Exquisite Corpse Drawing Game: A Group Guide

How do you play the Exquisite Corpse drawing game?

Fold a sheet of paper into four sections. One player draws a head in the top section and leaves two small joining marks over the fold, then hides the drawing and passes left. The next players add a chest, lower body, and legs or feet in the same way, seeing only the joining marks. After four drawing turns, unfold the paper to reveal one collaborative figure.

The hidden contributions matter more than anatomy. A robot head may meet a teapot body and a set of tree-root feet. Nobody controls the whole picture, and no single drawing is the “correct” one.

The Museum of Modern Art defines Exquisite Corpse as a game in which participants take turns writing or drawing, conceal a contribution by folding the paper, and pass it to the next player. MoMA notes that artists in the Surrealist movement adopted the game in the 1920s to make collaborative compositions. That is the history; the practical rules below are a closed Carolix version for one table.

For another compact activity that fits a small gathering, see party games for small groups.

What materials and group size work best?

For each four-person group, prepare:

• four sheets of A4 or US Letter paper;
• pencils, coloured pencils or washable markers;
• a flat writing surface for every player; and
• one folder or large book to hold finished drawings face down.

Four people is the Carolix base group. Each person starts one sheet, so four drawings move around the circle at once. MoMA's learning activity says the game works best with three or four players and instructs the group to fold a sheet into as many sections as there are players.

With three people, use three panels: head, middle, and legs or base. With five or more, split into groups of three or four. Extra panels can make the join hard to read and leave each player waiting longer for the reveal.

How should the paper be prepared?

Place each sheet in portrait orientation. Fold it crosswise into four roughly equal panels, then open it flat. The creases are boundaries, not drawing lines.

Lightly label the back of the panels 1 to 4. On the front, leave the page blank. Write the starter's name or an assigned number on the back at the bottom so the completed sheet can return to the right person without exposing its front.

Before play, the host demonstrates a hidden join on scrap paper: draw two short neck lines that continue just beyond a crease, fold the completed panel behind the sheet, and show that only the line ends remain visible. Those marks give the next artist a place to begin without revealing the earlier picture.

MoMA's activity specifically tells the first player to leave small connecting lines in the next section. Its example uses head and neck, upper body, then legs and feet. The back labels and simultaneous four-sheet rotation are Carolix house choices.

What is the closed four-turn sequence?

Seat the four players in a circle and announce that every pass goes left. Each player begins with one open sheet.

1. Head: Draw a head or top in panel 1. Extend two short join marks into panel 2. Fold panel 1 backward so only the marks and blank panel 2 remain visible.
2. Chest: Pass left. Draw an upper body in panel 2, beginning at the visible marks. Extend two join marks into panel 3, then hide panel 2.
3. Lower body: Pass left. Draw a lower body, machine, object or other middle in panel 3. Extend join marks into panel 4, then hide panel 3.
4. Legs or base: Pass left. Complete the figure with legs, wheels, roots, a pedestal or another base in panel 4. Fold it closed and pass left once more.

After that final pass, every sheet should be back with its starter. No one opens it yet. The host checks that all four groups, if there are several, have finished.

MoMA's published activity follows the same head-and-neck, upper-body, legs-and-feet progression, concealing each section before the next contribution. The alternative endings above preserve that connected-figure structure without requiring a human body.

What are the rules while drawing?

Each artist sees only the blank current panel and the connector marks. Do not unfold earlier panels, hold the paper up to light or ask another player what they drew.

Draw within the assigned panel except for the two join marks. Words, speech bubbles and labels are left out of the Carolix base game, because they can reveal a theme before the picture opens. Abstract textures and patterns are allowed.

The host gives three minutes per panel and a 20-second warning. Everyone folds and passes together. These times are Carolix pacing choices, not historical rules. A player who finishes early places the folded sheet flat in front of them.

There is no erasing after the pass call. A player may change their own current panel until that call, but nobody edits another person's contribution during or after the reveal.

How do hidden joins work?

Two marks are enough. They should cross the fold and stop in the next panel, like the ends of a neck, waist, axle or pair of stems. The receiving artist treats the marks as connection points, not as a demand to guess the hidden subject.

If there is one mark, build from one. If there are three, choose any two or incorporate all three. If the previous player forgot the marks, the host adds two neutral dots at the fold without opening the hidden panel.

Do not make large clues, write instructions or reveal outlines through the fold. The surprise depends on concealing the contribution while leaving only enough information to connect the parts. A MoMA catalogue describes the next participant using the slight exposed portion as a starting point, producing a connected composition that is not logically continuous.

Can the host use a theme?

Yes, but announce it before the first line is drawn. MoMA's activity suggests themes involving animals, creatures, objects or places. A theme should widen the possibilities rather than dictate one finished image.

Good options include:

• creatures adapted to an imaginary climate;
• machines with an unknown job;
• buildings from four different worlds; or
• plants, objects and animals combined.

Do not assign a real participant as the subject without their clear permission. Avoid prompts based on a person's body, disability, ethnicity, religion, gender or other personal characteristic. Do not use sexual, graphic or humiliating themes in a general group.

How should the final reveal run?

Collect drawing tools first. Starting with the host's left, each starter unfolds the sheet that returned to them from top to bottom. Hold it where everyone can see, or place it flat on a clear table.

Name the contributors in drawing order only if everyone agreed to that before play. Otherwise, treat the image as a group work. Invite observations about connections, repeated shapes or unexpected changes rather than ranking skill.

MoMA describes the final product as a collaborative drawing and a surprise for its participants. The Carolix reveal therefore has no winner, vote or “worst section.” A participant may keep a sheet folded, ask the host to show it without commentary or withdraw permission for a photograph.

Put revealed sheets in the folder rather than on the floor. If the group wants a second round, prepare fresh paper or refold unused sheets; do not draw over the completed work without all contributors' agreement.

What if the rotation goes wrong?

Pause the whole circle before anyone draws again.

• Two sheets reach one person: return both to the previous seats and repeat the left pass together.
• A sheet goes right: move it back without opening it, then pass left on the host's call.
• The wrong panel is exposed: the host refolds the sheet while shielding the finished drawing.
• A player sees an earlier section: continue without describing it; do not restart unless the group prefers a fresh sheet.
• A panel is blank: leave it blank or let that player add a simple pattern before the next pass.
• A join misses the next panel: the host adds neutral dots at the crease without uncovering the image.

A torn sheet can be placed face down inside a larger folded carrier. Do not tape across the drawing surface during play.

What safety and access rules apply?

Keep players seated while drawing and passing. Clear drinks, bags and cables from the table and floor. Pass each folded sheet directly to the next player or place it flat in their clear writing space; do not throw it.

Use ordinary drawing tools suited to the group. Do not use craft knives, pins, staples, sharp compasses or open blades. Marker caps, pencil toppers and broken pieces are small parts: collect them promptly and keep them away from young children and pets. Replace a splintered pencil or cracked pen.

Provide good lighting, readable contrast and enough table space to turn the page without striking another person. Offer larger paper, a broad dark marker, a clipboard, extra time, a scribe or a consenting drawing partner. A player may make a small mark, pass a turn or leave the activity without explanation.

Do not photograph, post or keep a group drawing for display unless every contributor agrees. If the revealed content crosses the group's boundary or makes someone uncomfortable, fold it, stop the discussion and move on.

Sources

• Museum of Modern Art: Exquisite Corpse art-term definition
• Museum of Modern Art: Mondays with MoMA — Exquisite Corpse activity
• Museum of Modern Art: Cadavre Exquis, 1926–27
• Museum of Modern Art catalogue: Joan Miró, Black and Red Series