Drawing and painting Horses

Horses are another ever-popular subject for artists and the general public. We shall work on a few different kind of horses. The horse is one of the first wild animals to be tamed and domesticated by man. Horses are used for a wide range of jobs in many countries.

For instance in Western countries horses are trained and used for racing, ploughing, pulling heavy loads and carrying knights in armour. In Sri Lanka they are trained for racing and in rich houses for water polo games and riding.

At first you should know the anatomy of a horse before doing a pencil sketch or black and white pen drawing. The hardest part of a horse to draw is the head because the skull is quite complex. It has many small bumps, hollows, ridges and curves.

A head from the side (profile) is wedge shaped. See Figure 1. Study the way I have suggested the bone under the skin by using very fine dot stipple. Horses have big eyes and heavy upper eyelids with long lashes. Their cheeks are prominent. They have a bony ridge down the nostrils, which are surrounded by soft skin.

Observe the drawing in Fig. 2. The head from the front is rather like the shape of a coffin. Try to memorise these shapes, then you will be able to draw a horse head from memory.

My sketch of a horse, Fig. 3, will give you an idea of the general build of the animal.

It also demonstrates how dot stipple is used to show muscle, form and body shape.

This is the most useful and simple technique. Draw and practise the examples shown here then add the details. Be sure to position the eye in the correct place and note how hooves, tail and mane are suggested.

Study the horse in Fig. 4. Observe the sturdy legs, large feet, the strong neck and massive hind legs. Practise the drawing in the usual way.

There are many different positions for the leg of a horse to be in when it runs.

There is one point in a gallop when the animal is balanced on one hoof. I have drawn three positions of a galloping horse in Fig. 5.

A complete picture of a horse in colour is shown in Fig. 6. Keep practising until you build confidence in drawing and paint a horse in colour.