In this lesson, we’ll take you step by step through how to draw a horse. Drawing horses is quite difficult. A good way to get the proportions right is to match the length of the animal’s head with the other parts of the body as you draw. By following the guidelines below and using the horse drawn here as a model, you will be able to create the correct drawing.
- All of the blue lines in this drawing are the same length.
- The figure shows how the different parts of the horse’s body relate to the length of its head.
Table of Contents
9 Steps on How to Draw a Horse for Beginners
Step 1
Draw a circle with oblique ovals indicating scapula and thigh. Use two more ovals to represent the head.
Step 2
From the centers of the scapula and thigh zigzag lines leg. Add circles – joints and triangles – hooves.
Step 3
Trace the outline of the shape as shown in the picture. Then erase unnecessary lines.
Step 4
Draw the ear, pointing its tip backwards. Erase the line that crosses the ear. Add an eye and a nostril.
Step 5
Draw two more “zigzag” legs and hooves. Draw the outline of the legs and erase unnecessary lines inside.
Step 6 – How to Draw a Horse
With a few long draw a mane and tail. These lines “flow” along the horse’s body to show the movement of the horse.
Step 7 – How to Draw a Horse
Mix blue ink with a lot of water to get a pale shade. Paint the body parts indicated in the picture, thus indicating the shape of the animal.
Step 8 – How to Draw a Horse
Use long flowing lines of pale blue to depict the mane and tail. The strokes may extend beyond the outline.
Step 9 – How to Draw a Horse
When the image is dry, trace the outline with a blue pencil. Press the pencil harder or weaker on the paper to make thick and thin lines.
- Sprinkle blue ink under the horses’ feet with the brush, as if they were galloping on water
- Apply the shadow before splashing the mascara on.
How to Draw a Horse – PRO Level
Drawing the perfect proportions of a horse is very difficult even for a professional artist, let alone a beginner.
Draw a wide and elongated oval, sketch the tail. When drawing the neck, pay attention to the sag between the neck and the torso. The horse’s neck is long. The head can be schematically represented as a circle oriented for drawing legs pelvic bone line hip and rectangle. The most difficult work is to draw the legs. Mark the line of the hip and, continuing it, draw the hind limbs. In drawing the front ones, focus on the base of the neck.
Make sure that the shape of the legs is drawn correctly. Make the muzzle volumetric. Sketch the mane.
Highlight the mane and tail, add shadows and touches.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, many artists, even great masters, do not always portray the horse successfully. This indicates that its study has often not been given serious consideration. It is unfortunate when in a painting, along with a quite competent depiction of human figures and other components of the picture, the horse is depicted ineptly, weakly, sometimes with errors that hurt the eye.
Only systematic study and constant work from life, familiarity with horse anatomy and hippology (the science of the horse) will enable the artist to portray the horse truthfully and realistically.
