Craft Guides

The beauty of this game is that you don't have to worry about drawing well or needing it to make sense – because it's meant to turn out wacky and unrealistic!

Materials needed:

• 20 - 30 "tokens" (can be made of paper, plastic, wood, or whatever you have around)

• 4 token containers (small boxes or bowls work well)

• A stack of paper (or alternatively, butcher paper to wrap the tabletop)

• Writing and drawing tools

• Scissors

Set up:

1. Choose 4 categories that you want your animals to be based on. Some suggestions: number of eyes, number of limbs, special feature, personality, etc.

2. Separate your blank tokens into four piles, one for each category and, using the 4 categories, begin writing a trait on each token. Place the tokens into the corresponding category's container.

3. Cut pieces of paper into either halves or quarters so that the drawing space is at your desired size. Alternatively, set up butcher paper on the table that people can draw on.

4. Organize the work area so that all participants have space and access to drawing tools.

Directions:

1. Take one token from each category, then take a moment to think. How do these four features relate to each other? If you're lost, bounce ideas with a table mate. Write down some words that come to mind.

2. Begin to draw your creature. Don't worry about perfection, go with your gut and let it look funny! Is your creature sad and made of rocks? What makes it sad? Think about the creature's backstory as you're drawing.

3. Once it's done, name the creature and write a sentence based on the results. For instance, if I draw the following: 1 eye, 4 limbs, slimy goo, sleepy – I could write "Meet Slarl, a sleepy one-eyed quadruped covered in slimy goo."

4. If you want, continue writing a short summary about the creature. Where does it live, and what does it like to do? How many hours does it sleep? What is it's favorite podcast?

5. Share your new creature with your friends! Try to figure out which creatures would get along, and which of them might be neighbors. If you get inspired, draw another creature that fits into the same universe as someone else's.

I hope you enjoy this activity. Send photos of your results, I'd love to see them.