Create Your Own Cartoon Character with the Shape Drawing Challenge | Draw with Imagination and Shapes | All-Ages Fun

by | Apr 15, 2025 | How to Draw Books for Kids

Why Shape Drawing Challenge Is the Perfect Way to Help You Create Your Own Cartoon Character

If you’re searching for a fun, imaginative art activity that encourages children to create their own cartoon character, Shape Drawing Challenge is a great place to start. This book takes a unique approach to drawing—it’s not about copying specific designs or following tight instructions. Instead, it invites kids to think outside the box, come up with their own ideas, and turn simple shapes into expressive, original creations.

Whether your child is a budding artist or just starting out, this book is designed to push their imagination, build their confidence, and help them learn how to create their own cartoon character in ways that feel natural and fun.

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What Is Shape Drawing Challenge?

At a glance, each page in Shape Drawing Challenge starts with just a few basic shapes—circles, triangles, squiggles, maybe a square or two. But that’s just the beginning. The real challenge? Deciding what to turn those shapes into. A monster? A robot? A silly bird wearing a hat? Anything goes.

Every prompt encourages the reader to create their own cartoon character from the given shapes. There are no step-by-step instructions here—just creativity, problem-solving, and plenty of space to draw something totally original.

That makes this book a great alternative to traditional how-to-draw books. It invites kids to take creative risks and discover the joy of developing characters from their own imagination.


Why It Helps Kids Create Better Art—and Think More Creatively

One of the biggest challenges for young artists is coming up with ideas. Staring at a blank page can feel overwhelming, especially if they’re not sure where to start. Shape Drawing Challenge gives them a nudge in the right direction. The shapes act as creative seeds. Kids then use their imagination to grow something completely new.

And because every prompt is open-ended, there’s no “wrong” answer. That makes it much easier for kids to try something, make mistakes, and learn as they go. This kind of creative freedom helps build confidence and problem-solving skills—especially when the goal is to create your own cartoon character.

Over time, kids begin to think like artists. They see that every character begins with a shape or an idea. They start to understand that drawing isn’t just about copying—it’s about inventing.


A Creative Boost for Every Skill Level

You don’t need to be an experienced artist to get something out of this book. In fact, it works especially well for beginners. For anyone who want to learn how to create your own cartoon character, but aren’t ready for complex anatomy or perspective lessons, this book gives them a place to play, experiment, and explore.

  • For beginners, it offers structure and inspiration without being overwhelming.
  • For more confident artists, it challenges them to look at drawing differently.
  • For reluctant artists, it turns drawing into a game, not a test.

The freedom to be silly, weird, or even a little abstract means there’s no pressure to get it “right.” It’s about personal expression, which is exactly what’s needed when learning to create your own cartoon character.

Book Details


What Kids Learn as They Draw

Behind the fun and the doodling, this book is actually helping kids build a variety of creative skills:

  • Creative Problem Solving – Turning a random group of shapes into a recognizable drawing requires lateral thinking.
  • Visual Storytelling – When you create your own cartoon character, you naturally begin to imagine personalities, stories, and settings.
  • Artistic Confidence – With no “correct” answer, kids get used to making creative decisions and owning their ideas.
  • Original Thinking – Kids learn not just to draw, but to invent, adapt, and reimagine.

These are valuable skills that extend well beyond art. Thinking creatively and solving problems visually are critical in all kinds of academic and real-world situations.


Perfect for Home, Classroom, or Group Activities

The versatility of Shape Drawing Challenge makes it a great choice for different settings:

  • Ideal for quiet time, travel, or after-school activities
  • A fun option for classroom creativity breaks
  • Great for art clubs or homeschool co-ops
  • Useful as a daily warm-up for kids who already enjoy drawing
  • An inspiring tool for kids who want to create their own cartoon character from scratch

It’s also one of those books kids can come back to again and again. The same shape challenge might inspire a totally different drawing each time. That’s what keeps it fresh.

Shape Drawing Challenge


How It Fits in With My Other Books

I design all my books with the same goal in mind: to help kids develop their drawing skills while keeping the experience fun and accessible. The Shape Drawing Challenge steps away from instructional methods like “step-by-step” or “grid-based” approaches and instead encourages kids to think more abstractly.

While the “How to Draw” and “Trace Then Color” books help build technique and observation, Shape Drawing Challenge is all about open-ended exploration. It supports young artists as they learn how to create their own cartoon character using their own imagination and ideas.

It’s a great companion to the rest of my books—and a perfect tool for creative variety.


Why “Create Your Own Cartoon Character” Is Such a Valuable Skill

Kids love cartoons. They love the characters, the stories, and the personalities. But drawing a cartoon from imagination is a whole different skill than copying someone else’s design.

That’s where this book really shines.

By inviting kids to start with a few shapes and invent their own creature, animal, or character, they’re learning how to create their own cartoon character in a way that feels fun and natural. They start thinking like creators—not just fans. And that’s a huge step in artistic development.

This skill—of inventing something from nothing—is one they can carry with them for years. Whether they continue drawing, storytelling, animating, or designing, the ability to create your own cartoon character is the foundation of so many creative paths.


Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a creative drawing book that does more than teach kids how to copy, Shape Drawing Challenge is it. It’s all about exploration, problem-solving, and original thinking. It gives you the tools and space to create your own cartoon character on every page.

And most importantly, it gives them permission to be creative on their own terms.

You can find Shape Drawing Challenge now on Amazon, along with other creative activity books designed to help young artists grow. Whether your child is just learning to draw or already spends hours sketching characters, this book is a fun and thoughtful addition to their creative toolkit.

Ready to see what your child can dream up from a few simple shapes?

Let them discover how to create their own cartoon character—their way.

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Meet The Author & Artist

Kevin Coulston is a children’s book author, illustrator, cartoonist, and member of the National Cartoonists Society. Over the course of his career, he has published more than 100 books, including instructional drawing books, activity books, comics, graphic novels, and children’s picture books.

His popular How to Draw, Trace Then Color, and Draw by Grid series have helped thousands of aspiring young artists learn to draw through simple, approachable lessons featuring hundreds of Kevin’s original cartoon characters.

Kevin is also the creator of the comic series Dylan McVillain and The Adventures of a 4th Grade Space Captain, as well as the children’s picture book series Alexis and the T-Rexes. In addition to his publishing work, Kevin created, wrote, illustrated, and animated the web series Bad Jokes with Ugly Folks, starring legendary voice actors Rob Paulsen and Tara Strong.

Kevin believes anyone can learn to draw—and that learning is a lot more fun when the characters you’re drawing are weird, silly, and just a little ridiculous.

What Our Customers Are Saying

“The author really does a great job demonstrating how easy (and rewarding!) it can be to draw seemingly ordinary things you (and your little ones!) may feel too intimidated to try drawing without the step-by-step guide! Putting already-known shapes together and making something new and original is a fantastic way to learn! And recognizing that you can add your own twists and personality to your drawings makes all the difference. I think it’s a fun, original approach to building confidence for a lifelong hobby. I have the ebook copy, and can only imagine how great a physical copy would be!”

– Daenarah [Amazon Review]

“There are several of these fun books by this author. My kids and I have had a lot of fun with these. It’s a great activity to do as a family and see how they all turn out. Almost like a sip and paint but more of a juice box and draw.”

– Allison B. [Amazon Review]

My kids can’t wait to start drawing these monsters in their illustrations! The many different moods of the monsters appeal to their different personalities. We love the many options, styles, and opportunities to expand upon the characters. Recommended for all ages!

– Kasey [Amazon Review]

“Kevin has put out many books on drawing and animation, and has such a great feel for HOW to explain the process. His art is so expressive and kid-friendly, but his real strength is in his ability to really explain and show how it’s done, making it accessible to kids and adults. I’m a firm believer that not everyone who “can do” can teach, but Kevin does both beautifully! Pick this up and watch kids have a blast making robots of all sorts, while learning great fundamental art skills at the same time!”

– Tom R. [Amazon Review]

“My 5yo LOVES this book! The drawings are cute and the instructions are easy to follow along with. She gets a kick out of drawing muffin monsters and ketchup monsters and it actually keeps her pretty focused for long periods of time.”

– Monica [Amazon Review]

“This is a fantastic book for kids who love art, cartoons, comic books, or just having fun! There are a lot of characters to choose from, and really easy step-by-step instructions to follow. You child will have a blast drawing these fun, silly characters! And just in time for Easter baskets!”

– Bestmomever [Amazon Review]

“This is a very good book for kids that want to learn to draw, my sons love it and Kevin does a great job of making drawing fun and not intimidating. Highly recommended for the long summer hours!”

– David D. [Amazon Review]

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