Pen drawings can allow simple, inexpensive and intuitive two-dimensional (2D) fabrication. Materials scientists aim to integrate such pen drawings to develop 3D objects. In a new report now published on Science Advances, See Woo Song et al. developed a new 3D fabrication method to directly transform pen-drawn 2D precursors into 3D geometries. The team facilitated the 2D-to-3D transformation of pen drawings using surface tension driven capillary peeling and floating of the dried ink film after dipping the drawing into an aqueous monomer solution. By selectively controlling and anchoring the parts of a 2D precursor, Song et al. transformed a 2D drawing into the designed 3D structure. They then fixed the transformed 3D geometry using structural reinforcement using surface-initiated polymerization. The scientists transformed simple pen-drawn 2D structures into complex 3D architectures to accomplish freestyle rapid prototyping with pen drawings including the mass production of 3D objects through roll-to-roll processing.