Drawing a horse face doesn’t have to be scary. Sure, it seems like an impossible task to a beginner, but once you break it down into a few simple steps, you’ll find yourself creating a likeness of your favorite equine that is gloriously accurate. Here’s how to make a majestic horse portrait with ease!
The first step is to start light and make sure your pencil is sharp. It helps to sketch out the general outline in lighter strokes – don’t worry about the details of features just yet. It’s important to create shapes that look like a horse, so keep in mind that the face needs two ears, an elongated muzzle and two slightly concave eyes.
Begin with a curved line for the neck, then draw the ears. Sketch in a ‘U’ shape that starts at the forehead and then curves downwards to represent the muzzle. Reassure yourself it can be a perfect circle if that makes it easier. Now build in layers starting with the eyes, nostrils and mouth. Once this part is finished, you can add darker lines to reveal the shadows and make it look defined.
The next part is the mane and mane fringe. Ensure your pencil is still sharp so that the lines have texture and texture is a key component in creating a realistic face. Using a long sweeping gesture can create a gentle wave, so draw the mane travelling down the neck in curves rather than straight lines. Add a few extra details like eyelashes and brows or even a gentle blush on the nostrils.
Finally, it’s time to blend your pencil strokes. Blending is essential for creating a realistic look, so use a rubber or finger to delicately smudge the lines and fill in the shadows. This process may take a few minutes or hours depending on the amount of detail. However, once everything is blended you can appreciate the beauty of your masterpiece.
Shading is the next step and an important one because it helps to give the face depth and definition. Make sure to use a softer, broader pencil to blend in the lighter parts and darker areas. Outline the contours of the face and show the planes by adding in some highlights. The last step is to add small details like a nostril and eye lashes. Finally, you’ll have an exquisite horse face on paper.
If you’re feeling confident after all that, why not try some more elaborate designs like custom patterns or halters on the horse. It’s simple to distinguish patterns from the solid colours, and you can use eraser and sharp pencils to fill in the lines and erase the ones that don’t fit. Give the horse a modern look or go for a historic design to create artwork full of vintage vibes.
For an even more professional finished product, draw a background to give your horse more life and interest. Provide a rustic setting with a few trees, grass, and flowers or a country side with a few hills in the horizon. Don’t forget to add the light and shadows to bring your artwork alive and make it look realistic.
Most importantly, don’t forget to have fun! The best thing about drawing a horse is that there’s no ‘wrong’ way to do it – it’s all about using your creative flair and doing your best. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be working as a horse portrait artist!
Now that you’ve mastered drawing the basic horse face, you can expand your skills and add facial features like a halter or dressage bridle. The key here is to slenderize, extend and define each character so that they’re easy to identify. Choose whatever materials, colour, and style you desire – be it soft, vibrant colours, or subtle neutrals. If you get stuck, look online for extra reference photos of different bridles and halters and draw them piece by piece.
The next step is to give the horse a detailed, life-like face by sketching near-perfect nostrils and nostril flares, a prominent eye ridge and brow bone, articulate teeth and finally, a subtle muzzle. Feel free to embellish them with more detail and flair for greater realism. It helps to use as much contrast as possible between dark and light lines – the difference in tones helps to create a more textured look.
Finally, bring your drawing to life by adding in details of the horse’s angle and expression, the shadows around the eyes, and the tones of the ears. You can use a mix of dark and light lines to illustrate different sections. And that’s it! With a bit of practice and patience, you’ll be quickly able to create an amazing photo-like horse portrait.
