Hello! This is my process for realistic drawing -- I don't always use this method, this is only for when I'm taking my sketching seriously (which only happens occasionally). This particular sketch was my first attempt at a realistic cat with a reference, along with others (which you can find in my art dump here https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/946831841/). Hope this helps anyone interested in realistic sketching; Thank you for viewing!
Reference picture by KrazyKatLady2015 on Etsy (found on Google). The sketch is entirely drawn by me.