# Iconic Watercolor Felines Richard Swarbrick Depicted Famed YouTube Cats in Watercolor By Megan Facciuolo | Published 2014-04-27 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/youtube-cats References: [complexmag](http://www.complexmag.ca/art-design/2014/04/animator-reimagines-the-cats-of-youtube-and-made-his-own-watercolor-cat-video) & [richardswarbrick](http://www.richardswarbrick.com/) Many YouTube cats quickly became famous thanks to peoples' love for the Internet and for cats. To add to the mix of viral cat videos, animator Richard Swarbrick re-imagined the most famous cats and their viral videos into a watercolor-themed short. The artsy video, entitled 'The Cats of YouTube,' features watercolor renderings of Maru, Grumpy Cat and Snoopy, to name a few. The video is set to Empathy Test's soothing song 'Kirrilee.' While the music plays you can see cats like Maru, the 200 million-viewed cat who usual gets stuck in boxes and Nala, an adorable cross-eyed cat that always looks like she is in shock, in a painted form. Though the felines are known to be quirky and comical to watch, Richard manages to make them soothingly intriguing to watch and majestic-looking. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.7/10 - Popularity: 16% | Activity: 57% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 30% men, 70% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) > [Viral](https://www.trendhunter.com/viral) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Watercolor Portraits:** Opportunity for artists and creatives to explore watercolor as a medium for portraying popular culture figures and viral sensations. - **Digital Art Crossovers:** Emerging trend of combining traditional art techniques, like watercolor, with digital media to create unique and captivating content. - **Internet Cat Culture:** Continued growth of popularity and influence of online cat videos and memes, creating opportunities for artists and content creators to tap into this niche market. ### Who This Affects Most - **Art and Design:** Innovative potential for artists, illustrators, and animators to leverage watercolor and digital art techniques to create captivating and viral content. - **Digital Media and Entertainment:** Opportunities for digital content platforms and production companies to collaborate with artists in creating watercolor-themed multimedia content. - **Ecommerce and Merchandising:** Rise of internet cat culture presents opportunities for creating and selling merchandise featuring watercolor cat portraits and internet feline icons. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Playful Cat Illustrations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/open-meow.md) - [Adorable Cat Milk Cartons](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/adorable-blue-cat.md) - [Brush-Painted Cat Commercials](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nisshin-seifun.md) - [Humorous Cat Collectables](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tired-cats-gachapon.md) - [Feline Meme Makers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cat-meme-material-download.md) - [Pop Star-Themed Animals](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/taylor-swiftthemed-cats.md) - [Feline-Friendly Music Accessories](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cat-music-box.md) - [Feline-Hosted Podcasts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/whiskas-purrcast.md) - [Feline Boy Band Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/meow-mix.md)