Help Your Kid Invent Their Own Cartoon Character

Help your child invent their own cartoon character, from first shape to name, personality and backstory. A step-by-step guide plus fun prompts.

By Kevin Coulston, author and illustrator of 88 children’s art books · November 11, 2026 · 2 min read

To help your child invent a cartoon character, start with a simple shape, add features one at a time, then give the character a name, personality and story. Starting from a shape, like a circle or triangle, takes away the fear of a blank page and makes inventing feel like play.

Inventing a character is one of the most exciting things a young artist can do. It turns them from someone who copies into someone who creates. And it is easier than it sounds.

Step 1: Start with a shape

Pick a shape: circle, square, triangle, oval or blob. That shape becomes the body or head. Starting with a shape gives kids a foothold.

Step 2: Add features

Eyes (how many? what size?)
Mouth (happy, grumpy, toothy?)
Arms and legs (or tentacles, wheels, wings)
Something special (a hat, horns, a tail, spots)

Step 3: Give it a personality

Ask:

What's its name?
What does it love? What does it hate?
What is it really good at?
What is it scared of?
What's its catchphrase?

Step 4: Draw it doing things

Draw the character eating breakfast, at school, on vacation, in trouble. A character becomes real when you see it in different situations.

A whole book of starting shapes

Shape Drawing Challenge is built around this idea. Every page gives kids one shape and a set of boxes to fill with different characters. It is a character-inventing workout: the same triangle can become a pizza monster, a wizard, a shark fin or a mountain troll.

Make a character sheet

Professional cartoonists use character sheets. Your child can make one too: draw the character from the front, from the side, happy, sad and surprised. Add notes about its personality. It is a great way to really get to know a creation.

Turn characters into stories

Once kids have a character, stories follow naturally. Read kids making comics for the next step.

Questions parents ask

How do kids invent their own cartoon characters?

Start with a simple shape, add features, then give the character a name, personality and story. Drawing it in different situations makes it feel real.

What is a character sheet?

A page showing a character from different angles and with different expressions, often with notes about its personality.

What age can kids create their own characters?

Children of almost any age can invent characters. Younger kids may start with simple shapes and faces, while older kids add more detail and backstory.

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