recommended styles for Sphynx cats
Oil Painting — the painting tradition's mastery of skin tone and directional light suits the Sphynx's coatless face. Old Masters — the sculptural quality of the Sphynx's face suits the tonal drama of this tradition. Ancient Egyptian Portrait — the Sphynx's name, its appearance and the sacred cat of ancient Egypt create an obvious and powerful connection. Renaissance — the formal tradition applied to such an unconventional subject creates portraits of real character. Noir — the sculptural coatless face and the atmospheric quality of the noir style create striking results.
Photo tips
Without a coat, the Sphynx portrait depends entirely on the face's structure and the quality of the light. Natural light from the front or slight side picks out the facial wrinkles and the skin's surface quality most clearly. The large ears — a prominent feature in the absence of coat — should be clearly visible and well defined. The eyes, always striking in the broad, wrinkled face, must be clearly lit and in focus. A photo where the Sphynx is alert and upright, rather than curled and relaxed, gives the portrait the most expressive version of the breed's distinctive face.