In the fourth lesson of Glenn Vilppu’s Animal Drawing series, he focuses on horses. The lifestyle of a horse dictates that it’s body be strong and thick in the right places, but, as Glenn will show you, they retain much of the simple skull structure of the goat and share similarities with other grazing animals. Whether they’re kicking up dirt during a playful hair-pin turn, or standing majestically overlooking vast fields, horses naturally carry with them immense power and elicit emotion, and that makes for great drawings. The last chapter is a timed assignment for you to practice what you’ve learned. Premium members have hi-res downloads of the same references that Glenn uses, plus others.

Glenn’s approach to drawing animals is similar to his approach to figure drawing-– start with the gesture, then construct and use light to describe form and accentuate movement.

Instead of copying what you see, you will learn the skills necessary to draw animals from imagination. Glenn will start with Comparative Anatomy between humans and animals, and then break down specifics of animal anatomy. Specifics such as knowing what an animal eats and its place in the food chain can be discovered by analyzing its anatomy and structure.

By taking this structural point of view, you will be able to draw any animal from your imagination. This is beneficial to all artists, whether their interest is in Fine Art, Animation, Comics or other fields.