Design Your Very Own Superhero!
Design and create your own superhero: draw a costume, invent powers and a backstory, and make a short comic strip to tell their adventure.
Step-by-step guide to design your very own superhero
How To Draw Cartoon Superman
Step 1
Find a quiet spot and write your superhero's name big at the top of a blank sheet of paper.
Step 2
On the same sheet list three superpowers your hero has, one power per line.
Step 3
Write a short backstory of three sentences that explains how your hero got their powers.
Step 4
On a new sheet lightly sketch your hero's full body with your pencil.
Step 5
Add costume details like an emblem cape mask or gadget belt to your pencil drawing.
Step 6
Choose two main colors for the costume and color those areas with your coloring materials.
Step 7
On a sticky note write your hero's signature move and stick it next to the drawing.
Step 8
On a different sticky note write one weakness and stick it beside the drawing.
Step 9
Use your ruler to draw four equal comic panels on a fresh sheet of paper.
Step 10
In pencil sketch the story across the four panels showing a beginning a middle and an end.
Step 11
Add speech bubbles and captions to each panel with your pencil.
Step 12
Color the comic panels using your coloring materials.
Step 13
Share your finished superhero and 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!?
If I don't have sticky notes or a ruler, what can I use instead for the signature move/weakness notes and the four equal comic panels?
Use small squares cut from scrap paper and tape them next to the drawing for the 'On a sticky note write your hero's signature move' and 'write one weakness' steps, and use a straight edge like a book or a piece of cardboard in place of the ruler when you draw the four equal comic panels.
My character's proportions and panel lines look wrong when I 'lightly sketch your hero's full body' and 'draw four equal comic panels' — how can I fix that?
Begin the 'lightly sketch your hero's full body' step with simple shapes (circle for head, ovals for torso/limbs) and erase guidelines before adding costume details, and mark the panel edges lightly with your ruler or book edge so the four panels line up evenly.
How can I adapt the activity for younger or older kids?
For younger children, make the backstory one sentence, allow a stick-figure full-body sketch and one-color costume choices, while older kids can expand the three-sentence backstory, add detailed emblems, a gadget belt, and extra or shaded comic panels for more storytelling.
What are some ways to extend or personalize the superhero and comic before sharing it on DIY.org?
Create a matching villain and attach their weakness on another sticky note, make a cardboard mask from the costume sketch, add an extra comic page showing the signature move in action across new panels, and photograph the finished pages to upload to DIY.org.
Watch videos on how to design your very own superhero
How to Draw a Superhero Easy Step By Step Drawing Tutorials for Kids - UCIDraw
4 Videos
How to Draw a Superhero Easy Step By Step Drawing Tutorials for Kids - UCIDraw
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Facts about character design and comic storytelling for kids
🧩 An origin story (like how a hero got powers) helps readers connect and care about a character's choices.
🎨 Bright, bold costume colors were chosen so heroes would stand out on cheap, early comic-paper prints.
📚 Comic strips tell stories in panels—some classic daily strips use just 3 or 4 boxes to deliver a punchy tale.
🧵 Masks, capes, and emblems act like a hero's logo—small costume details make characters instantly recognizable.
🦸♀️ Superheroes exploded in popularity after Superman debuted in Action Comics #1 in 1938.
How do I help my child design their own superhero and make a comic strip?
What materials do I need to design a superhero and create a short comic?
What ages is designing a superhero and making a comic strip suitable for?
What are the benefits, safety tips, and fun variations for the superhero design activity?
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