I am trying to create a scatter plot with customized point shapes. For various reasons I would like to replace the standard point shapes in ggplot2 scatter plot with shapes that don't exist in the standard ggplot2 shape set.
I understand the general principle of changing shapes in a scatter plot but I would like to know if it is even possible to import an image (SVG, png, jpg, etc) and then use it in ggplot2.
So if this was my plot:
mtcars
ggplot(mtcars, aes(x=hp, y=mpg)) + geom_point(shape=12)
How would I replace the shape with an image (import it, make it available to ggplot2, reference it in geom_point).
Note that a previous post has addressed this issue but it is in my opinion unclear what the author meant; the links are broken and there isn't code that would clarify this matter. Here is the old post regarding this issue for your reference:
How to use an image as a point in ggplot?
Thanks. In case anyone is interested, the shape I am trying to enter is a little person (stick figure, think xkcd)