How to Draw a Horse In Digital Art (Using Kleki)

So, I have done a few traditional art tutorials for drawing horses, but I thought that today I would mix things up a bit and talk about how to draw a horse using digital art! Specifically, the free online art program Kleki.com. I came to Kleki from the photo editing software Pixlr, and I have to say, I absolutely LOVE Kleki compared to Pixlr. I don’t have to download it, and it has a relatively simple interface and just the right amount of tools for someone like me who doesn’t do art professionally, just for fun, with the touchpad of my computer (sometimes I use my finger and the touchscreen for fine details) . Definitely recommend it for any beginner.

That being said, here are some things you should know before you begin:

This is what the Kleki interface looks like.

Currently, the Stabilizer and the sketchy tool that I’m on will be the main tools used. To start a new project, click the white square in the upper right-hand corner and set the width and height to 2048, the max amount of pixals per unit that Kleki allows.

Open up the new file and create a second layer under the “Layers” tab. This is going to be your guidelines

Create the basic shapes of a horse’s head.

When you’re done with your baselines, go to Layers, and lower the opacity of the layer of your guidelines.

Your black lines will be pale now. This is so it’s easier to see the real lines.

Add another layer (you might want to rename your layers to keep track of them. To rename them, double-click on the layer and write in the name).

Start drawing your solid lines. Stabilizer is going to be your best friend for this. These are the settings I have the Sketchy tool on. Important note: In sketchy, using the lines without letting up pressure will make the lines connect between each other on tight curves. This can be prevented by working in smaller lines and letting up pressure on very tight curves.

You might need to adjust the weight of the sketch to get the look you want.

When you’re done with the lines, it should look something like this (I’m going for more of a cartoonish style in this).

Now it’s time to add base colors. I’m doing something a little crazy and making a horse based on Juniper from The Chaos Grid, so if my colors look unconventional, please note that the character has blue hair XD.

Using the paint bucket, fill in your main colors. You might need to use the “grow” setting to avoid odd pixeled edges along the lines.

I recommend using separate layers for each main base color, coat, mane, and eyes. This is important for blending later on.

When you’re done with the base coloring, pull out the sketchy tool again. You may need to lower the opacity, and raise the blending. Using colors slightly lighter and darker than your base color, shade in the horse. Increasing the scale tool creates more of a painted look than a sketchy look.

TIP: For the mane, use the scale button on 1. Lower the weight to create a more feather, hairlike texture.

If you want to create softer contrast between the colors, use the blending tool (the blurry streak between the normal pen tools and the sketchy tool).

I mainly used the Blending tool in shading the eye. Lower the opacity and increase the blending for a smoother blend between colors

When you’re done with the shading, you have two options: add your signature and save it as it is, or add some background detail.

For background detail, go back to Layer 1.

Experiment with the different tools to create background textures. Since The Chaos Grid takes place in desert Texas, I wanted more of a gritty look and used the Sketchy tool and the Chalk setting under Pen to create some of the desert grunge look that I wanted. Mostly, I just played around with the colors.

To add text behind the drawing, add a new layer and place it on TOP of the background layer, but under the drawing layers.

Click the paintbrush to find the dropdown menu and click “T”. Find the color you want for the text, and click on the picture.

This popup will appear. In this window, you can adjust the font, size, and placement of your text. I used the font CorrectionBrush, with 300 pt font. Tip: On the same layer, use the “Lock Alpha” function on the Blender tool to add shading to JUST the font, in case you want to get more of a gradient look.

You can also do this for your signature to give it a cool glossed/embossed look!

To save, click the blue arrow in the right hand corner! Unfortunately Klelki only saves as a PNG, but this can be easily remedied in your Photos app on your computer if you prefer JPGs like me.

And there you have it!