How to Draw Sea Horses in MS Paint

Develop Drawings of Animal Characters on the Computer

Sep 5, 2007 Jo Murphy

Paint is a versatile drawing programme. The simple software is suiteable for Art Class when drawing animals and simple subject matter for complex 'paintings.'

Microsoft Paint can be found on all computers that are loaded with Microsft Software. It is standard and therefore readily accessible for most teachers. If you have a drawing lab and can have each student or students working in twos or threes this project is ideal. Here is a suggestion to help with class management.

Develop this simple animal character by modelling how to draw in MSPaint. Use a projector to enlarge your drawing onto a wall and talk through the drawing process as you create the drawing.

So that you are stretching the imagination of the students and causing them to think the structure through ask the students

How would you draw the tail?
How would you show that the tail is wrapping around the twig of coral?
How could you make the seahorse look like it is floating?
How could you make it look soft and vulnerable?
What kinds of tools would you need to use to create varieties of textures?
How will you make it stand out against the background?

Computer Art is the kind of subject that requires consistent skills enhancement. Draw on previous lessons when you have shown them how to draw under water scenes. Revisit drawing techniques such as illustration of ......

1. Seaweed and coral.

2. Divers and crabs.

3. Bubbles and smaller fish

4. Sand and other textures

Description of the Painting Project

This could become a project that culminates in production of a complex painting where layers are combined in Photoshop Elements.

It is possible to create the illusion of movement in the painting by showing that

the bubbles are rising upwards and becoming smaller as they rise
the seaweed is swaying away from the subject matter and thus must be being swept by the displacement of water
that the sand is rising upwards and away and therefore must have been stirred up
use the marks that are conventionally used in comic and cartoon art so signal that something is moving.

This project can be so successful that a presentation at the end might be a good way of consolidating learning. The final pieces of art could be

Printed and laminated
Uploaded to a revolving digital picture show
Projected on to canvas traced and painted with acrylic and set up as a traditional exhibition
Printed onto canvas and stretched and framed and presented traditionally
Make into sets of gift cards
A larger wall mural could be created from the whole class contributions, painted in acrylics and an opening could be arranged
Perhaps the pictures could be used in a story book format
Some of the designs from Paint are so simple and colourful that you could perhaps make fabric prints for materials from them
Using a very large GB external hardrive a Digital Mural could be created

If you have examples of an underwater scene you have created and would like to share please post them to the discussion boards.

Share Article |

The copyright of the article How to Draw Sea Horses in MS Paint in Arts Education is owned by Jo Murphy. Permission to republish How to Draw Sea Horses in MS Paint in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.