Create a Dream-Inspired Comic!

What can we use instead of a black marker, colored pencils, or regular paper if those are hard to find?

If you don't have a black marker use a dark pen, crayon, or thin paintbrush to trace important lines, color with watercolors or magazine cutouts, and use printer paper or cereal-box cardboard for the page while still writing your one-sentence dream at the top.

What should we do if the four panels or our character drawings look messy or the lines smudge?

Draw the three light dividing lines with a ruler in pencil and sketch the main character first using simple shapes as instructed in the first panel, then erase mistakes and only trace or darken final important lines with marker so smudges are minimized.

How can this activity be changed for much younger kids or for older kids who want more challenge?

For preschoolers, simplify to two big panels and use stickers or big crayons to make the main character in the first panel, while older kids can add more panels, detailed dialogue in bubbles, and complex backgrounds before tracing and coloring.

What are some fun ways to extend or personalize the comic after coloring and adding small details like stars or clouds?

Make a longer story by adding extra panels or stapling several pages into a book, include bold sound-effect words in bubbles, photograph each panel to create a simple stop-motion animation, and then ask an adult to help upload the finished comic to DIY.org.