How to Draw a Horse
A Step-by-Step Guide Using Basic Shapes
1Draw Three Round Shapes
Notice how each shape is a little different.
Left shape: Represents the powerful chest of the horse and is pushing forward.
Middle shape: Represents the large "egg-like" shape of the ribcage.
Right shape: Represents the powerful back thighs that propel it forward.
Practice drawing these basic shapes first
2Draw Three Triangular Shapes
A horse has a large head and needs strong neck muscles that attach from the skull to the body.
The head: Can be represented as a modified triangle, round at the back and square in the front.
The ear: Another triangle facing forward or upward depending on the action you want to show.
Notice the connection between head and body
3Draw Two... Cones?
You can see how our basic shapes need to be modified a little to represent the horse's legs.
Joint positioning: The joint on the back leg is slightly higher than the joint on the front leg.
Leg proportion: Notice how thin the front leg is. It is one of those little details that make a horse so "graceful."
Pay attention to the angle and thickness differences
4Get To The Ground
The lower leg will be modified quite a bit when we finish our drawing.
For now we can simply draw straight lines down to the two triangular shaped hoofs.
Important detail: Notice how the hoofs change direction from the leg.
The entire lower leg of the horse is its "hand." The hoof is the fingernail of one finger.
Notice the direction change at the hoofs
5Details, Details, Details
Notice the "egg-like" rib cage has been curved on top.
Research tip: Look up as many different horse references as you can online.
Face accuracy: Getting the face right helps prevent it from looking like a dog. (Trust me!)
The anatomy of a horse is very well known and documented in many excellent drawing books. Grab one or better yet, get yourself in front of a real horse and draw!
Transform basic shapes into a realistic horse
Congratulations!
You've learned the fundamental approach to drawing horses using basic shapes.