ggrough2

ggrough2 converts ggplot2 visualizations into hand-drawn, sketch-style graphics. It works by rendering your plot to SVG and then re-drawing every element using Rough.js.

This package is a rework of the dormant ggrough package.

Installation

pak::pak("schochastics/ggrough2")

Basic usage

Pass any ggplot object to rough_plot().

library(ggplot2)
library(ggrough2)

p <- ggplot(mpg, aes(displ, hwy, color = manufacturer)) +
  geom_point() + theme(legend.position = "bottom")

rough_plot(p, width = 7, height = 5)

Fill styles

The fill_style argument controls how filled shapes (bars, areas, boxes) are drawn. Available options are "hachure" (default), "cross-hatch", "dots", "zigzag", "dashed", "zigzag-line", and "solid".

p <- ggplot(diamonds, aes(cut)) +
  geom_bar()

rough_plot(p, fill_style = "cross-hatch")

rough_plot(p, fill_style = "dots")

Background fill style

Use bg_fill_style to control the fill style of panel and plot backgrounds independently from data elements. By default backgrounds are "solid" while geoms use "hachure".

p <- ggplot(mpg, aes(displ, hwy)) +
  geom_point(size = 3) +
  theme(
    panel.background = element_rect(fill = "grey66"),
    plot.background  = element_rect(fill = "grey66")
  )

# solid panel background, hachure geoms (default)
rough_plot(p)

# hachure panel background, cross-hatch geoms
rough_plot(p, fill_style = "cross-hatch", bg_fill_style = "hachure")

Roughness and bowing

roughness controls how jagged the lines are (0 = perfectly smooth, up to 10). bowing controls how much straight lines bow outwards. Higher values create a more exaggerated hand-drawn effect.

p <- ggplot(mpg, aes(class)) +
  geom_bar()

rough_plot(p, roughness = 3, bowing = 2)

Reproducible output

Rough.js uses randomness to vary each stroke. Pass seed to get a stable result.

rough_plot(p, seed = 42)

rough_plot(p, seed = 42)

Custom fonts

Text labels default to the bundled Indie Flower handwritten font. Supply any font family name, or set font = NULL to keep the original plot fonts.

# any system font by name
rough_plot(p, font = "Arial")

# Google Font — download once, then use by name
add_google_font("Dancing Script")
rough_plot(p, font = "Dancing Script")

# keep the plot's original fonts
rough_plot(p, font = NULL)

Fine-tuning with rough_options()

For finer control over fill appearance, pass a rough_options() list to the options argument. All parameters default to NULL (library defaults apply).

Hachure spacing and line weight — hachure_gap sets the pixel distance between fill lines; fill_weight sets their thickness.

p <- ggplot(diamonds, aes(cut)) +
  geom_bar()

# wider gap between hachure lines, thicker lines
rough_plot(p, fill_style = "hachure",
           options = rough_options(hachure_gap = 6, fill_weight = 1.5))

Hachure angle — rotate the fill lines with hachure_angle (degrees).

# nearly horizontal lines
rough_plot(p, fill_style = "hachure",
           options = rough_options(hachure_angle = -10))

Zigzag fill — zigzag_offset controls the width of the zigzag triangles when using "zigzag-line" fill style.

rough_plot(p, fill_style = "zigzag-line",
           options = rough_options(hachure_gap = 5, zigzag_offset = 8))

Saving output

Export to a standalone HTML file (no external dependencies):

save_rough_html(p, "my_plot.html")

Export to PNG or SVG (requires the webshot2 package and a Chrome/Chromium installation):

save_rough_image(p, "my_plot.png")
save_rough_image(p, "my_plot.svg")