In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw the a Horse (Bucking / Jumping) 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.

 

The Time-Lapse (Speed Drawing) video:

 

To draw this Bucking 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 on the right side of the paper as a guide for the front part of the bucking horse's body. First make four small marks to indicate the circle's height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. If you're struggling to draw the circle, just trace the outer rim of a small, 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 left, draw a slightly smaller circle as a guide for the back portion of the horse's body. Draw the circles close together. If you draw them too far apart, the body will be too long.

 

 

Step 3: On the lower, right side of the first circle, draw a small circle as a guide for the horse's head. This circle should be about one- fourth the size of the first circle. Pay attention to its placement. The head would usually be high above the body, but this horse will be bucking, so draw it below the body.

 

Step 4: Under the head, draw a U- shaped line as a guide for the muzzle. This guide should slope to the left a bit. First make a mark below the horse's head. Then connect the mark using curved lines to form the U-shaped guide.

 

 

Step 5: On the top, right side of the head, draw two short, curved lines that come to a point as a guide for the horse's ear.

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Step 6: Under the first circle, draw a long line as a guide for the front leg. This guide should slope toward the head and curve a bit to indicate the joints. To the left, draw another line as a guide for the bucking horse's hind leg. This line should bend in the middle to indicate the joint.

 

Step 7: Draw two curved lines that connect the head to the body to create the guide for the horse's neck. The line at the bottom should be shorter to indicate the neck curving.

 

 

Step 8: Draw two curved lines to connect the first two circles and complete the guide for the body. On the left side of the body, draw a long, wavy 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 right side, lightly sketch a small oval for the eye. When you get the size and position right, darken the lines but make the top and bottom pointier. Shade the inside of the horse's eye except for a tiny circle to represent glare. Make the middle of the eye darker for the pupil but don't overlap the tiny glare circle. Draw a couple of curved lines around the horse's eye for extra detail on the wrinkles.

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Step 10: Use the initial U-shaped line as a guide to draw the top part of the open mouth. Follow the path of the guide as you draw the shape of the horse's muzzle but make it thinner and wavier. Near the middle of the guide, curve the line up to create the top part of the open mouth.

 

Step 11: Draw a small circle inside the small area of the top of the muzzle for the nostril. Horses have big nostrils, so don't make the circle too small. To the left, draw the lower part of the horse's open mouth using a couple of short, curved lines. The chin should graze the left edge of the guide. Add a flat line inside the mouth on the right for the teeth.

 

 

Step 12: Darken the shape at the top for the ear but make it a bit smaller and wavier. Draw a line inside the shape for the ear's opening. To the right, draw a curved line for the visible part of the horse's other ear.

 

Step 13: Use the remaining shapes as guide to draw the rest of the bucking horse's head. Darken the outer edges of the guides but make the section above the muzzle a bit thinner. Draw a curved line to the right of the eye for the thick brow.

 

 

Step 14: Draw a series of short strokes inside the head for extra detail. These lines will help emphasize face structure. On the right side, draw the front part of the mane using curved lines. The mane will be flying in the air as the horse bucks, so start the lines just below the ear and curve them up.

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Step 15: Use the long line on the right side as a guide to draw the horse's first front leg. Follow the path of the guide and lightly sketch the shape of the leg around it. Curve the lines near the bottom to create the joint just above the hoof.

When you get the shape of the leg right, darken the lines. Make the top of the leg wider than the bottom. Curve the shape of the leg to indicate the structure. Make the bottom part of the horse's hoof flat. The section of the leg above the hoof should be round.

 

Step 16: Use the first leg as a template to draw the other front leg on the left side. Draw a line on the left that's pretty much parallel to the edge of the first leg for the visible part of the second leg. Curve the bottom part of the hoof more so that the horse's legs are somewhat different.

 

 

Step 17: Use the angled line on the left as a guide to draw the first hind leg. Lightly sketch the shape of the leg around the path of the guide. The top of this leg should be very wide compared to the top of the front leg. Curve the shape of the leg in the middle to indicate the foot lifting up. When you get the shape of the horse's leg right, darken the lines. The bottom of this hoof should be higher than the front hooves.

 

Step 18: Just like with the front legs, use the horse's first hind leg as a template to draw the second one. Duplicate the left edge of the first hind leg on the left side to create the shape of the second hind leg. This leg will be slightly higher than the first, so draw the lines higher up. From this angle, a big part of the lower half of the leg will be hidden. Only draw the hoof at the bottom.

 

 

Step 19: Darken the curved line to the left of the ears for the top part of the neck. Above the neck, draw a series of short, curved lines that follow the curvature of the neck for the horse's mane. Don't draw every individual hair. Just draw a few strokes for the overall shape of the flying mane.

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Step 20: Use the remaining lines and shapes as guides to draw the rest of the bucking horse's body. Simply darken the outer edges of the initial guide lines to create the shape of the body. Don't overlap the shape of the legs that are on this side of the body.

 

 

Step 21: Use the curved line on the left side as a guide to draw the horse's tail. Draw the shape of the tail around the path of the guide. The top should be thin, and the bottom wide. Along the bottom, draw a series of long, curved lines to indicate the hair on the horse's tail flying through the air.

 

Step 22: For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Don't worry about erasing all of the guides. It's okay to leave some behind. Re-draw any final sketch lines you may have accidentally erased.

 

 

Final Step: Add some shading to your bucking horse drawing to give it more dimension and volume. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. If you'd like, you can stop after this step for an all-white horse. For a more detailed guide on how to shade, check out this tutorial: How to shade.

Add a cast shadow underneath to emphasize the horse's jump. The farther away the shadow, the higher the jump.

Add more value throughout the horse's body for extra detail. Horses have a variety of coat patterns, so shade yours however you'd like. For this look, use a dark value for the tail. Use a medium value for the rest of the body but leave the lower half of the legs and front part of the head blank. Shading can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. Use a dark value for the nostril and the mane and a medium value for the horse's hooves.

Go back and make the shadows darker so they stand out. It's a good idea to use reference as you draw for a more accurate horse. Continue adding value to your bucking horse drawing until you're happy with the result. Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.

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