How to draw a horseBecause of their generally placid nature, and the fact that they quite often stand still for periods of time, means that painting horses or drawing horses can be a perfect opportunity for artists interested in painting animals. They really are a great subject, however that said, for you to learn to paint a horse you have to know a little about that subject too. Getting a good drawing established at the beginning is half the battle to creating a great horse painting. Also horse shape can be adapted too, if you want to paint a fantasy subject such as a unicorn or suchlike. So this series of articles is to help alerting you to the main characteristics of the horse that need to be right, and then to give you a little guidance on colours to use in painting. Here is an earlier post showing how to draw a horse's head.
As with all skills there is no substitute for practice. And it doesn't have to be total perfection everytime. Carrying a pocket size sketch notebook for quick little sketches can be a useful tool for making little reference sketches of the shape and flow of the horses movements.
Create as many quick sketches as you can from observing horses movements. You may not get to complete half of them as the horse moves, but each will contribute a little to learning. Alternatively, get busy with a digital camera, and practice drawing at home. The above is an example of a quick practice sketch. 
Now I have indicated the points to be aware of when making the drawing. These are parts of the horse that are essential to get right. The bones are forming certain direction changes which result in obvious characteristics of the horse shape. They must be right or the drawing will look strange.
As with all skills there is no substitute for practice. And it doesn't have to be total perfection everytime. Carrying a pocket size sketch notebook for quick little sketches can be a useful tool for making little reference sketches of the shape and flow of the horses movements.
Create as many quick sketches as you can from observing horses movements. You may not get to complete half of them as the horse moves, but each will contribute a little to learning. Alternatively, get busy with a digital camera, and practice drawing at home. The above is an example of a quick practice sketch. Now I have indicated the points to be aware of when making the drawing. These are parts of the horse that are essential to get right. The bones are forming certain direction changes which result in obvious characteristics of the horse shape. They must be right or the drawing will look strange. Step by step Drawing -- Proportions of a Horse
If you are not used to drawing a horse it can be made easier by knowing how the length of the head and height of the head are in comparison to the body. From this you can quickly assess if you are more or less correct with your drawing dimensions. The below sketch illustrates this point.
I have broken the body of the horse into five areas each the length of the typical head. Also height of the horse is four times the height of the head. This is a fairly standard guide to help you know that your proportions are correct. In the next post on this subject I will go into some detail on how to paint a horse. Here you can see a horse in landscape and also here. If you are interested in seeing some of my previous work check the gallery below. Just scroll down. I will be posting some more tips and advice soon, so check back. Also some new work. That's it for now. Jim
I have broken the body of the horse into five areas each the length of the typical head. Also height of the horse is four times the height of the head. This is a fairly standard guide to help you know that your proportions are correct. In the next post on this subject I will go into some detail on how to paint a horse. Here you can see a horse in landscape and also here. If you are interested in seeing some of my previous work check the gallery below. Just scroll down. I will be posting some more tips and advice soon, so check back. Also some new work. That's it for now. Jim
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