Capturing the Emotion in a Horse

Yes, this is my informative. I will post randomn art helpers often, so keep your eyes peeled.

So you want to draw a horse?

Allow me to help you.

First off, you shoud be taking notes from this.

No, this doesn't have too many pictures, but the text is enveloped around my special tips and hints for making your horse art a tad bit better.

And there is one picture of a great horse sketch at the end, although it is not mine.

So, let's organize by the horse's "areas"

Mane:

When drawing the hair, always draw each strand individually in the direction of its growth.

Where the hair begins its growth at the back of the neck, draw a series of short, flowing strands before proceeding to the glorious, longer ones.

Try drawing the mane by locks, each lock going in a slightly different direction than the last one, and keep a nice, flowing look on each and every strand.

Try not to draw the locks of the mane in too many alternate directions, nor should you draw the entire mane flowing in too much of the same direction.

Depending on the speed the horse is moving, the mane should be lifted accordingly. For instance, if the horse is galloping at a high speed, the mane shouldn't be flat to the neck as if it were standing.

Keep in mind that when a horse is standing still, the mane can still flow as if galloping, considering wind patterns or if the horse is standing at a high altitude.

When the mane looks full and complete (assuming you drew in pencil) at the center of each lock slightly, SLIGHTLY, erase a small area of the hair IN THE DIRECTION of the hair growth.

This should create an effect that makes the mane look as if its "shining"

Do not erase so that there is a white area, but rather a smudged, gray area where the strands still can be seen.

Head:

The head of a horse is magnificent, carried as if it were royalty.

Always remember this.

Even if the horse is in a state of pain, the head should be drawn with the idea that the horse is part of a greater authority.

For instance, if the horse is trotting, the head should be carried in a "proper" manner, the eyes expressive but the nose facing down.

If the horse is laying down, imagine how a king or queen might relax, and place that air of authority on the dazed eyes of the horse.

Yes. It takes some imagination.

But every artist should have that anyway! So I suppose it's not an issue.

The head, depending on the breed, must be expressive.

Just as humans have facial expressions, so do horses.

No, they don't smile, but pay attention to details on the horse's features.

When alert, the ears point foward, listening to any noise that may conclude the presence of danger. The eyes are large, almost fearful, and looking straight ahead.

The nose is either pointed at an angle downward or sniffing into the air.

And when the horse is angry, the ears are flat against the head, the eyes narrowed, and the head can be at a variety of angles. Most commonly though, the head is somewhat lowered and staring ahead.

I would go through every facial expression of the horse, but its probably a tad bit less boring if you were to simply look up "alert horse" or "angry horse" on google images and note the features.

Neck:

Okay, it is common knowledge that a horse looks beautiful with its neck arched.

However, there are many positions where the neck can look just as magnificent.

For instance, imagine you are sketching a picture where the horse is standing over its dying owner after a battle.

The neck, most certainly, would not look very good arched as if it were proud.

The neck would most likely be lowered, with the head positioned on it in a way so that the muzzle touches his dying rider's body.

Now imagine how the neck could still look good in that position.

Again, royalty!

The horse should be drawn and expressed as if it were a humbled authority, bowing down to aid its dying rider.

The entirety of the horse should fit the criteria of the emotion in the picture.

The neck is no exception.

Legs:

Yes, these tend to be tricky.

With practice, they get better. I can not help you much with leg structure as of now, the purpose of this tutorial is to help an artist capture a horse's feelings within the picture.

However, if you look at a variety of horse images and keep practicing the structure, anatomy, and musculatore of the horse's legs, you most certainly will become good at it.

Now, to capture the feeling in a horse's legs? Sounds ridiculous.

That's because it is.

It can be ridiculously difficult.

Horses don't have the smooth, sexy legs of a human.

No they have muscular, well-built legs meant to carry their enormous body.

That means a lot of muscles to draw.

Some shading.

And a great deal of detail.

But, again, that's another tutorial entirely.

Now think hard, if a horse were afraid, how would the legs be attached to the ground?

Would they be loose and relaxed?

Walking?

No.

The legs would be tense, attached straight and directly to the ground so that the muscles are revealed.

What if the horse is relaxed?

Well in this case the legs are perhaps more loosely held.

Again, this takes imagination.

Think about when you are afraid, you are frozen in fear.

Your legs are tense.

You have to relate the horse's feelings in the picture to authority and yourself.

The horse carries itself as a greater authority.

And looks as if it carries the emotion of a human.

Body:

Okay, there are so many body types in horses.

I can't even begin.

It all depends on the breed, age, and so much more. But all that aside, how to capture emotion in the body?

Well here's the catch.

You don't.

The emotion in the horses body only comes through the body parts on it.

The legs, neck, head, tail.

And always note the musculatore. It reveals more than I could possibly tell you on the horse and its state of feeling.

So I guess you understand a bit on the body.

Let's move on.

Tail:

Okay this little guy on the horse's rear end has a whole lot to say.

The horse's tail can be any desired length, depending on what breed or theme you are sketching from.

I'll just cut to the chase and get on with the examples.

When alert, you guessed it, the tail is raised, the hair independent of the small tail structure they rest on.

Keep in mind the drawing tips I provided for the mane.

Key words: Locks, Sheen, Flow, and Speed.

These words should guide the way the hair looks and flows on a picture.

Always keep them in mind when drawing the hair on anything.

From hairy snails to human beings.

Yes.

Anyway, when relaxed the tail simply flows behind the horse.

Keep in mind that when trotting, the tail is held high, especially note the position on the Arabian horse in particular. It is very evident on the breed.

The tail can be either raised or lowered, but the real emotion comes from the flow of the hair, just as in the mane.

Eyes:

Okay, I've mentioned these guys before when it came to expression.

These eyes own every other body part in terms of emotion.

Yes, I know they're small, but they show more expression than anything.

Happy horses have large, happy, and shining eyes.

Sad horses have narrowed, saddened eyes.

Angry horses eyes are narrowed too, staring straight ahead at you.

(I needed some rhyme)

And fearful horses have eyes opened wide.

Okay so I hope this helps. Here's a visual example of horse artwork that is full of emotion:

Full of emotion, isn't it?

Can you see that this horse is in movement, alert and curious?