Horse Portrait for Beginners - Oil Paint

In this 2-hour 30-minute beginner-level oil painting tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a realistic brown horse portrait using a simple three-phase layering process. If you are looking for a straightforward approach to painting flat fur, horse features and a realistic finish to your wildlife art, this tutorial is for you!

We’ll work step by step through my entire process and cover:

• Toning the canvas
• How to create balanced underpainting
• My Alla Prima (Wet-on-wet) block-in process
• Allow drying time to then add glazes, highlights, and natural fur texture
• I will show you how to organise your palette
• Mix warm browns and cool shadow tones
• Build depth with subtle layering,
• How to use directional brushwork to create lifelike fur, form, and structure.

This tutorial is ideal for beginners who want a clear, approachable method for completing a realistic horse portrait in oils from start to finish.