Drawing: Horses

Circus Horse

Horses used in the circus are large-boned breeds such as European warmbloods. These breeds have broad backs and strong builds combined with an elegant, graceful carriage. This striking pinto provides good practice for your shading techniques because its coat has both light- and dark-colored areas.

Use large ovals and circles when blocking in this horse to establish its size and strength. The reins are attached to the surcingle around the horse’s body, so the head needs to be angled sharply toward the horse’s chest, and the neck is greatly arched. In your final rendering, shade the white areas lightly, and use an eraser to pull out the highlights in the dark patches and in the tail.

From this angle, the roof of the horse’s mouth ...