[For Seniors] Next Year is the Year of the Horse! Handcraft a Heartfelt New Year’s Card with a Horse Motif

Horse drawn in ink wash painting, side view

[New Year's Card Making] Let's Paint the 2026 Zodiac Year of the Horse in Sumi-e (Ink Wash Painting) #howtopaint

If you want to express the dynamism and strength of the horse for next year’s zodiac, 2026, let’s paint it in sumi-e (ink wash).

Prepare a brush, ink, and palette.

Squeeze a small amount of ink onto the palette, lightly load your brush, and spread the ink on the palette.

Paint in the order of the face, neck, thigh, and legs—bend the legs to convey motion.

Next, move the brush to suggest the silhouette in this order: hindquarters, legs, belly, tail, and mane; that’s the key.

For the final line work, avoid overlining; add just enough lines to complement the form.

Incorporate dry-brush textures and sweeping strokes to bring out the horse’s power—keep that in mind as you work.

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mayumi

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New Year’s stamp with a horse

2026 New Year’s cards made with hanko stamps [Year of the Horse / Leaping 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.

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Nakamū

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Horse-themed illustrated postcard, Year of the Horse

Year of the Horse: Handwritten New Year’s Cards 🐴 | Easy Way to Draw a Horse | Side View Horse [Etegami Illustration]

This illustration perfectly captures a horse’s expressions and movements—just right for the New Year.

Let’s paint the horse using a thick brush with color.

Start by drawing the face with the brush in a shape like the kanji “八.” Next, draw the chest, hindquarters, and belly; for the belly, curve it downward.

For the legs, it’s best to start from the front legs and draw toward the base.

Draw the thigh of the hind leg in a triangular shape.

Once it’s dry, switch to a fine brush and add black lines for the mane, tail, and nose.

Finish by writing a New Year’s greeting.

When adding the greeting, it’s recommended to consider the overall balance and leave some blank space as you write.

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Stylish horse New Year’s cards: Easy for anyone! Three cute horse designs

Stylish Year of the Horse New Year’s Cards [Easy for Everyone! 3 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.

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sasashina

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Year of the Horse origami: how to fold a horse

[Zodiac] Year of the Horse Origami: How to Fold a Paper Horse

The step-by-step instructions for folding a horse out of origami are very thorough, making it enjoyable for beginners to try.

The process of creating a three-dimensional horse from a single sheet of paper is simple yet conveys a lifelike sense of motion, and it seems like it would be very satisfying once completed.

I thought the idea of attaching this origami to a New Year’s card was wonderful.

By placing the three-dimensional horse directly onto the postcard, you add playfulness and warmth to a flat New Year’s greeting, bringing delight and surprise to the recipient.

It’s an idea that lets you enjoy both the fun of folding and the fun of decorating, and it’s something anyone can easily try.

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Nakamū

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New Year’s woodblock print: horse’s face

[Year of the Horse Print 2026 · Part 1] How to Make a Horse's Face 🐴 Elementary School Art - Lower Grades New Year Printmaking

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.

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sasashina

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Calligraphy-style New Year’s card — Year of the Horse (午)

Definitive Guide 🎍 Calligraphy-Style! New Year’s Card Designs for 2026, Year of the Horse 🐴 with Bonus Gifts 🎁

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!

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sasashina

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