Raph. your newel post project looks fun. You should be able to carve that yourself. I would finish the handrail and remove the sapwood with a drawknife before you decide what to carve. The wood will show you what it wants to be. Just step back and look at it for awhile. Just looking at the picture you posted, I see a Horse looking back at me, but then my daughter is wanting to get horses.
What species of wood is it, pine? That should carve nice. I usually end up having to carve somthing really hard like Osage (lasts really well outside in the garden). Tom