Animation Studio · With Krea
How to design your own monster
To draw a monster, start with one big shape (a blob, a bean, or a box), then add a face, then the weird bits like horns, tentacles, fur, and spots. In this course your kid picks a body shape and gives it legs, tries eyes, mouths, and teeth that show who the monster is, adds the weird bits and a job or a habit, and finishes with a name, a pose, and a color plan. Krea hosts four short films for kids 6 to 13, with a friendly purple monster named Sockbert as the example all the way through, and your kid ends with a monster sheet on paper: the monster from the front and in one pose, with its name on top. Plan about 4 minutes of films and 30–45 minutes of drawing. Drawing a monster is a skill Kubrio's Animation Studio runs on: your kid photographs the drawing in the Characters room with "I drew one", and the monster becomes the star of a short movie.
How to design your own monster is part of Kubrio Learn: short courses that inspire kids to make things. Learn more
Watch all 4 lessons in the appWhat your kid makes
Your kid ends with a monster sheet on paper: their own monster from the front and in one pose, colored with a three-color plan, with its name on top. The monster is ready to star in a story, a comic, or a movie.
- Ages
- 6 to 13
- Time
- 4 films, about 4 minutes, then 30–45 minutes of drawing
- You need
- Paper, pencil, crayons or markers
- Host
- Krea
The 4 lessons
Lesson 1. Start with a shape
Every monster starts with one big shape, drawn loose with no details yet. A blob is soft and wobbly, a bean is tall and bouncy, and a box is strong and stompy, so the shape already shows who the monster is.
- Draw a blob, a bean, and a box
- Pick your favorite
- Give it legs: two short ones, six wiggly ones, or none
Where: Paper
Lesson 2. Eyes, mouths, and teeth
The face shows who the monster is. One big eye looks curious and three eyes look clever, eyes looking up seem dreamy and sideways seem sneaky, a wide grin is friendly, and a wiggly mouth is nervous.
- Draw two faces for your monster
- Change the eyes and the mouth
- Add teeth: little fangs, one wonky tooth, or a gap
Where: Paper
In the app
Lesson 3. The weird bits
Horns, tentacles, tiny wings, fur drawn as short zigzags, and spots in different sizes make the monster one of a kind. A job or a habit, shown in the drawing, gives it a story.
- Add three weird bits
- Write its job or habit next to it
- Draw one clue that shows the job
Where: Paper
In the app
Lesson 4. The monster sheet
A name said out loud, a pose that shows the monster doing its job, and a plan of three colors, all on one page: the front on one side, one pose on the other, and the name on top.
- Pick a name and say it out loud
- Draw the front and one pose
- Color it with three colors and write the name on top
Where: Paper
In the app
Lesson 1 transcript: Start with a shape
Today you draw a monster. A funny one that nobody has ever seen!
Every monster starts with one big shape. A blob, a bean, or a box.
Here's the trick. No details yet. One big shape, nice and loose.
A blob is soft and wobbly. A bean is tall and bouncy. A box is strong and stompy.
Pick one, then add legs. Two short ones, six wiggly ones, or no legs at all!
See? The shape already shows who it is, before it even has a face.
Your turn. Draw a blob, a bean, and a box. Pick your favorite and give it legs. Then press Next.
Free guides to practise with
Questions parents ask
How do I help my kid draw a monster?
Start with one big shape and no details: a blob, a bean, or a box. Then add the face, and change the eyes and mouth until the monster looks like someone. Add the weird bits last, like horns, tentacles, fur, and spots. Big shape first keeps the drawing loose and easy to change.
Will the monster be scary?
No. The course asks for a funny, friendly monster with a goofy grin and a silly habit, like collecting lost socks. Nothing in it is meant to scare, and it works any time of year.
What can my kid do with the monster after the course?
Put it in a story, a comic, or a movie. In Kubrio's Animation Studio, your kid photographs the drawing in the Characters room with "I drew one", gives it a name, and the monster becomes the star of a short movie. The course Your monster's big movie plans that film in three boxes.