Cartooning is a fun, engaging, and open-ended way to teach art concepts! Here is step-by-step framework that teaches skills and leaves plenty of room for student voice and choice.
Step 1: Introduce the Concept
Show your students in a quick and playful way how simple shapes can be the building blocks of imaginative characters (the sillier the better!).
- Start with a simple shape
- Add a face
- Add arms and legs
- Add fun details
Demonstrate by sketching a basic character on the board, emphasizing that there’s no “wrong” way to do it. Encourage students to think outside the box—what happens if their character has triangle legs or a star-shaped head?
Step 2: Let Students Explore
Distribute copies of our Cartoon Character worksheet and demonstrate drawing basic shapes and faces. Ask the students:
- “What kind of character could you make with a square body?”
- “What face would best show excitement, curiosity, or surprise?
Step 3: Encourage Creative Details
Once students have sketched their characters’ basic shapes, direct their attention to details! To help spark creativity by giving ideas at each step, check out the shapes, facial expressions, and easy to draw extras on our Character Ideas Worksheet, (inside the Princess Artypants Membership). Suggest they think about:
- Accessories: What would your character wear?
- Personality: What features can you add to show your character’s hobbies or mood?
- Action: Is your character doing something, like holding a paintbrush or juggling?
This step is where their characters really come to life, so celebrate any quirky or unexpected ideas.
Step 4: Offer Options for Medium and Style
Choice-based art is all about letting students take the reins. After designing their characters, invite them to choose how they want to take their work to the next level:
- Use their character as part of a larger scene, like a comic strip or a landscape.
- Use a character for Game Cards or Wanted Posters (both templates available inside the Princess Artypants membership)
- Cut out their characters and create a collage or stop-motion animation.
Step 5: Share and Reflect
Once students complete their characters, give them time to share their creations with the class. This could be done through a gallery walk, small group discussions, or even a “meet the character” presentation where they introduce their character’s backstory. Use prompts to guide the reflection, such as:
- “What inspired the shape you started with?”
- “How do the details you added tell us more about your character?”
Step 6: Extend the Learning
The fun doesn’t have to stop with one character! Use this resource as a jumping-off point for additional projects:
- Character Families: Students create multiple characters with related traits.
- World-Building: Invite students to create the environment their character lives in.
- Storytelling: Turn their characters into the stars of a short story, comic strip or animation.
Why This Resource Works in a Choice-Based Classroom
The beauty of teaching cartooning this way in is its balance of guidance and freedom. The step-by-step framework ensures students feel supported, while the open-ended options allow them to make their own creative choices. Plus, it’s endlessly adaptable—you can use it with any grade level and tie it into broader themes like storytelling, design, or even social-emotional learning.
So, the next time you’re looking for a way to bring more creativity and choice into your art room, grab this resource, and let your students’ imaginations take center stage.
Stay inspired,
Kristin