Object or Character? Two Ways to Read a Shape
A shape can become an everyday object or the beginning of an imagined personality. Comparing those roles can help an artist find a second possibility without needing a completely new outline.
A separate activity to try
Repeat one outline twice. In the first space, try an object with a purpose. In the second, consider whether the same contour could belong to a character. Either version can remain simple.
Look at the next choice
Look at what changed: an added feature, a different scale, or a new surrounding structure. An object does not need a face, and a character does not need a complicated background to make the idea understandable.
Decide whether to continue
Describe the two uses before deciding whether to add color. This comparison can end the activity by itself. A food-character reference book is one possible companion for someone who likes the overlap between objects and cartoons.
Use a published book for another starting task
How to Draw: Food Monsters offers build the demonstrated character through six illustrated stages. Compare that task with Shape Drawing Challenge’s repeated outlines and open-ended responses. The practice suggestions in this article are website-created activities, not additional printed features being claimed for either book.
Keep the next idea open
Shape Drawing Challenge gives artists 16 repeated beginnings, six illustrated examples per shape, and room for 480 independently chosen drawings.