Horse Sketch
This Horse Sketch took five minutes or thereabouts, taking the pauses when I photographed each stage into account. When attempting horse drawings of this kind I adopt a loose style and use the opportunity to get down the relevant details without slaving over the drawing. Be light with your pencil strokes to begin with.
1. I get the basic shape of the head including the rounded jaw and the upper part of the neck.
2. This egg shape will hold the body.
3. I place the legs carefully but quickly under the egg. They are simple lines.
4. The horse has a rider so I use this rectangular shape where the body will be. I could have concentrated on the animal but I wanted to place the horse in context. I use two lines to show where the rider's leg will be.
5. I step back to check everything looks right.
6. Oval divided where the eyes, nose and mouth go.
7. I sketch in the basic face and helmet.
8. Arms and a little detail on the shirt.
9. I add the hand, leg and boot.
10. I step back again. Everything looks ok.
11. I find the outer edges of the front legs and hooves.
12. Back legs.
13. I sketch in the head and ears and then step back.
14. I add tone with lines, adding weight to the rider.
15. I step back. All looks ok.
16. I do the same for the horse's head. I develop the linework.
17. I carry on over the horse's body. I draw in the boots and other details.
18. Here is a close up of the legs. You can see how simple the line drawing is.
To see a larger scanned image click the following link
Horse Sketch
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horse drawings
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