In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw and color a Horse step-by-step.

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All of the tutorials on How2DrawAnimals.com are good drawing tutorials for beginners and experienced artists alike. The online tutorials are easy to follow; they teach you the how to draw basics while showing you how to draw animals step by step. Each animal has a video drawing tutorial option, as well as step-by-step photos and written text to follow.

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To draw and color this Horse step by step, follow along with the video tutorial below and pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace. You may find it easier to follow the step-by-step drawings below the video. The new lines in each step are shown in red, so you'll know exactly what to draw next. You may want to open the video in a new tab and use both drawing methods. Take your time and draw at your own pace.

The Written step-by-step video tutorial:

For the first few steps, don't press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin.

Step 1: Draw a circle near the middle of the paper as a guide for the front part of the horse's body. First make four marks to determine the circle's height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. For every step, sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. If you're struggling to draw the circle, just trace the outer rim of a circular object like a coin or a lid. For a more detailed guide on the different ways to draw a circle check out this tutorial: Four simple ways to draw a circle.

Step 2: To the right, draw another circle as a guide for the back portion of the body. Use the four-marks method to draw this circle too. Make this circle a bit smaller than the first one. Don't place the circles too far away, otherwise your horse will be too long.

Step 3: On the top, left side, draw a small circle as a guide for the first part of the horse's head. Don't make this circle too big. It should be about one-fifth the size of the first circle. Sketch lightly at first so that you get the size and position of this circle right.

Step 4: On the lower, left side of the horse's head, make a small mark for the first part of the guide for the muzzle. Connect the mark to the circle using curved lines to complete the arc-like guide for the muzzle.

Step 5: On top of the head, draw a small, angled line that's similar to an upside-down letter V as a guide for the horse's ear.

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Step 6: Below the first circle, draw two long, vertical lines as guides for the front legs. Pay attention to the length of the lines. Bend the bottoms of the lines to indicate the horse's hooves.

Step 7: Under the circle on the right, draw two more long lines as guides for the horse's hind legs. These lines should slope a bit at the top and bend near the middle for the joints and at the bottom for the hooves.

Step 8: Connect the three circles using curved lines to finish the guide for the horse's body. Connect the circles on the left using sloping lines to create the guide for the neck. Use curved lines to connect the first two circles to finish the guide for the torso. To the right of the body, draw a long, vertical line as a guide for the horse's tail.

That's it for the guides! From this point on, press harder with your pencil for a more defined drawing.

Step 9: Inside the head, near the top, left edge, draw a small oval for the eye. When you get the size and position of the horse's eye right, darken the lines but make the sides pointier like a football. Draw a curved line above and below the eye for the eyelid creases. Draw a few more short, curved lines around the eye for structure. Inside the eye, off to the side, draw a tiny circle for a highlight. Shade the horse's eye except for the tiny circle. Use a dark value near the middle of the eye for the pupil and a light value for the rest of the eye.

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Step 10: Draw a short, curved line near the tip of the muzzle for the nostril. To the left, draw a few short strokes so that the shape resembles an oval. Add more curved lines around the shape for the external structure of the horse's nostril.

Step 11: Darken the tip of the initial arc for the front of the muzzle. Make the lines wavier. When you're near the bottom of the guide, curve the line up and in toward the head to create the horse's mouth. Don't make the mouth too long. Follow the bottom edge of the arc to create the lower lip and chin. Draw the chin along the edge of the guide. Add a few short strokes around the mouth for extra detail.

Step 12: Use the angled line at the top of the head as a guide to draw the horse's ear. Follow the basic path of the guide and draw the ear within the shape using wavy lines. To the left of the ear, along the edge of the initial circle, draw a few more wavy lines for the front of the mane. The tip of the mane should be above the eye. On top of the mane, draw the other ear.

Step 13: Use the initial circle and arc as guides to draw the rest of the horse's head. Darken the outer edges of the guides to create the shape of the head. Draw a curved line along the lower edge of the initial circle for the powerful jaw. Draw a series of short strokes throughout the head for emphasis on the structure. Add some strokes in the middle to accentuate the cranial and muscle structure.

Step 14: Use the leftmost vertical line under the body as a guide to draw the first front leg. Follow the path of the guide and lightly sketch the shape of the leg around it. Don't make the leg too thick. Keep the edges of the leg shape close to the guide. Use curved lines near the middle and bottom of the leg for the joints. Use a square-like shape for the horse's hoof.

When you get the shape of the leg right, darken the lines. Make the top part of the leg wide. The middle should be round for the joint. Bend the bottom part of the horse's leg forward for the hoof. The hoof should be blocky. Draw a line near the bottom for the top of the hoof. Add some strokes within the leg for structure.

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Step 15: Use the line on the right as a guide to draw the other front leg the same way. Lightly sketch the leg around the guide. A small part at the top will be hidden behind the first leg. Use curved lines near the middle and bottom for the joints and a square-like shape at the bottom for the hoof. When you get the shape right, darken the lines. Keep the horse's leg skinny. Use a few short lines inside the leg for structure and at the bottom for the hoof.

Step 16: Use the angled line on the far right as a guide to draw the first hind leg. Draw this leg the same way. Follow the path of the guide and lightly sketch the leg around it. Make this leg wider at the top than the front legs. Then gradually make it thinner at the bottom. Curve the shape of the horse's leg where the guide bends to create the joints.

When you get the shape of the leg right, darken the lines. Use curved lines where the guide bends for the horse's round, bulging joints. Bend the bottom of the shape forward for the hoof. Draw the hoof as a small, blocky shape. Keep the lower part of the leg skinny. Add some lines inside for the structure and hoof.

Step 17: Use the line to the left as a guide to draw the horse's last leg the same way. Lightly sketch the leg around the guide and only darken the lines when you get the shape right. A big part of this leg will be hidden behind the first hind leg. Use curved lines for the round joints and a square-like shape for the hoof at the bottom.

Step 18: Use the remaining lines and shapes as guides to draw the rest of the horse's body. Darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the body. Draw a few lines close to the lower edge of the neck to emphasize the muscle structure. Use curved lines as you draw for the muscles, especially around the chest area. Make the top, right side of the body a bit flatter than the initial round edge of the circle. As you darken the underside, don't overlap the legs that are on this side of the body. Add a few short strokes within the horse's body for extra emphasis on the muscle structure.

Step 19: Draw a wavy line along the top edge of the neck for the mane that's draped over the other side. You could draw the mane on this side of the neck by drawing a shape that's made up of short strokes on the neck. Darken the line on the right of the body for the first part of the horse's tail. Draw a series of short, vertical strokes on the left side and bottom to complete the shape of the tail.

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Step 20: Go over the final sketch lines with a pen, marker or any other type of permanent ink. Take your time and be careful when you ink to avoid any accidents. After inking, get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser for a cleaner drawing of a horse.

Final Step: Color your horse drawing! Use dark brown for the mane, tail and to create shadows. Color lightly at first and gradually build up to the level of darkness that you like. Pick the direction of the light source so that the shadows are consistent with it. Use dark brown to emphasize the muscles on the horse's legs, neck and body. It's a good idea to use reference as you color for a more accurate depiction of the muscles.

This horse will be brown, so start to add brown lightly throughout the body. Leave a few areas on the neck and body blank for the shine on the coat. Use brown on top of the areas with dark brown too, slowly blending the two colors. Lightly add a bit of black to the horse's mane, tail, eyes and shadows. Vary the pressure on your color pencil to get lighter or darker shades of the same color.

Continue to slowly add different shades of brown and gradually blend the colors together. As you slowly blend the colors, add some light brown and yellow to the blank areas for a shiny coat. Push down harder on your pencil, using light brown and yellow to blend the colors together.

It's a good idea to test your colors on a separate piece of paper before adding them to your horse drawing. Colors are hard to erase, so by testing them separately first, you can determine whether you like them or not. Use a bit of gray at the bottom for the hooves and for shadows on the white parts of the legs.

Coloring like this can be very time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. For a simpler drawing, just use one color for the whole body and omit the shadows and sheen. You can also give your horse a different pattern. Some horses have big color patches and even spots! If you own a horse, try to duplicate its coat on your drawing.

Using brown and gray, add a cast shadow underneath to ground the horse so it doesn't appear to be floating. Don't forget to pause the video to draw at your own pace.

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