Draw an Original Character Digitally

What can I use instead of a drawing tablet or paid drawing app?

If you don't have a tablet or paid app you can use a smartphone or computer with free apps like Autodesk SketchBook or MediBang and a simple capacitive stylus or mouse, still following the same steps of sketching thumbnails, using layers for line art and flats, and exporting the final image.

My line art looks messy when I try to make crisp lines—how do I fix it?

Make a new layer above your sketch as the instructions say, lower the sketch layer's opacity, use a harder darker brush or the stabilizer/smoothing tool and zoom in to draw slower strokes for cleaner line art before filling colors on the layer underneath.

How can I adapt this activity for different age groups?

For younger kids simplify to one big thumbnail and flat base colors with fewer layers, for elementary-age follow all sketch-to-line-art-to-color steps with help on details and props, and for teens add more time on the shading and highlight layers plus patterns/textures for refinement.

What are some ways to extend or personalize the finished character?

You can personalize by adding unique patterns or accessories during the patterns/textures step, writing a short backstory to match the background scene, or exporting alternate versions to turn into stickers, prints, or a short 2–3 frame GIF.