Doodle Cartoons
Create and draw playful doodle cartoons, design characters and expressions, add speech bubbles, and arrange panels to tell a short comic story.
Step-by-step guide to create Doodle Cartoons
Step 1
Choose a simple idea for your comic like a funny accident a friendly adventure or a silly day.
Step 2
On scrap paper sketch three different character designs using simple shapes to see which you like best.
Step 3
Pick one main character and one side character from your sketches to star in the comic.
Step 4
Practice drawing at least five different facial expressions for your main character on scrap paper.
Step 5
Fold or lightly draw panel boxes on your main paper to make three or four panels for your story.
Step 6
In each panel lightly pencil the main action showing how the story moves from one panel to the next.
Step 7
Draw speech bubbles and add short clear dialogue or sounds inside them for each panel.
Step 8
Add small details like motion lines eyebrows or props to make the action clearer.
Step 9
Carefully trace your final pencil lines with a black marker or pen to make them bold.
Step 10
Gently erase the pencil lines after the ink is dry so the drawing looks clean.
Step 11
Color your characters backgrounds and speech bubbles to make the comic bright and fun.
Step 12
Share your finished comic on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use instead of a black marker or colored pencils if we don't have them?
If you don't have a black marker for step 9, trace final pencil lines with a dark ballpoint pen or fine-tip permanent marker and if you lack colored pencils for step 12 use crayons, markers, or watercolors to color the characters and backgrounds.
My ink smudged when I tried to erase—what went wrong?
If ink smudges or pencil erasing ruins the drawing after step 9, make sure the ink is completely dry before you gently erase pencil lines in step 10 and rest your hand on a clean scrap paper to avoid smears.
How can I adapt this activity for younger or older kids?
For younger kids simplify by folding only two large panels, using pre-drawn simple shape templates for the three character sketches and thick markers for tracing, while older kids can use four panels, practice five facial expressions in more detail, refine inking with a black pen in step 9, and add complex backgrounds in step 12.
How can we make the comic more personal or longer-lasting?
To personalize and extend the comic, add recurring props and motion lines from step 8, give the characters a unique title and color scheme in step 12, scan or photograph the finished comic to create a series or mini-book, and then share it on DIY.org.
Watch videos on how to create Doodle Cartoons
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Facts about cartooning and comic storytelling for kids
🎨 Cartoon characters use exaggerated shapes (like big eyes or tiny noses) to show personality quickly and clearly.
🧩 Comic panels control storytelling speed: lots of small panels slows time, while one large panel makes a moment feel huge.
💬 Different speech-bubble shapes give tone clues—jagged for shouting, cloud-like for thoughts, smooth for normal talking.
🖍️ Doodling can boost memory and focus—researchers found people who doodled remembered more details in tests.
📚 The Yellow Kid (1895) is often credited as one of the first modern comic strips that helped popularize panels and speech balloons.
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