![[For Seniors] Next Year is the Year of the Horse! Handcraft a Heartfelt New Year’s Card with a Horse Motif](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/ngdS-fTDKeI/maxresdefault.webp)
[For Seniors] Next Year is the Year of the Horse! Handcraft a Heartfelt New Year’s Card with a Horse Motif
How about making handmade New Year’s cards as you get ready to welcome the new year? Horse motifs drawn with brushes or colored pencils have a nostalgic warmth that makes you feel cozy.
Even if you’re not confident in drawing, don’t worry—we’ve gathered ideas for horse-themed New Year’s cards you can enjoy with various techniques, from simple illustrations you can finish in three minutes to origami, stamps, and printmaking.
Spending time crafting while putting your wishes for the new year into each piece will become a special moment where nostalgia and freshness mingle.
Create a heartfelt card together with your family or friends.
[For Seniors] Next Year Is the Year of the Horse! Handcraft Heartfelt New Year’s Cards with Horse Motifs (1–10)
Coloring letter: Pair of horses
A coloring letter created while thinking of the recipient will become a heartfelt, original horse design.
Since a horse illustration is prepared in advance, it’s easy to try even for those who aren’t confident in drawing.
Use a brush with your favorite colors and paint with watercolors.
Where you choose to add color will bring out your individuality and also serve as good practice for fine motor movements—highly recommended.
Writing a short message to the recipient in the blank space will make it more like a New Year’s greeting and may help convey your feelings to someone far away whom you can’t meet in person.
Coloring also has a relaxing effect, so please give it a try.
Etegami to lift your spirits: “Yum!”
It was full of brightness and humor that makes you smile just by looking at it.
The idea of adding the phrase “How does it taste? Uma!” to a postcard with a horse illustration is very clever, and I felt it was truly an uplifting piece, just like the title suggests.
The horse’s brush-painted expression has a somewhat goofy cuteness, and the loose lines and bleeding ink give it a charming character that soothes the viewer.
The paint colors are bright and light, and the dynamic brushstrokes perfectly match the fun of the word “uma!”
A New Year’s card with a horse you can draw in 3 minutes
Packed with ideas and ingenuity in a short span of time, it was truly captivating to watch.
Although it’s a simple method using only paint and a brush, I was struck by how the movement of the brush alone brings out the horse’s vitality and gentle expression.
In particular, the scene where the legs are drawn with a light touch of the brush tip conveyed a sense of power, making the horse look vividly alive, as if slicing through the wind.
It has the warmth unique to hand-drawn work, and I think it’s the kind of New Year’s card that will linger gently in the recipient’s heart.
It balances strength and grace, making it a perfect piece to start the new year.
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.
[Colored Pencil Drawing] How to Draw a Horse – Year of the Horse
![[Colored Pencil Drawing] How to Draw a Horse – Year of the Horse](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MTVBouPAIoY/sddefault.jpg)
When you draw with colored pencils, your illustration gains a gentle, warm feel, and the overall atmosphere brightens.
Start by sketching the outlines of the horse in its base color—face, mane, body, and legs.
The key is to keep the horse’s proportions in mind as you draw.
When coloring, first apply a light, even layer over each part, then build up additional layers on top; this helps achieve uniform color and prevents blotchiness.
After coloring the mane and tail, add shadows with a darker color, and you’re done.
Because coloring with layered strokes engages the fingertips and the brain, colored pencil work can also be suitable and approachable for older adults as a form of rehabilitation.
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.