Make art with fractals

What can we use instead of the black marker or special paper if we can't find them?

If you don't have a black marker, use a dark crayon, ballpoint pen, or thin paintbrush with black watercolor to trace over the pencil lines you want to keep, and ordinary printer or construction paper works fine for the drawing steps.

I'm having trouble keeping the smaller copies about half the size and they look messy—how can I fix that?

Lightly fold a scrap of paper to mark 'half-size' or use a ruler to measure each smaller copy and draw faint guide lines so the repeated shapes stay proportional and stop adding copies when the shapes become too tiny to color.

How can I adapt this fractal art activity for younger or older kids?

For younger children, make one large shape and only one or two smaller copies to color with washable markers, while older kids can make more iterations, use a ruler for precise half-size reductions, and add tiny patterns with fine-tip pens.

What are simple ways to extend or personalize the finished fractal artwork?

Enhance and personalize your piece by painting a watercolor wash background before tracing with the black marker, using metallic or gel pens for the tiny patterns inside shapes, and writing your name and date in a decorative corner as the instructions say.