Video Drawing Tutorial: Shape Drawing Challenge #4
Turn one simple shape into your own cartoon characters. You need paper, a pencil and markers; it takes about 15 minutes and works for ages 4 and up.

- Shape drawing challenge
- Ages 4+
- Grades Pre–K-5
- All levels
- About 15 min with the video
You’ll need
- Paper
- Pencil
- Markers or crayons
You’ll practice
- Seeing shapes in everyday things
- Using imagination
- Turning one shape into a character
Turn Shapes into Cartoon Characters: New Triangle Shape Drawing Challenge Video
I'm back with another installment in my Shape Drawing Challenge video series, and this one is a lot of fun. In the 4th video, I start with a simple triangle and show you how to turn shapes into cartoon characters. This time around, that single triangle becomes a bird, a robot, and a bunny rabbit. As always, this video is all about using your imagination, experimenting with shapes, and turning something super simple into something unexpected and fun.
Take The Shape Drawing Challenge
If you're a fan of creative drawing prompts or you're just looking for a unique activity to spark some artistic energy in your kids, this is the kind of drawing challenge you're going to want to try. And if you've been following this video series from the beginning, you already know how much fun it can be to turn shapes into cartoon characters.
How the Shape Drawing Challenge Book Connects
The video ties directly into my book, Shape Drawing Challenge, which is packed with activities just like this. Each page of the book features a different shape and space to draw three different characters or objects. The goal is to turn shapes into cartoon characters while using your imagination, critical thinking, and creativity.
I designed the book to be flexible. It can be used at home, in the classroom, or during art time anywhere. It works for younger kids who are just learning how to draw and older kids who want to stretch their imagination. There's no pressure to make your drawings perfect—in fact, the whole point is to get a little weird and see what comes out of it.
Why Turning Shapes into Cartoon Characters Matters
Why put so much focus on turning shapes into cartoon characters? Because it’s one of the simplest ways to teach creativity and visual problem solving. Starting with a shape eliminates that fear of the blank page. It gives kids a place to start, while still leaving all the fun decisions up to them.
When kids learn to turn shapes into cartoon characters, they're not just doodling. They're making choices, testing ideas, and growing their confidence. They start seeing everyday objects as things that can be reimagined and reinterpreted. That kind of thinking is valuable far beyond drawing.

About My Art Books for Kids
The Shape Drawing Challenge book is just one of many I’ve created to help kids draw and express themselves creatively. I’ve built out several drawing book series for kids, including:
- How to Draw: Teaches kids to draw characters step by step.
- Trace Then Color: Perfect for younger kids who want to trace cute characters before coloring them in.
- Draw by Grid: Breaks down drawing into manageable steps using a simple grid format.
Each series is meant to make drawing fun, approachable, and confidence-boosting. All of the artwork in my books is hand drawn by me—no AI, no stock art, just original, character-driven designs.
And just like the video shows, many of the characters I draw come from a place of playful experimentation. That’s why learning to turn shapes into cartoon characters is such a key piece of my approach to drawing. It teaches you to be loose, to explore, and to enjoy the process of figuring things out on the page.
Check Out All 70+ Art Books for Kids
About the Video: One Triangle, Three Characters
The concept is simple: take one shape and see how many things you can turn it into. In this case, a triangle serves as the base. From there, I walk through how I used that triangle to build three completely different characters:
- A cheerful cartoon bird with the triangle forming its beak and head.
- A quirky robot with a triangular body and fun, geometric details.
- A cute bunny rabbit whose triangle base is flipped and stylized into a full cartoon character.
The best part? These drawings are simple enough that kids can follow along, but open-ended enough that they can use the same triangle to create their own interpretations. That's one of the big benefits when you turn shapes into cartoon characters—there are no wrong answers.
Watch The Free Video Tutorial:
Draw 480 Things With The Book!
Keep the Challenge Going
If you and your kids enjoy the idea of turning shapes into cartoon characters, you’ll love the activities in the Shape Drawing Challenge book. It's one of the most flexible and creative books in my lineup. You can start anywhere, pick a shape, and dive in. Whether it’s a triangle like in this new video, or a blob, square, squiggle, or oval, each page opens up a new creative opportunity.
You don’t have to be a professional artist to enjoy these challenges. All you need is a pencil and your imagination.
So give the video a watch, grab the book if you haven’t yet, and see what you can do with a simple triangle. If you like what you create, keep going. Try different shapes, different characters, and challenge your friends and family to turn shapes into cartoon characters too.
Thanks for checking out the new video, and as always, keep drawing!
Draw it, then write about it
Pick one of your shape characters and write about its day. What happened first, next and last?
Print a draw-and-write sheet: a box for the drawing and lines for the story. Primary lines (K–2) · Regular lines (grades 2–5)
Want to make it a whole story? Try the comic story starter or fold a mini-book in Story Studio.
Questions about this shape drawing activity
What age is this shape drawing challenge 4 shape drawing activity for?
Ages 4 and up (about grades Pre-K to 5). There is no wrong answer, so it works for every age.
How long does it take?
About 15 minutes, including time to pause the video. Kids who add their own details or a background often keep going longer.
What supplies do you need?
Paper; pencil; markers or crayons.
What size does it print?
Nothing needs printing: draw along on any paper, Letter or A4.
What if my child can’t think of anything to draw?
Turn the page around and look at the shape from another side, or ask “What could this be if it had eyes?” The drawing prompt generator has more ideas.
For teachers: grade, timing and standards
Grades Pre–K-5, about 15 minutes. Shape drawing challenge, all levels level. The video does the teaching: press play and let students draw along.
National Core Arts Standards (visual arts)
- VA:Cr1 Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas: students invent characters from a single shape.
- VA:Cr3 Refine and complete artistic work: students add details to finish their idea.
See every lesson by standard, plus the math in grid drawing, on the arts standards map.
Copies: print as many as your class needs. More in the teacher resources and our no-prep sub plans.
Get the free Christmas Drawing Pack
10 printable Christmas pages to draw, trace, color and decorate, sent with your welcome email. After that, Kevin’s newsletter brings new free pages and book news.
Take the idea into a book
Want more characters to draw, trace or color? Explore these related books and see which approach fits your next creative session.

Shape Drawing Challenge
By Kevin Coulston
Explore this book →
How to Draw: Food Monsters
By Kevin Coulston
Explore this book →
Trace Then Color: Cartoon Food Monsters
By Kevin Coulston
Explore this book →Another idea to try
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