Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Clydesdale Horse" video after each step to draw at your own pace.

 

Time-Lapse (Speed Drawing) video:

 

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 two circles near the middle of the paper as guides for the first part of the horse's body. First draw four small marks for the height and width of the circle, then connect the marks using curved lines. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. But the circles don't have to be perfect. They're just guides. If you do want a perfect circle, trace the outer rim of a coin, a lid or any other object with a circular edge. The circle on the right should be a bit smaller. Don't draw them too far apart, otherwise your horse will end up too long.

 

Step 2: Draw another circle on the top, left side as a guide for the horse's head. It should be about one-fourth the size of the first one. Pay attention to the distance between this circle and the first one so that your horse doesn't end up being a giraffe!

 

Step 3: Draw a U-shaped arc on the lower, left side of the head as a guide for the horse's muzzle. The arc should be wider at the top, next to the circle, and a bit narrower at its tip.

 

Step 4: Draw a small, triangle-like shape on the horse's head as a guide for the ears. The end result should be similar to an upside-down letter V.

 

Step 5: Draw four lines under the body (two below each circle) as guides for the horse's legs. The first line will be for the front leg on this side of the body. Bend it a bit at the bottom to indicate where the joint will be. The other front leg will be raised as the horse steps forward, so this line should bend in two places and be smaller.

Now draw the guide for the hind leg on this side of the body as an angled line. The line should start at the circle and have a diagonal orientation to the right , and then angle toward the bottom. The last guide, for the hind leg on the other side of the body, should bend slightly to the left.

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Step 6: Draw a series of curved lines that connect the major shapes to complete the guide for the body. Draw two curved lines on the left that connect the head to the biggest circle to create the guide for the neck. Add two more lines in the middle to conect the main circles to create the guide for the torso. Add another long line coming from the right side of the body as a guide for the horse's tail.

 

That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.

 

Step 7: Lightly sketch the horse's eye inside the head near the left edge. The shape should be similar to an oval. When you get the shape and the position of the eye right, darken the lines. Make the sides of the shape pointy to create the corners of the eyes. Add a small line at the top for the eyelashes.

Shade the inside of the eye except for a tiny circle off to the side to represent glare. Add an extra-dark value to the middle of the eye for the pupil. Add a short, curved line above the eye for the eyelid. Draw a few more lines around the horse's eye for the detail on the folds of skin.

 

Step 8: Draw the nostril as a curved line on the lower left side of the horse's muzzle. The line should be similar to a backward letter C. Shade the left side of the line. Add a smaller curved line on the right to complete the shape of the nostril.

 

Step 9: Use the initial arc as a guide to draw the horse's muzzle. Follow the basic path of the arc but make the line curvier for the top lip. Extend the line inward to create the mouth. Follow the path of the arc and draw a short, curved line to create the bottom lip.

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Step 10: Darken the sides of the triangle- like shape on top of the horse's head to create the first ear. Extend the lines for the base of the ear inward toward the head a bit more. Draw a small angled line on the left for the tip of the other ear. Don't draw the bottom part of it.

 

Step 11: Draw the front part of the horse's mane between the ears using a series of long lines. Draw the tips of the mane and its basic shape as a clump instead of drawing every individual hair strand.

 

Step 12: Use the initial circle and arc as guides to draw the rest of the horse's head. Follow the basic path of the guides but make the shape of the head a bit narrower, especially the bottom part. Add a curved line on the right side of the head for the strong jaw muscles. Draw a series of lines within the head to give the head more shape and structure.

 

Step 13: Use the second line from the left under the body as a guide to draw the first front leg. Lightly sketch the shape of the leg as you follow the basic path of the guide line. Clydesdale and shire horses have very thick, muscular legs compared to, say, Arabians, so make the shape of the legs thick.

Use light strokes to begin so that they're easy to erase if you make a mistake. Darken the lines when you get the shape right. As you darken the bottom part, make the shape wider to represent the extra hair called "feathers" found there. Use a series of quick, short strokes along the bottom edge to represent the tips of the feathers. Use curved lines as you darken the shape to represent the horse's joints and muscle structure of the leg.

Draw the visible portion of the horse's hoof at the bottom but don't draw too much of it because the feathers should cover up most of it. Add a few lines inside the leg for extra detail on the muscles. You can also make the shape wider at the bottom if you'd like more feathers.

 

Step 14: Now use the leftmost line under the body as a guide to draw the other front leg the same way. Lightly sketch the shape of the leg as you follow the basic path of the guide line. The horse is stepping forward, so bend the shape and lift the leg up off the ground.

When you get the shape right, darken the lines. Use curved lines throughout to indicate the muscles and joints. Make the bottom of the horse's leg wider and use quick, short strokes on the edge to represent the feathers. Add the visible portion of the hoof as a short line peeking through the right side of the feathers.

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Step 15: Use the line under the body on the right side as a guide to draw the first hind leg. Lightly sketch the leg around the guide line. Make the top part of the leg wider than the top part of the front leg. The middle of the leg should be wider to indicate the hock joint. Make the bottom part wide too for the feathers.

When you get the basic structure of the horse's leg right, darken the lines. Follow the basic path of the guide but make the shape of the leg curvier as you darken the lines. Widen the foot at the bottom and use quick, short strokes on the edge to represent the feathers. Finish up the shape of the hock joint and add the visible part of the hoof at the bottom as a short line.

 

Step 16: Use the last line under the body as a guide to draw the hind leg on the other side of the body. Sketch lightly at first and make the overall shape of the leg wide because draft horses are muscular. Darken the lines when you get the structure right. The bottom should be wide. Use quick, short strokes on the lower edge for the feathers. The middle of the leg should bulge out a bit for the hock joint. Add the horse's hoof at the bottom as a small line.

 

Step 17: Add the horse's mane by drawing a series of quick, short strokes along the bottom of the neck. These short vertical lines along the bottom of the neck represent the tips of the mane. Don't draw every individual hair strand, just the overall shape. Now use the initial line as a guide to draw the top part of the mane. Simply follow the guide and darken the line to create the remaining shape of the mane.

 

Step 18: Use the remaining shapes and lines as guides to draw the rest of the horse's body. Simply darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the body. If you made your initial guides thinner or wider, now is the time to correct them to give your horse the proper body shape.

 

Step 19: Use the last line on the right as a guide to draw the horse's tail. Surround the guide using a series of curved lines and quick, short strokes to create the shape of the tail.

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Step 20 (optional): 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 that you may have accidentally erased.

 

Final Step (optional): Add some shading to your horse drawing to give it more dimension and volume. Shade in a series of curved shapes along the top part of the leg to emphasize the muscle structure. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it. If you'd like, you can stop after this step for an all-white horse.

Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps ground the horse so it doesn't appear to be floating.

You can add even more value throughout your horse drawing for extra detail. Use a dark value as you shade the mane. Use vertical strokes as you shade. Use a lighter value across the middle part of the mane to represent shine. Leave a section along the front of the head blank to give the horse the typical Clydesdale/shire look. Use a medium value for the rest of the body for a Clydesdale. Or a darker value for a shire.

Clydesdales and shires are very similar breeds. Shires tend to be bigger, but without a reference point on your drawing, the differences are minimal. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. If you're drawing a shire horse, the white on the legs should not go above the middle joint. Try to add the value evenly across the body for a smooth coat and avoid a rough, gritty texture. Use a light value to create a thin section along the back to give the horse's coat sheen. Shading can be very time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks.

Continue adding the value until the horse's entire body is shaded. You can add the value to different sections of the body at a time to break up the shading process. It's always a good idea to use reference as you draw. If you own a horse, try to duplicate its coat on your drawing! Remember to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.

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