How to make stick figure animations in Canva
Stick figure explainers work because they’re simple: clear images, short cuts and a strong script. This tutorial shows the whole workflow, from tightening your voiceover in Audacity to splitting scenes to the narration and finding a set of stick figures that all look like they belong together.
Watch on YouTube · 10 min · 515K views
What you’ll learn
- Remove dead air from a voiceover with Truncate Silence
- Normalise audio so the volume is consistent
- Split one long page into scenes that follow the narration
- Find a consistent stick figure style in Canva’s library
- Stagger elements with element timing
What you need
- Canva Pro
- A voiceover (your own voice or a voice tool such as ElevenLabs)
- Audacity (free)
Step by step
Record your voiceover
Write the script first: it carries this style. Record it yourself or generate it with a voice tool.
Tighten it in Audacity
In Audacity, go to File > Import and bring in the voiceover. Press Ctrl+A, then Effect > Special > Truncate Silence.
Detect silence below -40 dB lasting longer than 0.3s and truncate it to 0.3s. Long pauses are a quiet retention killer on YouTube.
Then run Effect > Volume and Compression > Normalize and export as an MP3 with File > Export Audio.
Set up the Canva project
Create a 16:9 video (or 9:16 for Shorts). Upload the MP3, make the first page longer than the audio and drag the audio onto it.
Search the images library for a paper background and drop it onto the canvas so it snaps into place. Keep it subtle. You can lower the transparency to make it even quieter.
Split scenes to the narration
Play from the start and stop after the first phrase. Press S to split the page. Keep going through the whole voiceover, splitting wherever the content changes.
Some scenes will be short and others longer. That’s fine: follow the meaning of the narration, not a fixed rhythm.
Find stick figures that match
Search Stick Figure in the elements tab. For a consistent look, search @Zdenek Sasek to see one artist’s full set.
On any of their graphics, open the menu and choose View more from. You can now search inside that artist’s collection only.
Build each scene
Listen to each scene and search for its key idea: screen, computer sad, question, unhappy. Don’t overthink it. Each image is only on screen for a few seconds.
Leave plenty of breathing space around the figure. Use R for a rectangle (for example a mock video thumbnail) and T for text in a handwritten font such as Chewy.
On longer scenes, right-click and choose Show element timing to stagger the layers so the screen keeps changing as you speak.
Tighten the timing
Watch the full video back and make sure every cut lands with the narration. Add extra library elements only where they help the story.
Tips
- Simplicity is the style. One clear idea per scene beats a busy frame.
- Consistency comes from sticking to one artist’s illustrations.
- The script does the heavy lifting. A tight voiceover with no dead air keeps viewers watching.
Questions
Can I make stick figure Shorts with this?
Yes. Set up a 9:16 design instead and follow the same steps. Keep figures larger and centred for phone screens.
Do I have to use an AI voice?
No. Your own voice works just as well. The Audacity steps apply either way.
Want to go deeper?
The Pixel Village opens in January with full courses on animation: deeper lessons on every technique, practice projects and feedback on your own work. Join the waitlist and get a free Canva template straight away.
