Drawing a galloping horse in real life is almost impossible because it goes much too fast for our eyes. Before photography, painters had to partly figure out the right pose themselves, and they often made mistakes. In 1878, British photographer Muybridge managed to capture the movement of a galloping horse (picture). He needed 12 cameras to do it! It turned out that galloping horses have a moment of suspension, namely when all four legs come off the ground for a moment. By the way, the horse in the photos was a mare named Sallie Gardner and she was running 58 kilometers per hour in the photos!
Extra: try to draw one of the three photos photos of the moment of floatingĀ , possibly using the clippings from the previous chapter in that position. Otherwise, use the broken drawing style from lesson Handy Drawing Tips Part 2, Level 2. If you want to draw the rider as well, pay close attention to the slanting position of the rider’s back, arms and upper legs.
Last but not least, there is a mythical beast that is half horse, half human: the Centaur. In 2019, a student drew a prancing centaur on the shore of a lake with mountains in the background. The centaur is very brave but also still tied up. If you want to learn more about mythical creatures, feel free to check out the lesson Animals, chapter 1, level 3.