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Chinese New Year Drawing Ideas for the Spring Festival

Three Spring Festival subjects at a time: red decorations, the reunion dinner, lanterns, or the zodiac.

Chinese New Year Drawing Ideas for the Spring Festival

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  1. The twelve zodiac animals in a ringIn order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig.
  2. A red envelope held out in two handsRed envelopes hold gifts of money at the New Year. Two hands, one tall red packet, gold trim.
  3. A fish lantern on a stickA paper fish with big scales and a forked tail, held up on a thin pole.

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Easy 18

  • A bowl of mandarin oranges Visitors exchange mandarin oranges as a sign of wealth and good luck. A pile of flattened circles, two with leaves.
  • A bowl of tangyuan Tangyuan are balls of glutinous rice in hot broth or syrup, eaten at the Lantern Festival. Circles in a circle.
  • A broom leaning by an open door Families clean the house before the New Year to sweep out ill fortune and make room for luck.
  • A child asleep at the table after the feast Head on folded arms, an empty bowl, a red envelope tucked under one elbow.
  • A dragon made of twelve linked circles One circle for the head with horns and whiskers, eleven for the body, each a different pattern.
  • A fish lantern on a stick A paper fish with big scales and a forked tail, held up on a thin pole.
  • A plate of dumplings Jiaozi are a main New Year dish in northern China: filling in thin dough, the edges pressed shut. Crescent shapes.
  • A red envelope held out in two hands Red envelopes hold gifts of money at the New Year. Two hands, one tall red packet, gold trim.
  • A rooster crowing at a red sunrise The rooster is the tenth animal of the cycle. Black bird, red comb, a half sun behind.
  • A round lantern with a long tassel Paper lanterns are hoops covered with paper. Festival lanterns are almost always red, for good fortune.
  • A slice of nian gao on a plate Nian gao, or year cake, is made from glutinous rice flour. Its name sounds like "higher year".
  • A string of firecrackers Firecrackers are lit at the New Year. A plait of red tubes on one string, the fuse at the bottom.
  • Coins threaded on a red string Elders once gave children coins threaded together on red string. A row of overlapping circles on a cord.
  • The dog and the pig arriving last They are the eleventh and twelfth animals of the cycle. Draw them strolling in, unhurried.
  • The full moon above a row of lanterns The Lantern Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the year, at the full moon. One white disc, five red ones.
  • New shoes waiting by the door New clothes and shoes stand for a fresh start. One pair, side by side, tissue paper still in the toes.
  • The rat crossing the finish line first In the legend a race decided the order of the years, and the rat won the first.
  • Your own birth-year animal as a round badge The cycle repeats every twelve years. Find your year's animal and fit it inside a circle.

Red paper and decorations 10

  • A candy box with sweets in its sections The New Year candy box is usually round or eight-sided, red or black, with a lid. Draw it from above.
  • A Chinese knot in red cord A Chinese knot is woven from a single length of cord, most often red. One unbroken line, a tassel below.
  • A doorway dressed for the New Year Put it together: couplets down the sides, a fu diamond on the door, a lantern above.
  • A kumquat tree in a pot Kumquat trees are sold at New Year markets as decorations. Small orange fruit the size of olives among dark leaves.
  • A market stall of red decorations Markets open before the New Year, selling flowers, toys and decorations. Hang the stall with red.
  • A paper-cut planned on a folded square Paper-cuts are made with scissors or knives. Draw half the design against the fold, then mirror it.
  • A plum blossom branch in a vase Plum blossom flowers in late winter and is a popular New Year decoration. Round petals on dark, angular twigs.
  • A red diamond with the character fu The fu sign often hangs upside down, because "upside down" sounds like "arrive". Copy the character from print.
  • A red paper-cut stuck to a window pane Windows and doors are decorated with red paper-cuts. Draw it as one connected shape, like lace.
  • Spring couplets on either side of a door Red strips with good wishes written on them are hung in doorways. Two tall strips, one each side.

The reunion dinner 10

  • A hot pot in the middle of a table Most reunion dinners include a shared hot pot, a sign of the family coming together. Steam, chopsticks all round.
  • A kitchen the day before, flour on everything A rolling pin, a bowl of filling, rows of finished dumplings on a floured board.
  • A round table laid for the reunion dinner, from above The New Year's Eve reunion dinner is the most important family meal of the year. Bowls in a ring.
  • A steamer of dumplings with the lid lifted Dumplings can be boiled, steamed or fried. A round basket, steam rising, six crescents inside.
  • A tray of sweets held out to a visitor The first days are for visiting family. Two hands offer the tray, a third hand chooses.
  • Chopsticks lifting one dumpling over a dish of dip Jiaozi are served with a dip of black vinegar and soy sauce. Two sticks, one dumpling, one small dark dish.
  • The fish that nobody finishes Fish is served at the reunion dinner and part is left on purpose, because "fish" sounds like "surplus".
  • Steam rising from a bowl in the shape of this year's animal Draw the bowl small and the steam large. Look up which animal the year belongs to first.
  • Three generations at one table The dinner is usually held at the home of the oldest member of the family. Draw the eldest at the centre.
  • Two hands pressing a dumpling shut A round of dough folded over its filling. Draw the fingers pinching along the curved edge.

Lantern Festival 11

  • A child carrying a rabbit lantern Today lanterns often come in animal shapes. A rabbit on wheels or on a stick, lit from inside.
  • A lantern for this year's animal, designed by you Work out the frame first: hoops and sticks. Then stretch the paper shape over it.
  • A lantern maker's bench Hoops, sheets of red paper, a paste pot and a brush, and one finished lantern hanging above.
  • A lantern seen from directly below Concentric hoops, a tassel hanging toward you, a glow in the middle.
  • A lantern with a riddle written on it Children carry lanterns at night and solve the riddles written on them. Leave a panel blank for your own riddle.
  • A sky lantern rising A sky lantern is a small paper hot-air balloon with a flame at its open base. Draw several, smaller as they climb.
  • A street hung with lanterns at night Rows of red globes shrinking into the distance, the sky dark, the ground glowing.
  • Lantern light on a circle of faces Light the faces from below: bright chins and noses, dark foreheads, red all round.
  • Lanterns reflected in a river Draw each lantern twice: once sharp above the bank, once wobbly in the water.
  • One lantern in three stages: frame, paper, lit Three drawings in a row. Only the last one glows.
  • Stilt walkers in a lantern parade Walking on stilts is one of the festival's entertainments. Long striped legs above the crowd's heads.

Zodiac, lions and dragons 9

  • A dragon dance seen from above Many dancers hold the dragon's long body up on poles. Draw an S of scales with a dot for each pole.
  • A drum, gongs and cymbals for the lion dance The lion dance is performed to a strong drumbeat with gongs and cymbals. One big drum, two sticks.
  • A lion dance head with a wide mouth and big eyes Dancers in a lion costume mimic a lion's movements to bring good luck. Furry body, moving ears.
  • A lion dancer's feet Two pairs of matching trousers and shoes under a fringe of fur. One pair is mid-leap.
  • The dragon's head chasing a pearl Often a person leads the dragon, carrying a ball that stands for a pearl. Jaws open, whiskers back.
  • The nian hiding from red paper and noise In the story the beast called the nian feared the colour red and loud sounds. Make it more shy than fierce.
  • This year's animal in red paper-cut style Look up the animal for the year. Draw it as a flat red shape with pattern cut out of it.
  • The twelve zodiac animals in a ring In order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig.
  • Two dancers inside one lion, four legs showing The lion is normally worked by two dancers, one at the head and one at the tail.

How it works

The Spring Festival runs from New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival fifteen days later. These Chinese New Year drawing ideas come from each stage: cleaning and red paper, the reunion dinner, lions and dragons, then lanterns. Each custom was checked.

Read the full guide

Red first, gold second

Red is the colour of luck, and gold sits beside it on envelopes and door signs. Work on red paper with a black pen and a gold one, or keep the drawing in line and add one flat red. Copy any written character from a printed example, stroke by stroke. A character drawn from memory is easy to get wrong.

Lantern Festival drawing ideas

The last night belongs to lanterns: round red ones, animal shapes, riddles written on the paper. A lantern glows, so shade the page round it and leave the lantern pale. Lantern Festival subjects run from a single globe to a whole street.

  • Look up this year's zodiac animal before you draw. The cycle runs rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, pig.
  • A lion is two dancers and a dragon is many. Count the legs and the viewer knows which is which.

Questions and answers

When is Chinese New Year?

The first day falls on the new moon between 21 January and 20 February, so it changes every year. The celebrations end with the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day, at the full moon.

Why is everything red?

Red stands for good fortune and joy. In the story of the nian, a beast that came at the new year, the villagers found that it feared the colour red and loud noises, which is why red paper and firecrackers belong to the festival.

What is the difference between a lion dance and a dragon dance?

A lion is a costume, normally worked by two dancers: one at the head and one at the tail. A dragon is a long figure held up on poles by many dancers, often following a ball that stands for a pearl.

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