Make your own comic! An easy guide for kids
You don't need to be an amazing artist. If you can draw a circle and tell a story, you can make a comic. Let's do it together.
Hi! I'm made of a circle and a bean. You can draw me in 10 seconds!
What you need
You probably have all of this at home or school already.
- A sheet of paper (any kind)
- A pencil and an eraser
- A black marker or pen for tracing
- Crayons, markers or colored pencils
- Your imagination!
Tip: Want ready-made boxes to draw in? Print a free kids comic template with lines for your words.
Make a comic in 5 steps
Do one step at a time. Most kids finish their first comic in about 30 minutes.
Invent a character
Start with a shape: a circle, a square or a triangle. Add eyes, a mouth, arms and legs. Give your character a name!
Give them a problem
Every good story has a problem. Maybe your character lost their hat, or a storm is coming. What will they do?
Fold your paper into panels
Fold your paper in half the long way, then in half the short way. Open it up and you have 4 boxes, called panels.
Draw your story
Box 1: meet the character. Box 2: the problem shows up. Box 3: they try to fix it. Box 4: how it ends.
Add words and color
Write what characters say in speech bubbles. Add a sound effect like ZOOM! Then trace in marker and color it in.
Draw characters from shapes
The shape you start with tells readers what your character is like, before they say a single word.
Circles feel friendly
Round characters look kind, cuddly and fun. Great for best friends, pets and funny heroes.
Squares feel strong
Square characters look tough, steady and brave. Perfect for robots, guards and heroes who never give up.
Triangles feel sneaky
Pointy characters look sharp, tricky or a little bit dangerous. Try one for a villain or a mischief-maker.
Show feelings with faces
Change just the eyebrows and mouth, and the same character can feel totally different.
Happy
Curved-up smile, relaxed eyebrows.
Sad
Frown, eyebrows tilted up in the middle, maybe a tear.
Surprised
Big round eyes, high eyebrows, an "O" mouth.
Story idea machine
Stuck on what to draw? Press the button to get a hero, a place and a problem. Then turn it into a comic!
Sound effects make comics LOUD
Comics can't play sounds, so artists draw them! Write the sound in big, bold letters near whatever made the noise.
Try making up your own: what sound does a sneezing dragon make? Learn more about drawing sound effects.
For parents and teachers
Making comics builds reading, writing and sequencing skills, because kids must plan a beginning, middle and end and choose only the most important words.
- Time: 30 to 45 minutes for a first 4-panel comic.
- Ages: 6 to 12. Younger kids can draw and dictate the words to a grown-up.
- Classroom idea: have students retell a book chapter or science process as a 4-panel comic.
- Privacy: no accounts or sign-ups are needed to use any part of this site.
Looking for more? The printable Kids' Comic Activity Book has 48 pages of screen-free drawing fun, and teachers can use the ready-made Classroom Comic Unit. We also run school and library workshops.
Ready for more? Older kids and teens who want to keep going can move on to the beginner course, which teaches faces, poses, panel layouts and lettering.
Print a blank comic and start drawing
Free kid-friendly templates with big boxes and lines for your words.