Karen Tang

Holiday Cards

I have been designing my own holiday cards every year since 2001, originally inspired by the sight of a snowman decorated with a wig and scarf in my neighborhood. Recent designs drew inspiration from trips abroad or Christmas scenes around New York City.

I usually start with a quick pencil sketch that is reprodueced in Photoshop, Illustrator, and/or Affinity Designer. Final designs are both printed and sent as e-cards to friends and family.

2024: a cat wearing a striped hat with Christmas lights wrapped around its body. A fallen Christmas tree with lights appears behind the cat.
2023: assorted brown and white gingerbread cookies floating on a navy background.
2022: two reindeers created from wooden logs with evergreen branches as antlers. Triangular Christmas trees in various patterns (polka dots, stripes, etc.) appear in the background.
2021: a Christmas wreath made of multi-colored balls hanging in front of a blue door. A white molded door frame surrounds the door and a pair of topiaries appear on either side of the doorframe. The background features a wall made of bricks in shades of red and brown.
2020: five gnomes appear in the center of a snowy scene. Three male gnomes alternate with two female gnomes and they are carrying a wreath, a present, candy canes, a heart-shaped ornament and a lantern. Small gray houses appear on hills in the background as snow falls from a blue sky.
2019: a cat and dog are sitting in front a window with their backs facing the viewer. The window shows a snowy night with snow accumulating on the panes. There is a decorated Christmas tree to the left of the animals with presents in front of the tree. The floor is made of alternating light and dark brown stripes.
2018: a fox, a bear and a rabbit are having a Christmas feast atop a tree trunk table. There is a Yule log, mince pies and bundt cakes. The animals are wearing striped scarves and the rabbit is holding a bowl of red berries in its paws. There are tall slender white tree trunks in the background and a robin is watching the scene from a branch above the rabbit.
2017: an illustration of Rockefeller Center with the Christmas tree, fountain and ice rink in the foreground. There are several skaters on the rink and the 30 Rock building appears behind the tree.
2016: a Nutcracker king leading a march with three toy soldiers following him. One soldier carries a Christmas pudding, another plays a drum and the last pulls a small red wagon loaded with a teddy bear and presents. Behind the wagon is a Christmas tree with ornaments and a star.
2015: a snowy scene with mountains in the background. Cable cars hang above a snowy landscape dotted with trees and three building. A horse-pulled sleigh, a skier and a snowman appear among the trees. A red banner with white text that displays "Season's Greetings" appear at the top of the illustration.
2014: an illustration appearing in the style of a Fair Isle print with rows of geometric shapes, poinsettias, Christmas trees, and reindeers
2013: the exterior of three brownstones outlined in dark gray with white backgrounds. Christmas decorations (wreaths, trees, and garland) inside and outside the building apear in color.
2012: a nighttime winter scene with the moon and stars appearing in a dark blue sky. In the foreground are small hills with a cluster of trees in the foreground, and a red cottage with reindeer and sleigh sitting on the roof.
2009: a purple and white Christmas ornament is dangled from the beak of a yellow bird. The bird is standing atop a curved branch with highly stylized leaves in gradient shades of green.
2008: three animals made of snow sitting on a snowy ground. A small bunny appears with a red Santa hat atop its head, a medium rabbit is wearing a green and gray striped scarf and a large rabbit is wearing a red and white striped scarf.
2004: a penguin is standing on the edge of a stylized cliff. The penguin is holding a red and white striped pole that is dangling a yellow star at the far end. The star appears directly above an undecorated tree. Stars appear in a night sky in the background.