60 ideas

Rodeo Art Ideas

Deal one western subject, from a saddle bronc rider to a tin barn star, with its key shapes and the medium that suits it.

Rodeo Art Ideas

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Drawn: A branding iron with a brand you inventA branding iron with a brand you inventA lazy letter lies on its side; a rocking one sits on a quarter circle. Design your own, never a real ranch's. Ink.

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All 60 ideas

Rodeo arena 15

A barrel racer leaning round the first barrel Horse and rider tilt inward together, the inside leg nearly brushing the drum. Dirt sprays from the outside hoof. Paint.
A breakaway roper as the flagged rope snaps free String and a flag tie the rope to the saddle horn, and it breaks away on the catch. Draw the flag mid-air. Ink.
A bucking horse in silhouette, all four hooves off the ground Back arched, head down between the forelegs, hind legs kicked high. Fill it solid black. Suits ink.
A bull leaving the bucking chute as the gate swings wide The gate opens like a door and the bull comes out turning. Smudge the dust at the hooves. Charcoal or pencil.
A bull rider holding on through a spin One hand on the bull rope, the other kept free; a scored ride lasts eight seconds. Twist bull and rider apart. Pencil.
A contestant number pinned to the back of a western shirt A paper rectangle creased by the shoulder blades, four safety pins, a pointed yoke seam above. Any number. Pencil.
A header and a heeler with both ropes tight on a steer Team roping ends with the two riders facing each other, ropes taut. Two diagonals and a steer between. Pencil.
A pickup rider lifting a bronc rider off at a gallop Two horses side by side, one rider sliding across. Draw the near horse whole, then tuck the far one behind. Pencil.
A rodeo bullfighter stepping between a bull and a fallen rider Bullfighters pull the bull's attention so the rider can get clear. Arms wide, knees bent, baggy bright kit. Paint.
A saddle bronc rider leaning back with one arm in the air A bronc saddle has no horn. One hand grips a thick rein, the free arm swings up for balance. Pencil.
A steer wrestler halfway between horse and steer The rider drops from a running horse to catch the steer's horns. One long diagonal from saddle to horn. Pencil.
A trick roper standing inside a wide spinning loop The loop is an ellipse level with the ground. The honda is the small eye the rope runs through. Ink.
A trophy belt buckle engraved with a bucking horse An oval, a rope-twist border, scrollwork inside. Leave slivers of white paper for the shine. Ink or pencil.
Fringed rodeo chaps hung over a rail Batwing cut: wide, flared at the bottom, with long flowing fringe. Invent the pattern; no logos. Marker or paint.
Three barrels set in a triangle in an empty arena The ridden path round them is a cloverleaf. Each 55-gallon drum is a cylinder with an ellipse on top. Pencil.

Ranch and tack 15

A branding iron with a brand you invent A lazy letter lies on its side; a rocking one sits on a quarter circle. Design your own, never a real ranch's. Ink.
A cattle drive strung out along a dusty trail Far cattle are dots, near ones have horns and ribs. One rider leads and dust swallows the rest. Paint or charcoal.
A chuckwagon with its chuck box open at the back Introduced in 1866. The hinged lid folds down as a worktable, with drawers behind and a water barrel on the side. Ink.
A coiled lariat hung on a saddle horn A lariat is stiff so the loop stays open when thrown, which is why the coils hang round. Hatch the twist. Ink.
A cowboy hat with a cattleman crease on a fence post High crown, wide brim rolled up at the sides. Felt hats are steamed to take a crease. Add the hat band last. Pencil.
A horse at a hitching rail resting one hind leg Horses can doze standing up. Tip one hind hoof onto its toe, drop that hip, head low, ears slack, reins looped. Pencil.
A horseshoe nailed above a barn door A thick U with a line of nail holes down each branch. Rust is orange dabbed dry over brown. Paint or pencil.
A lasso looping into the word HOWDY Write the word in one joined line first, then thicken it into rope with short diagonal twist marks. Marker or ink.
A pair of cowboy boots with stitched shafts Shaft to mid-calf, angled heel over an inch high, no laces. The stitching rows follow the shaft's curve. Ink.
A red barn with a gambrel roof and a hay door Two slopes each side, the lower one steeper. White trim, a hay door under the peak, one open stall door. Paint.
A split-rail fence running back over a hill Posts shrink and crowd closer as they recede, then drop out of sight over the crest. Rule nothing. Pencil.
A tooled saddle skirt with a floral scroll Hand-tooled leather: stems curl in S shapes and the background is pressed dark. Conchos are small silver discs. Ink.
A western saddle resting on a fence rail Horn at the front, swell under it, raised cantle behind, stirrups hanging from wide leather fenders. Pencil.
A windmill and stock tank on open range Many blades on a lattice tower, built to pump well water for cattle. Draw the wheel as a fan of thin wedges. Ink.
One boot and spur seen from behind The heel band wraps the boot, the shank sticks out behind, and the rowel is a small toothed wheel on its end. Pencil.

Desert and open range 15

A coyote howling on a ridge against a full moon Muzzle up, ears back, bushy tail down. One black shape in front of one pale disc. Ink or cut paper.
A desert mesa at sunset with banded rock Level bands of rust, cream and mauve. The sky runs yellow at the horizon to deep blue overhead. Paint.
A greater roadrunner running flat out Head and tail held level with the ground, crest up, brown back streaked black. Two toes forward, two back. Pencil.
A longhorn skull with wildflowers growing through it Long nose bones and two sweeping horn cores. Keep the bone pale and warm and put all the colour in the flowers. Paint.
A mesa and a butte on one horizon A mesa's top is wider than its height and a butte's is narrower. Flat caps, sheer sides, rubble skirts. Paint.
A prickly pear with fruit along its top pads Flat rounded pads stacked edge to edge, green to blue-green. The fruit, called tuna, can be red or yellow-orange. Pen.
A rattlesnake coiled beside a fence post Coils stack like rope, the head rests on top, and the rattle is a stub of short segments held upright. Pencil.
A saguaro crowned with white flowers The waxy white flowers open only at the top of the stem and the arm tips, April to June. Coloured pencil.
A saguaro with two raised arms at sunset A saguaro may be 75 years old before its first arm. Rule the ribs top to bottom; black shape on orange. Paint.
A thunderstorm over a desert highway Rain hangs in slanted grey veils that fade before they land. The road narrows to a point under it. Wet paint.
A tumbleweed rolling across an empty road A rough ball of scribbled twigs, densest in the middle. Russian thistle came from Eurasia, not the West. Ink.
A wagon wheel half buried in sand An ellipse inside an ellipse, hub off centre. The spokes nearest you look longest. Sand drifts up one side. Pencil.
Gila woodpecker at a saguaro nest hole Gila woodpeckers dig their holes about midway up the stem. A dark oval in ribbed green, the bird beside it. Pencil.
Texas Longhorn steer seen head on The horns can span more than 8 ft, so give them most of the page width. Speckled coats are common. Pencil or paint.
Two mitten-shaped buttes in low morning light Each is a broad block with a thin thumb spire beside it. Light one face warm orange, shade the other violet. Paint.

Country life 15

A campfire with an enamel coffee pot on a grate Speckled enamel is dark blue with white flecks. Flames are teardrops, palest at the base. Paint or pastel.
A county fair Ferris wheel behind a livestock barn A big spoked circle above a long low roof. Dot the rim with bulbs and leave the spokes as thin lines. Ink or paint.
A couple two-stepping under string lights The skirt flares on the turn and two hat brims tilt together. Lights are blurred dots on a dark ground. Paint.
A fiddle and bow left on a porch chair Two f-shaped sound holes, a pinched waist and a scroll at the top. Lay the bow across as one clean diagonal. Pencil.
A five-string banjo seen straight on The round body is called the pot. The short fifth string starts at the fifth fret, so its peg sits on the neck. Ink.
A harmonica in a denim shirt pocket A rounded metal bar with one row of square holes, ten on the common diatonic. Show a few above the pocket edge. Pencil.
A jar of wildflowers on a pickup tailgate The jar is two ellipses and two straight sides, with the stems bending where they enter the water. Coloured pencil.
A paisley bandana knotted round a fence post Paisley is a teardrop with a curled tip, repeated. One knot, two pointed tails. Red marker and a white gel pen.
A patchwork quilt on a washing line in the wind Draw the folds first, then bend the grid of squares over them. Pattern follows form, never the reverse. Coloured pencil.
A rocking chair on a wraparound porch at dusk Curved rockers, slatted back, long shadow through the railings. One lit window behind does the mood. Paint.
A tin barn star on weathered boards Five points, each split by a ridge so one half is lit and one is in shade. The boards run vertical. Pencil.
A water tower and grain silos at dusk Cylinders on cylinders, domed and coned on top. Silhouette them against a graded sky with one light on. Paint.
An acoustic guitar leaning on a hay bale Figure-eight body, round sound hole, six strings. Hay is short parallel strokes with a few strays. Pencil.
An old pickup truck parked in tall grass Rounded hood, bulging separate fenders, round headlamps. The grass hides the wheels, so skip the hard part. Paint.
Upside-down boots on a row of fence posts One boot per post, each slumping its own way. Repeat the shape, vary the lean and shrink them with distance. Ink.

How it works

These rodeo art ideas go past the arena fence. Sixty western subjects sit in four groups: rodeo action, ranch tack, desert and open range, and country life. Each hint names the key shapes, a checked fact where there is one, and whether pencil, ink or paint suits it. The filters combine: Ranch and tack plus Easy holds six.

Read the full guide

Get the tack right before the horse

Western pictures are judged on gear. A saddle has a horn in front, a swell under it and a raised cantle behind, and the stirrups hang from wide fenders. A bronc saddle has no horn at all. Boots reach mid-calf on an angled heel, with no laces. The Ranch and tack group holds 15 western drawing ideas built on details like these, and most sit still while you work.

Four groups and three levels

The 22 easy ideas are single objects or flat silhouettes, such as A tumbleweed rolling across an empty road. Five of the 14 hard ones are arena scenes with an animal and rider in motion. For country drawing ideas, tap Country life: a fiddle, a banjo, a quilt on a line. Desert and open range is where the western art ideas that want paint live, all flat mesas and hot skies.

Test an action pose as a solid black shape first. If the bucking horse reads in silhouette, the rider and tack will sit on it.
A mesa is wider than it is tall and a butte is taller than it is wide. Hold that ratio and the horizon looks right.
Invent every brand, buckle and back number. Real ranch brands and event logos belong to somebody.

Questions and answers

Which subjects are easiest to start with?

Three barrels set in a triangle in an empty arena, which is three cylinders and their shadows, and Fringed rodeo chaps hung over a rail, a flat shape you fill with your own pattern. Neither needs a horse. Twenty-two are in Easy, under More filters.

How do I draw a bucking horse?

Think of a bent bow. The back arches, the head drops between the forelegs and the hind legs kick out, so the body makes one curve. Block that curve, hang the ribcage under it, then add the legs as jointed sticks. The rider leans back, free arm up.

How long does a bull ride last?

A scored ride lasts eight seconds. The rider holds the bull rope with one hand and keeps the other free. To make the spin read, twist bull and rider in opposite directions. A bull rider holding on through a spin is in Hard, as is A bull leaving the bucking chute as the gate swings wide.