Video styles

What is this video style called? Stick figure and doodle explainers

Simple drawings on a white background, one recurring character, and a new picture every few seconds timed to a voiceover is usually called a stick figure explainer, doodle video or hand-drawn explainer. Faceless YouTube channels use it for history, science, psychology and money. To make one, narrate a script and draw a scene for each sentence, or let a tool such as Alpy draw them from your narration.

Last updated 29 October 2026

The styles, and what gives each away

Stick figure explainer frame: a black-outline stick figure presses a red button, a clock and a grey cartoon robot react, on a plain white background
Stick figure explainer. A round-headed stick figure in black outline, a few flat colours for props, plain white background. How to make it →
Doodle-style history explainer frame: a stick figure caveman with brown hair, a speech bubble showing stained teeth, and a crossed-out toothbrush, on white
Doodle / MS Paint style. Thick, slightly wobbly lines, simple symbols (a crossed-out toothbrush, a speech bubble), bright flat fills. How to make it →
Cartoon animal explainer frame: a grey raccoon in a red tie points at a sign reading $66 x 12 = $792 a year, next to a stack of money, on white
Cartoon animal narrator. One animal mascot that returns in every scene, with signs and numbers drawn into the picture. How to make it →
Hand-drawn psychology explainer frame: an orange cartoon cat in a teal scarf stands under a spotlight on a grey stage, on a white background
Hand-drawn psychology / storytelling. A mood carried by a single object (a spotlight, a stage), the character's expression doing the work. How to make it →

All four frames are from videos made with Alpy.

How to make videos like this

  1. Write the script for speaking. An 8-minute video is about 1,200 words; the script template splits it into parts.
  2. Narrate it in your own voice, or choose an AI voice.
  3. Pick one character and keep it in every scene: a stick figure, or an animal from the free characters.
  4. Draw a scene for each sentence, on white, and cut each in on the words it shows. By hand this is the slow part; Alpy draws them from your script or recording.
  5. Add a thumbnail in the same style, with a few big words.

Questions

What is the stick figure explainer style on YouTube called?
Usually a stick figure explainer, doodle video or hand-drawn explainer; when it is drawn on screen, whiteboard animation. Faceless channels use it because a narrator and simple drawings are enough, with no camera.
How do I make videos like this?
Write and narrate a script, then draw a simple scene for each sentence on a white background with one recurring character, and cut each drawing in on the words it shows. You can draw them yourself, or use a tool such as Alpy that draws the scenes from your narration.
What app makes stick figure explainer videos?
Drawing apps (Procreate, Krita) plus an editor if you draw by hand; whiteboard tools like VideoScribe if you place the images yourself; or Alpy, which draws a scene for each part of your script or recording with one consistent character.
Can I make this style from a screenshot of a video I like?
Use the screenshot to name the style (stick figure, doodle, animal narrator), then pick a similar character and write your own script. Copying another channel's script or characters can break YouTube's copyright and reused-content rules; the style itself is common.

Make one in this style

Paste a script or upload your narration, pick a character, and Alpy draws a scene for everything you say, in your own voice or an AI voice. Setting up a video is free, and you see the price before you pay.

Make a video in this style →