What Is Exquisite Corpse and How Do You Play the Drawing Game?

Exquisite Corpse is a collaborative drawing game in which each player draws one section of a figure, hides it, and passes the paper on, so the full picture is only revealed when the last section is finished. You can play it with paper and pencil in a few minutes, or online — Monsterland, for example, is a browser-based "Exquisite Corpse" drawing game that lets you start playing without an account, with optional free registration and mobile apps for Android and iOS.

The Core Rule

The whole game rests on one constraint: you only ever see the section you are about to draw, never the ones before it.

Each player:

1. Draws their assigned part of the figure.
2. Folds the paper over (or otherwise hides what they drew), leaving only a few guide marks visible for the next player.
3. Passes it to the next person, who draws the next part without unfolding.

Because nobody sees the assembled image until the end, the result is usually a mismatched, funny creature — which is the point.

Playing the Classic Paper Version

Setup

• Take one sheet of paper per game and a pencil or pen per player.
• Agree on how many sections the figure will have. Three is the standard minimum (head / torso / legs); four or five gives more players a turn.
• Decide the order of play and whether players sit so they cannot see each other's work.

How to divide the figure

A common three-part split:

For a four- or five-part game, split the torso into chest and abdomen, or add a separate section for feet.

Step by step

1. Player 1 draws the head at the top of the sheet.
2. Player 1 folds the paper backward so the head is hidden, but the neck guide lines remain visible at the fold.
3. Player 2 draws the torso starting from those guide lines, then folds and passes on.
4. Continue until the last player finishes.
5. Unfold the whole sheet and look at the creature together.

Verification

The game worked if the sections connect at the fold lines and no player saw a previous section before drawing. If the parts line up too neatly, players likely peeked or the guides were too detailed.

Playing Online: Monsterland as an Example

Monsterland is an online "Exquisite Corpse" drawing game. From its landing page you can:

• Log in or register — registration is described as free.
• Use without an account — you can start playing without registering.
• Download the mobile/tablet app for Android or iOS.

The online version keeps the same hidden-section principle but handles the folding for you: each player draws on their own screen, and the app assembles the sections at the end. This removes the two most common paper problems — players accidentally seeing the drawing, and folds that don't line up.

The page evidence does not state pricing beyond "It's free" for registration, so treat any cost questions as unconfirmed and check the site directly.

Tips for Better Results

• Agree on a theme first (monsters, robots, animals). A shared theme makes the mismatches funnier rather than just random.
• Keep proportions rough. Don't measure carefully — odd scale differences are part of the charm.
• Don't peek. The game only works if each player draws blind.
• Keep guide marks minimal. Two short lines are enough; more detail gives away the previous section.
• Draw to the edges. Sections that stop short of the fold leave gaps in the final figure.

Common Variations

• Themed rounds — everyone draws to a prompt like "underwater creature."
• Digital drawing apps — any app with layers or separate canvases can replace paper; each player works on their own layer and hides it.
• Writing version — instead of drawing, players write one sentence, fold it, and pass it on, producing a surreal collaborative story.
• Round-robin — the paper goes around the circle more than once, with each player adding to a section they have already seen folded.