How to Paint a Running Horse
- 1). Sand a canvas with fine-grit sandpaper. Remove dust with a tack cloth. Apply two coats of water based varnish with a sponge brush.
- 2). Base-coat the canvas with acrylic paint in the color of your choice. Apply two coats with a large paintbrush. Allow each coat to dry thoroughly.
- 3). Lightly sketch a picture of a running horse onto the canvas with an HB pencil. Use a picture or photo of a horse to reference when drawing. If you are not comfortable drawing the horse free hand, trace the image onto a piece of tracing paper. Place a piece of graphite paper face down onto the canvas. Hold it in place with tape. Place the tracing paper with the image on it over top of the graphite paper. Use a stylus to trace over the image. When the papers are lifted, the image will be copied onto the canvas.
- 4). Paint the horse with a medium brown acrylic paint and a round brush. Apply two coats, allowing each to dry thoroughly. Use a dark brown acrylic paint to add shadows to all the areas of the horse where an indent would be. This is important when adding muscles through the horse's legs and body. Use a white acrylic paint to add highlights and shine marks on areas that pop out, like the rounded areas of the horse's muscles, which would be glistening if it were running.
- 5). Use black acrylic paint to add a long, flowing mane to the horse. Use a liner brush to apply long, thin strokes of paint flowing outward from the horse's head and neck. This will simulate a mane that is blowing in the wind. Use white acrylic paint and a liner brush to create highlights in the mane.
- 6). Paint the facial features and hooves using a fine-tipped paintbrush and black acrylic paint.
