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[[quoteright:238:[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/badly-drawn_order-of-the-stick_7584.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:238:Your level of detail may vary.]]

Need to make a webcomic, but have trouble transforming your scribbles into recognizable figures? No problem! Stick figures are easy, simple, and will get your point across without the pressures of drawing "real" art to a deadline. Used as a stopgap in some {{webcomics}} whenever the artist doesn't have the time/energy to draw his or her normal characters.

Doing this as an "off-art" day in a normal comic is acceptable, though do it too much and you may annoy your fanbase, who came expecting better of you.

Choosing to do this full-time means that the plot, characterization, and/or jokes have to stand up on their own two line-drawn feet. If your writing is not up to scratch, you'll sink into the murky, stagnant waters of the Internet to join the rest of the ignored. Of course, if it ''is'', you'll reach Geek Nirvana.

More profoundly, a stick figure, with its lack of definite appearance, age or even gender (though stick women are typically equipped with TertiarySexualCharacteristics), is the ultimate {{Everyman}}: every audience member can project themselves into them.

The main example for the modern-day manifestation of these is Matt Feazel's ''Cynicalman'', in the late '80s and early '90s. Feazel was an accomplished artist, but he drew ''Cynicalman'' as a stick-figure comic (admittedly with full perspective, shadows, etc.) to get across the idea that ''anyone could do this''. Any ''xkcd'' fan who sees ''Cynicalman'', their jaw will drop.

See also StickFigureAnimation. Compare SpriteComic.

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!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Full-Time Comics]]
[[index]]
* ''[[Webcomic/NineZeroNineSickle 909sickle]]'' is a quirky gag-a-day series that randomly dips into a large range of topics including the significance of life, sexuality, theism, popular opinion, space travel and what aliens think of us, and arthropods. Primarily, the characters - who are basically standard stick men with mouths added - argue about logic and use technology. Often delves into progressing story arcs.
* ''Webcomic/AntiHeroes'': Heavily inspired by ''The Order of the Stick'' and proudly admitting it.
* ''Webcomic/AwkwardMoments'' A stick-figure comic that has similar artwork to ''Cyanide and Happiness''.
* ''Webcomic/ABeginnersGuideToTheEndOfTheUniverse''. InteractiveComic using sign-like Stick figures manipulating GISSyndrome objects.
* ''[[http://www.freewebs.com/smokingcatcomicsandcollectibles/bdcthumbnailgallery.htm The Belch Dimension Comics]]'': Although only a dozen or so characters, including the AuthorAvatar, actually appear as such; the rest of the characters are fully-drawn.
* ''Webcomic/CardboardCrack'': A TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering fan comic
* The recipe blog ''[[http://www.cookingcomically.com/ Cooking Comically]]'' presents recipes in webcomic form, combining stick figures with photos (and more than a few video-game references) to demonstrate various recipes.
* ''Webcomic/CyanideAndHappiness'' is a BlackComedy drawn by four different guys.
* Done in printed comics by Matt Feazell (a quite skilled artist) in ''[[http://www.cynicalman.com Cynicalman,]]'' to demonstrate that anyone who can write can do a comic.
* ''Webcomic/DogHouseDiaries'': [[http://thedoghousediaries.com/ has its own unique brand of stick figure.]]
* ''[[http://antoinebruce.deviantart.com/gallery/#Dubious-Is-My-Niche Dubious Is My Niche]]'', a JournalComic / SliceOfLife comic on Platform/DeviantArt.
* ''[[http://e-m.smackjeeves.com/ electric melon,]]'' a webcomic of two parts: a [[AbortedArc story arc]] and the funnier gag a day comics.
* ''Webcomic/EvilGenius'', a webcomic about life of evil mastermind and his not so bright henchmen.
* ''Webcomic/Facade2013'', an InteractiveComic.
* ''[[http://getagreenroom.thecomicseries.com Greenroom]]'' uses colorful stick figures with unique features to signify the characters' personality.
* ''[[http://grimtales.thecomicseries.com GrimTales]]'' is a "stick-figure-and-crayon webcomic about faerie tales".
* A fan-made blog by [[https://mobile.twitter.com/Sushishoes1 Sushi Shoes]] mainly features [[https://sushishoesworld.blogspot.com/ a comic]] based on the ''VideoGame/HenryStickminSeries''.
* ''Webcomic/HyperboleAndAHalf''
* ''Webcomic/TheIncredibleAndAweInspiringSerialAdventureOfTheAmazingPlasmaMan'' is a weekly updating superhero comic which makes use of realistic stick figures. If one will pardon the oxymoron.
* ''[[http://www.insanitycorp.thecomicseries.com Insanity Corp]]'' started out as a (normally) single-panel, gag-a-day, 5-times-a-week stickman comic. However, the author's professed inability to keep things horribly simple led to the addition of backgrounds and colors early on in its creation. It now updates "Frequently" (three times weekly, on average) because of other projects the author is working on.
* ''Webcomic/{{Irrelevator}}'' Partially animated UsefulNotes/MSPaint webcomic aout three men stuck in an elevator, slowly things get weirder and weired and less to do with elevators.
* ''Webcomic/{{John}}'': An intentional example as the creator was trying to evoke the look of an amateur comic, although often the comic will suddenly become a completely different style for a single panel.
* ''Roleplay/JohnQuest'': A side-story/parody of ''Roleplay/RubyQuest'' (below) done in the same art style.
* ''Webcomic/KeychainOfCreation''. The author freely admits that his webcomic is like ''Order of the Stick'', but with ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' instead of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. While they both have similar art styles, this ends in comic [[http://keychain.patternspider.net/archive/koc0319.html 319]], where the character art gains proper arms and legs. This change is explained in the plot by Marena and Secret learning to see the reality differently while [[spoiler:learning sorcery]].
* ''[[http://legendary.comicgenesis.com/ Legendary,]]'' a webcomic about console [=RPGs=], whose art is directly influenced by ''Order of the Stick''. When it still updated, that is.
* Lynion15 has gained a well sized following for their stick figure parodies of ''[[http://lynion15.deviantart.com/gallery/#Mass-Effect-2 Mass Effect 2]]'' and ''[[http://lynion15.deviantart.com/gallery/#Fallout-3 Fallout 3]]''.
* ''Webcomic/MagicAndPhysics'': Reasoning behind it is unknown as of now.
* ''Webcomic/{{Maximumble}}'': A SliceOfLife comic
* Also done in printed comics by the French artist Lewis Trondheim, best known are his ''Mister O'' and ''Mister I'' series.
* ''Webcomic/AMomentOfPeace'': A [[SugarWiki/SweetDreamsFuel sweet]] [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic]] [[BoyMeetsGirl romantic]] SliceOfLife that involves [[OurMonstersAreDifferent monsters]] and gods. While gods and monsters sometimes have more meat on them, all of the human characters are stick figures.
* ''[[http://www.mountaincomics.com Mountain Time]]'' began as an extremely crude stick figure comic, but has since developed into a drawn-slightly-better-than-average stick figure comic.
* ''Webcomic/MSPaintAdventures'' uses this for ''Webcomic/{{Jailbreak}}'' and ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'', though the latter comic manages to have some incredibly detailed art anyway.
* ''Webcomic/MurphysLaw'': A comic based on ''The Order of the Stick''.
* ''Webcomic/NanQuest'': the SpiritualSuccessor to ''Webcomic/RubyQuest'' (below), by the same author. Characters are {{Funny Animal}}s stick figures distinguished by UnusualEars and/or horns.
* ''Webcomic/{{Nyxkcd}}'': as an xkcd parody, the Stick-Figure art-style is a given, but Nyxkcd amps up the StylisticSuck tenfold.
* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''. An unusual case, in that the stick figure style is a deliberate artistic choice rather than the result of the creator's limited drawing skill. This becomes fairly obvious when considering the astonishing range of expressions Rich Burlew imparts to stick-figure faces, or the sheer level of detail in many panels. (Check out, for example, the first panel of [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0450.html "Wands Are for Suckers"]], or [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0463.html "Shattered"]] or [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0339.html "C.P.P.D. Blues."]]) Also, almost certainly the TropeCodifier for the full-time stick figure comic.
** As seen in the page image, the characters also frequently lampshade the fact that they're stick figures.
** There's even an in-universe explanation for the stick-figureness eventually: The gods wanted to try something very different when creating this world. (Doesn't fully explain it, since glimpses of other worlds also have stick figures.)
* ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'' is a rare newspaper example. All the FunnyAnimal characters (Rat, Pig, Goat, Zebra, the Crocs) are drawn as stick figures.
* ''Webcomic/PhilLikesTacos''
* ''Webcomic/PicturesForSadChildren''
* ''Webcomic/{{Positivity}}'': Of the square-body kind.
* ''Webcomic/{{PPL}}'', although technically there are Peg characters inspired by Swoozie drawings as well.
* ''Webcomic/{{Qxlkbh}}'' has most of its main characters drawn as basic stick figures, with only a handful of distinguishing features.
* ''Webcomic/RabbitualOffender'' Stick figure rabbits tell and are the subject of offensive jokes and gags.
* ''[[http://www.rpgeneric.com RPGeneric]]'': Heavily inspired by ''The Order of the Stick'' though using more effects.
* ''Webcomic/RubyQuest'' does this so that Weaver can keep up with the pace of roleplay. Characters are {{Funny Animal}}s who can be told apart by their UnusualEars.
* ''Webcomic/ServantsOfTheImperium''. A ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' webcomic that draws some influence from ''The Order of the Stick''.
* ''Webcomic/TheSlidingScaleComic'': A stick figure comic about role playing games.
* ''Webcomic/{{Spikeboy}}'' Another example whose art style seems to be based of ''The Order of the Stick'', ''Spikeboy'' is about superheroes. Who all live in the same apartment complex. Basically, a superhero [[{{Pun}} sit-comic.]]
* ''[[http://www.stickfigurehamlet.com/ Stick Figure Hamlet.]]'' It's ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
* ''[[http://www.drunkduck.com/STICKFODDER/ Stickfodder]]'' sets itself to ''xkcd'' standards, "and constantly fails to come close to [those standards]."
* ''Webcomic/StickmanAndCube''. The title pretty much sums it up.
* ''[[http://stickman.qntm.org/ StickManStickMan]]'' is an early example.
* ''Webcomic/StrangePlanet'' by Nathan W. Pyle. A world of HumanoidAliens for whom ExpospeakGag is their native language.
* ''Webcomic/TheSymmetricalBreadpazoid'' (whose unusual title is a reference to WebAnimation/TeenGirlSquad) is by troper AnthonyMercer.
* ''[[http://www.ThreePeopleGetIt.com Three People Get It]]'' is an often NSFW (dialogue) comic strip which pokes fun at anyone and anything. The author frequently includes notes indicating where an idea came from, which is often humorous and occasionally insightful.
* ''[[http://tsuduku.moosheep.org/ (tsuduku...)]]'' has a random stick figure guy named "Guy," a circle named "Circle," and so on. Some characters, like Evil Thing, were scribbled out once long ago and have become copy/pasted like self-made clip art ever since.
* ''[[http://unconventional.trhonline.com UnCONventional]]'' is a comic about the staff of a fictional Anime Convention. The main cast is portrayed as clothed stick figures (with hair, facial hair, and other distinguishing features), while background characters are often portrayed as plain stick figures (although they often are given clothes as well in later comics). The artist chose stick figures so the comic would "look as different from Anime as humanly possible."
* ''Webcomic/TheWard'': A thriller webcomic about zombies by Creator/{{Park}}.
* ''Webcomic/TheWayOfTheMetagamer'': [[FollowTheLeader Started out copying]] ''The Order of the Stick''.
* ''Webcomic/TheWhiteboard'' had two variations. One, since the author can't draw people (It's a furry comic), they are usually drawn as very simplified with their heads floating above their bodies. The only features are eyes and hair. Second, on days when Doc N doesn't have the time to post a regular comic and/or days the server fails to post a regular comic, a filler strip goes up with the characters drawn in a simpler style. Once the current storyline gets back on track, the filler strips are taken offline. The characters once [[LampshadeHanging hung a lampshade]] on the fact that they only have one pose in the filler strips. Around 2012 Doc started coloring the comics and stopped using stick figures for background characters, in one case retconning a pair of named stick figures into squirrels.
* ''Webcomic/TheWordWeary'' characters are called "R2-D2 Elves" by one of the protagonists. The characters' bodies are drawn as rectangles with dome heads with pointy-toed legs . Women have two "u" shapes on their chests to represent breasts and stick arms that come out of their shoulders. Male characters' arms seem to come out of their clavicles.
* The supremely geeky ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' is both an exemplar and a subversion, since the author [[http://www.xkcd.com/77/ actually]] [[http://xkcd.com/170/ draws]] [[http://xkcd.com/254/ some]] [[http://xkcd.com/288/ more]] [[http://xkcd.com/766/ complicated]][[http://xkcd.com/1024/ scenes.]] In one early comic, he drew some facial features on his stick figures. They... weren't that good. Maybe he's just bad at drawing faces, or doesn't like drawing complex drawings of people. [[http://xkcd.com/56/ Likely not the first one.]]
[[/folder]]
[[/index]]

[[folder:Off-art Comics]]
* The stick-figure weeks from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', forming a substantial part of its wide range of FillerStrips.
* ''Webcomic/MegaTokyo'''s infamous Shirt Guy Dom strips, a direct reference to the above.
* ''xkcd'''s use of stick figures is parodied in [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/1458.html this strip]] of ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic''.
* ''[[http://scandalsheet.comicgenesis.com Scandal Sheet!]]'' has been known to engage in weeks of "Stick Figure Theater". If you've ever wanted to see someone draw a stick figure Sasquatch...
* Some spamusers on ''Webcomic/{{Spamusement}}'' do this, depending on their mood. (Others never do.)
* ''Webcomic/TheKamics'' does this occasionally, usually under the title Stick Figure Life.
* ''ComicStrip/TheFamilyCircus'', whenever Billy has to fill in.
* ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' [[https://bobadventures.thecomicseries.com/comics/531 did this once]] after completing an 18-month story arc. Subverted in the last panel.
* ''Webcomic/XWhy'' on occasion, plus Super Stickman comics were previously featured on Sundays.
* ''Webcomic/YetAnotherFantasyGamerComic'' also [[http://yafgc.net/comic/0674-the-fellowship-of-the-stick/ features one strip in this style]] as an ''Order of the Stick'' shout-out.
* ''Webcomic/AllenTheAlien'' in its Poorly Drawn Allen strips.
[[/folder]]

[[/index]]
[[folder:Other Media]]
* [[ComicBook/AmericanSplendor Harvey Pekar]] was a writer who had no artistic talent, so he'd make stick-figure frames and gave them to other artists like Creator/RobertCrumb to flesh out.
* The series ''WebAnimation/AnimatorVsAnimation'' uses stick figures.
* The {{MMORPG}} ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'', despite being a videogame, is pure 100 percent Stick Figures. This mostly started out because the creator, Jick, couldn't draw anything better.
* ''WesternAnimation/StickinAround'' is a rare example of a stick figure TV show.
* ''[[http://www.atom.com/channel/channel_stickman_exodus/ StickmanExodus]]'' is a WebAnimation BlackComedy about the trials and tribulations of the two-dimensional.
* The rulebook of the free [[TabletopGames RPG]] ''TabletopGame/{{Risus}}'' is illustrated with stick figures, which fits well with both the extremely simple rule-system and the generally whimsical nature of the game.
* There is also ''[[http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/stickguy-the-role-playing-game Stickguy: The RPG]]'' Where all the characters are to be drawn as stickguys.
* [[http://www.stickpage.com StickPage]] contains dozens of stick-figure animations and games.
* [[http://www.stickdeath.com StickDeath]] gruesome flash and gif movies featuring primitive stick figures consisting of blue and green (and pink for female).
* Website/TalesFromDevNull uses stick figures to complement its mostly text-based stories.
* ''xkcd'' creator Randall Munroe has now started a blog, ''Blog/WhatIf'', using the ''xkcd'' art style to illustrate hypothetical science problems.
* The introductory cartoons in ''WebVideo/WhatTheFuckIsWrongWithYou''. Also, [[RogerRabbitEffect Stick Boy]].
* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventures_of_Alfredo Adventures of Alfredo,]]'' originally released on disk-based magazine Softdisk, is a series of short cartoons (originally created on the Platform/AppleII) starring a hapless stick-figure man who ends up [[TheyKilledKennyAgain dead at the end of every episode]]. He was created by Matthew Heeschen and debuted in "Alfredo's Lost Cause", after which he was "adopted" by Mike Nuzzo for 11 sequels. A fifth-anniversary installment, "Alfredo's Stupendous Surprise", was created by Creator/JohnRomero, and added an interactive element, allowing you to make some decisions for Alfredo, though [[FailureHero the end result would always be the same]].
* The ''WebAnimation/XiaoXiao'' series of Flash animations.
* The "Kuzco Doodles" segments on ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewSchool'', where Kuzco recaps off-screen events as crudely drawn stick figure comics.
* In an article in ''The Register'', Verity Stob argues that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Modeling_Language Unified Modeling Language]] diagram software is much more useful for drawing stick-figure webcomics than for its original purpose, and [[https://www.theregister.com/2007/08/16/verity_stob_software_diagramming/?page=3 provides an example]].
* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'': The ''Xtreme [=Sk8ters=]'' comic strip has characters without faces and very simple bodies.
[[/folder]]
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