How to draw a horse?

You love horses so much that you would like to know how to reproduce them on paper? You’ve come to the right place. In this article we will try to guide you step by step to know how to draw a horse easily. Indeed, the horse is one of the most complicated animals to draw. But it is so majestic!
But how to do it? We tell you everything.

How to draw a horse head?

The horse is an animal that fascinates many people. Its manes, its gaits, its silhouette, the body of the horse is very often drawn by children as well as adults who are passionate about it. It is therefore often part of the first drawings of apprentice artists.

But drawing a horse sometimes requires some techniques. Of course, you can either start drawing on your own or take a . If you want to start drawing now, here are the steps to follow to draw a horse’s head:

Draw the outline: unlike the human portrait, we tend to start drawing the horse’s head by starting with the outline. The outline then allows us to have the proportions of the head in order to know where to draw the elements of the face.
Drawing the ears: the ears are quite simple to place. They are both at the top of the horse’s head and are slightly rounded.
Drawing the mane: what would a horse be without its mane? The mane of the horse is drawn a little like the hair of the person. This one comes to surround the ears of the horse and falls slightly on the forehead. The mane also spreads over the neck.

Drawing the elements of the face: once all the contours are done, it only remains to draw the nostrils, the eyes and place some lines to mark the muscles and facial features of the animal if you wish.

To help you, here is a tutorial that will help you draw a horse’s head in profile:

And here is a tutorial to easily draw the head of a horse from the front:

Some artists wish to progress and draw a horse in a more realistic way. This kind of drawing requires more time and therefore patience! It will be necessary to work on the proportions. Here is how to draw a horse’s head in profile in a more realistic way:

Start by drawing a circle in the middle of the paper. This will be the location of the cheeks and the reference point for drawing the rest.
Then draw a sort of trapezoid going down the sheet, to the left or to the right, depending on the direction you want to give to the horse’s head. This trapezoid is actually the horse’s snout.

You can then place the eyes at the top of the circle, then the ears following this tutorial:

Continue by drawing the neck and mane.

The main structure of your drawing is done. You will then have to detail the drawing as you wish (put a halter on, draw muscle shadows, pencil in graphite, etc).

You can then start drawing a whole horse if you feel like it.

How to draw a horse easy?

Once the head of the horse is done, why not draw the whole horse?

The most complicated part of drawing a horse is to study the gait of the horse. Indeed, depending on whether the horse is moving at a walk, at a trot or at a gallop, the legs will not appear in the same way.
Here is an example of an easy drawing that will allow you not to make a mistake:

As you can see, you will continue the drawing of the horse by tracing the upper body, then the legs. To mark the hooves, simply draw a line down the leg of the horse.
Then you can simply draw the horse’s tail.

How to draw a realistic horse?

Just like drawing the horse’s head, the detailed drawing of the whole horse requires working on the proportions with techniques specific to drawing that you will find in this video:

The body of the horse is previously composed of circles and ovals that allow to place the front of the horse and its hindquarters. All these drawing techniques allow you to learn how to draw a horse, whatever the model. These rules are applicable to any horse.

By using these guidelines, you can ensure that you are drawing a horse in the right proportions.

All these preliminary lines can be done with colored erasable pencils. These pencils are often used in cartooning to make preparatory sketches. You can find them in hobby stores.

Once all the lines of the drawing are done, it’s time to give relief to the animal. Indeed, the horse is made of muscles, like any other mammal, and is therefore not all smooth. Using your graphite pencil, each draftsman or draftswoman can then place the shadows to give the necessary relief.

You can also use colored pencils, watercolor, gouache or any other medium.

Drawing a horse in perspective and in motion

Drawing a horse from the front or in profile is the most taught and obvious technique. But to give life to your drawing, why not start drawing a horse in perspective but also in motion as in this tutorial below.

Perspective drawing requires even more rules than the previous drawing.
With perspective, simple lines become circles, circles become ovals.
Also, shadows are not the same. It is important to understand where the light comes from in order to understand the movement of the horse and to give coherence to the drawing.

How to learn to draw a horse?

You are a beginner in drawing? Everyone has been there one day. But each draftsman and draftswoman can choose a different way to learn how to draw.
Some artists choose to learn how to draw on their own. Self-taught drawing is quite possible. You can learn to draw a horse on your own using the tutorials above or by using drawing manuals. The latter explain very well, in great detail, the steps to be taken to draw a horse. Some books are dedicated entirely to drawing horses.

To learn how to draw a horse on your own, you can choose to take a model, a picture on the internet or in a book, or observe a horse in situ. If you have fields with horses near you, you might as well take advantage of it.
But be careful because the exercise is not the same. With a photo model, you can take the time to draw, the horse will not move unlike a live model. However, drawing a horse in situ sometimes allows you to better observe the animal and its attitude. Your drawing will appear more alive. You will need to draw a quick sketch to capture the position of the horse, then you can continue by detailing the drawing.
When learning to draw on your own, the important thing is to be rigorous in your practice. Practicing is the best way to progress.