A mirror ball scattering spots of lightA sphere tiled in small mirrored facets. Curve the grid like latitude lines, then dot the walls. Silver, violet.
Someone leaping off a chair as the clock strikesIn Denmark people jump off a chair at midnight, a leap into the new year. Freeze the figure mid-air. Navy, mustard.
A confetti popper going offA cone, a puff and a fan of tiny squares, discs and curls. Confetti is paper or shiny film, so mix matt and gold.
A clock face at one minute to midnightCream dial, black hands, gold rim. The hands nearly overlap at twelve, so leave a sliver of dial between them.
A cone party hat with a pom-pom and elasticA tall triangle on a curved base, with stripes that follow the curve. Scribble the pom-pom. Pink, teal and gold.
A confetti popper going offA cone, a puff and a fan of tiny squares, discs and curls. Confetti is paper or shiny film, so mix matt and gold.
A January cover page with a curved banner and starsA planner title page: the month in a ribbon, four-point stars scattered round it. Navy, grey and a little gold.
A lit sparkler drawing a loop of lightA sparkler is a wire dipped in a slow-burning mix. White-gold star of short lines on black, trailing one loop.
A memory jar with folded paper slips insideA jar outline, a few folded slips at the bottom, room to draw more as the year goes. Pale blue glass, pastel slips.
A party horn unrolled mid-tootA paper tube that unfurls when blown; some carry a feather at the tip. Red and yellow stripes, coiled when at rest.
A peony firework, a ball of dots with no tailsA peony shell breaks into a sphere of stars that burn without tails. Rings of gold and red dots on dark blue.
A plate of oliebollen under a snowfall of sugarDutch New Year's Eve doughnut balls, often with raisins inside and powdered sugar on top. Golden brown and white.
A resolutions list drawn as doodles, not wordsOne tiny icon per goal: trainers, a book, a glass of water, a piggy bank. Black fineliner and one highlighter.
A ribbon banner with the year left blankA swallowtail ribbon with four empty boxes. Pencil the digits in each January. Red or gold with a darker fold.
A tear-off calendar with its last leaf curling awayA block of pages, one corner lifting to show a clean sheet. Red header, white leaves, grey shadow, no date.
An hourglass with the last grains fallingTwo teardrops tip to tip in a wooden frame, a thread of sand, a small heap. Walnut brown, sand gold, glass blue.
Kagami mochi with a bitter orange on topTwo round rice cakes, the smaller on the larger, topped with a daidai orange and its leaf. White, orange, green.
Paper streamers tumbling down the marginA wavy band with every other turn shaded reads as twisting ribbon. Five bright colours on a white page.
Twelve grapes on a plate beside a striking clockIn Spain people eat a grape on each of the twelve midnight bell strikes, for luck. Pale green, gold, white.
Twelve round fruits piled in a bowlIn the Philippines twelve round fruits go on the table, as circles are believed to attract money. Orange, green, purple.
The year's first sunrise over a flat seaWatching the year's first sunrise is a custom in Japan and Korea, a prayer for luck. Bands of peach, coral, slate.
Detailed 15
A kransekage tower of almond rings with little flagsDenmark's New Year cake is a steep cone of stacked rings, often 18 or more, stuck with white icing. Tan, white, red.
A mirror ball scattering spots of lightA sphere tiled in small mirrored facets. Curve the grid like latitude lines, then dot the walls. Silver, violet.
A pair of kadomatsu either side of a gateJapanese New Year decorations of pine and three bamboos, bound in straw and set out in pairs. Greens, straw yellow.
A ring of friends with crossed arms, singing at midnightFor Auld Lang Syne, Scots cross arms at the last verse: right hand to the left-hand neighbour. Tartan reds, greens.
A temple bell and the hanging beam that strikes itJapan's bronze temple bells have no clapper. A beam hung on ropes strikes this one 108 times across midnight.
A time ball sliding down its pole above a crowdIn Times Square a lit ball descends a rooftop flagpole through the last minute of the year. White, pink, navy.
A tin-casting fortune read by candle shadowIn Finland and Germany melted tin is dropped into water and the lump, or its shadow, read as an omen. Silver, amber.
The countdown from ten to one in ten lettering stylesOne numeral per style: serif, bubble, stencil, script, drop shadow. Black ink plus a single accent colour.
Father Time handing over to Baby New YearA bearded old man with scythe and hourglass meets a baby in a top hat. Leave both sashes blank. Grey, white, gold.
Fireballs swung in circles down a night streetAt Stonehaven in Scotland, wire cages of burning rags are swung overhead at midnight. Orange rings on black.
Fireworks over a city skyline at midnightNavy sky, gold and magenta bursts. Block the skyline in as one black shape, then prick out the lit windows.
Happy New Year written as a sparkler trailOne unbroken glowing line, white-gold on black, with sparks where the stroke ends. Letter it in pencil first.
Janus, the two-faced god, looking back and forwardRoman god of beginnings and doorways, usually shown with a double-sided head. January is named for him. Bronze.
Swimmers in bobble hats running into a winter seaNew Year's Day dips draw crowds in Canada and at Scheveningen in the Netherlands. Grey-green sea, bright hats.
Twelve small boxes, one doodle for each month aheadA 3 by 4 grid: snowflake, heart, kite, umbrella and on through the year. Two colours a box keeps it calm.
For cards 6
A cat in a party hat asleep among the streamersA curled bean shape, hat slipped over one ear, ribbon across the tail. Grey cat, pink hat, rainbow paper.
A first-footer on the doorstep holding a lump of coalIn Scotland the year's first visitor brings luck, with gifts such as coal, shortbread or salt. Night blue, red door.
A marzipan chimney sweep with a top hat and gold buttonsIn Germany chimney-sweep figures are a New Year's Day luck gift: black suit, gold buttons, black top hat.
A New Year postcard with a space for the zodiac animalJapanese nengajō are timed to arrive on 1 January and mostly show the coming year's zodiac sign. Red, white, black.
A vasilopita cake cut to show the hidden coinA Greek New Year cake hides a coin said to bring its finder luck; by custom the eldest is served first. Gold, white.
Two tall flutes clinking, bubbles risingTwo narrow cones on stems, tilted to touch at the rim, with bubbles rising in strings. Pale gold, white, soft grey.
Planner pages 4
A bowl of toshikoshi soba with steam risingBuckwheat noodles eaten in Japan on 31 December; long noodles are said to mean a long life. Browns, cream, steam grey.
A habit tracker of thirty-one circles in a spiral31 circles winding out from the centre, one for each day of January. Pencil the spiral first. One colour per habit.
A plate of black-eyed peas, greens and cornbreadHoppin' John, New Year's Day luck food in the US South: peas for coins, greens for banknotes, cornbread for gold.
A word of the year in fat capitals filled with patternChoose one word, outline it in block letters and give each letter its own pattern. One colour family, light to dark.
Posters 2
A willow firework drooping over rooftopsWillow shells use long-burning gold stars that fall in a soft dome. Bend every line down at the tip. Gold on black.
Someone leaping off a chair as the clock strikesIn Denmark people jump off a chair at midnight, a leap into the new year. Freeze the figure mid-air. Navy, mustard.
How it works
The last night of December and the first morning of January give these New Years drawing ideas their subjects: fireworks, clocks, party paper, planner pages and customs from a dozen countries. Each of the 45 names its colours and a way to start. None has a year written in.
Read the full guide
New Year drawing ideas for a card, a planner page or a poster
Every subject carries one format group. For cards holds 17 that leave room for a greeting: A confetti popper going off fills the top corner and showers the words below. Planner pages holds 15 spot drawings and layouts, such as A habit tracker of thirty-one circles in a spiral. Posters holds 13 big scenes, most of them set at night.
Customs from Madrid to Tokyo, each with a checked fact
The Customs group holds 22 subjects most lists skip. Twelve grapes on a plate beside a striking clock comes from Spain, where a grape is eaten on each midnight bell strike. A kransekage tower of almond rings with little flags is Denmark's New Year cake, a steep cone of stacked rings. Lunar New Year is a separate festival and is not mixed in here.
Fireworks only glow against dark. Use black paper with gel pens or chalk, or shade the sky and lift the bursts out with a rubber.
A peony burst is dots in rings and a willow is long lines that droop. Decide which shell it is before you start.
Pencil all four digits on A ribbon banner with the year left blank before inking any. Numerals need more width than most people allow.
Questions and answers
What is easy to draw for New Year?
The Easy group holds 18, and most are two shapes joined. A cone party hat with a pom-pom and elastic is a tall triangle on a curved base. An hourglass with the last grains falling is two teardrops tip to tip. Most fit inside the timer's five-minute round.
Why is there no year in any of the ideas?
A drawing with the date built in is used once. Where a year belongs, the idea says to leave a gap: the ribbon banner, the tear-off calendar leaf, and both sashes on Father Time handing over to Baby New Year. Cartoon custom puts the old year on one sash and the new on the other.
Can I use these in a January bullet journal?
Yes. Planner pages runs from A January cover page with a curved banner and stars to small food drawings such as A plate of oliebollen under a snowfall of sugar.