[For Seniors] Heartwarming Handmade New Year’s Cards: Fun Ideas Using Everyday Materials
Handmade New Year’s cards naturally carry a warm, heartfelt touch.
In this article, we introduce a variety of ideas—from cleverly using eraser stamps and origami, to the Japanese elegance created by brush lettering, torn-paper collages made from newspaper, and even original postcards crafted from milk cartons.
You’ll also find plenty of tips that use familiar materials like masking tape, cotton swabs, and vegetable stamps.
Why not get your fingers moving and create a one-of-a-kind New Year’s card of your very own?
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[For Seniors] Heartwarming Handmade New Year’s Cards: Fun Ideas Using Everyday Materials (21–30)
New Year’s card for the Year of the Horse: a horse illustration anyone can easily draw with a brush pen
We’ll use a brush pen to draw an auspicious horse illustration for next year’s zodiac.
The method is simple, so it should be quite easy to draw.
When drawing the horse, the ears are small, but sketch them upright and crisp.
For the neck and torso, use curves so they don’t become too thin.
Adding color around the mouth will make it look more horse-like.
When drawing the forelock, the mane along the back, and the tail, the key is to connect the lines as you go.
Since it’s the New Year, let’s add color with a red brush pen to convey celebratory wishes.
Finally, add a New Year’s greeting to complete the piece.
The warmth unique to hand-drawn art and the thoughtful message will make the recipient feel warm at heart.
Stylish horse New Year’s cards: Easy for anyone! Three cute horse designs
When you actually try to draw an illustration, it often doesn’t turn out well, doesn’t it? That’s especially true for animals you don’t usually see.
So this time, I’ll show you how to draw horses! From cute, stylized designs to scenes with running horses as a background, and even designs that cleverly use hoof shapes.
Each method is explained step by step, so even beginners will find it easy to follow.
Be sure to incorporate your favorite illustration into your New Year’s card design.
New Year’s woodblock print: horse’s face
Speaking of printmaking, you probably picture carving wood to make a block, applying ink, and so on.
But with “Tack-Color Paper Printmaking,” you can create a printing plate just by cutting tack paper with scissors and sticking it on! You don’t even need ink—simply rub off the ink from the tack paper to transfer the image onto another sheet.
The tack paper works like a sticker, so you don’t need glue; just peel off the release paper and use it.
Just like traditional printmaking, the image will be reversed when transferred, so be mindful of that as you work.
Origami: Horse Face (Uma – the Horse zodiac)
How about a New Year’s card adorned with an origami horse’s face? This horse face, made from a single sheet of origami paper, is simple yet striking, with plenty of impact.
Using papers in different colors and patterns gives each one a unique, expressive look.
Add eyes and a mane with a pen, or use yarn to create them, and it becomes even cuter.
For the message, playful, horse-themed phrases like “Wishing you a year that gallops to success!” or “May happiness race through your year” will delight the recipient.
It’s a handmade card that conveys warmth and optimism—perfect for a heartwarming New Year’s greeting.
Draw the character 'horse' (馬) in brush calligraphy.
The impression of brush-drawn letters and illustrations changes with line thickness and variations in pressure.
When drawing the section from the neck through the rump to the torso, add motion to your brushstrokes to bring out the horse’s strength.
For the tail, lightly press as if it’s fluttering in the wind; this can give the lines a lively energy.
If you want a rough, dry-brush look, reduce the amount of water on the brush.
Keep an eye on the negative space and overall balance as you continue.
Try expressing the horse’s movement through your lines as you draw.
Calligraphy-style New Year’s card — Year of the Horse (午)
We’re introducing handwritten calligraphy for New Year’s cards and illustrations of horses.
Simply writing in calligraphy gives your card a distinctive feel, but of course you may want to add some design flair as well.
In that case, try having some colored brush pens ready so you can highlight parts of the text in different colors, or even turn parts of the characters into small illustrations.
Brush calligraphy can feel difficult until you get used to it, but New Year’s cards typically use set phrases like “Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu,” so practicing just those should be enough.
The horse illustrations are simplified, so they’re easy too.
Give it a try!
New Year’s stamp with a horse
The horse motif is an animal that symbolizes moving forward, momentum, and strength, but the horses expressed with stamps also conveyed a sense of cuteness and gentleness within that power.
Even when using store-bought stamps, simply varying how you press them and how you arrange them creates so much individuality and warmth.
By combining New Year-esque colors like red, gold, and black in a well-balanced way, the result feels both festive and refined, making it a perfect piece for New Year’s greetings.
I thought it was an idea for making New Year’s cards that anyone can enjoy with ease.
