Drawing Lines

To draw a straight line

1. In the toolbox, click the straight line tool (Above).
2. At the bottom of the toolbox, click a line width.
3. To draw the line, drag the pointer.
4. Draw a perfectly horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line by holding down SHIFT while dragging.

To draw a free-form line

1. In the toolbox, click the pencil (shown above)

2. To draw the line, drag the pointer.

To draw a curve

1. In the toolbox, click tool for the curved line (see above).

2. At the bottom of the toolbox, click a line width.

3. Draw a straight line by dragging the pointer.

4. Click where you want one arc of the curve to be, and then drag the pointer to adjust the curve. Repeat this step for a second arc.

5. Each curve must have at least one arc but no more than two.

To draw an ellipse or circle

1. In the toolbox, click the picture of the oval .

2. Drag the pointer diagonally.

3. You can draw a perfect circle by holding down SHIFT while you drag.

4. You can color it in by clicking a fill style at the bottom of the toolbox. Click a new color in the color box to change the line color, or right-click a new color to change the fill color.

To draw a rectangle or square

1.
In the toolbox, click the square to create a square-cornered shape, or click the rounded edge square to create a round-cornered shape.

2. To draw a rectangle, drag the pointer diagonally in the direction you want.

3. To draw a square, hold down SHIFT while dragging the pointer.

4. You can create a colored fill by clicking a fill style at the bottom of the toolbox.

5. The border width of the box is the same as the thickness selected for the line tools. To change the border thickness, click the line or curve tool in the toolbox, and then click the thickness you want in the box below the toolbox.

To draw a polygon (a shape with many sides)

1. In the toolbox, click on the polygon tool.

2. To draw the polygon, drag the pointer and click at each corner, and then double-click when done.

3. To use only 45- and 90-degree angles, hold down SHIFT while dragging.

Using Colors

To set the foreground and background colors

· To set the foreground color click a color in the color box.

· To set the background color right-click a color in the color box.

· The colors selected appear at the left in the color box. The top color is the foreground color. The bottom color is the background color.

To fill an area or object with color

1. In the toolbox, click on the paint can.

2. Click the area or object you want to color.

Notes

· If the shape being filled has any gaps in its border, the color leaks through to the rest of the drawing area. You can find and close any openings by clicking the View menu, pointing to Zoom, and then clicking Large Size or Custom.

· The default background and foreground colors appear at the left in the color box. You can fill with the foreground color by clicking, or you can fill with the background color by right-clicking.

To paint with a brush

1. In the toolbox, click the paintbrush.

2. At the bottom of the toolbox, click a brush shape.

3. To paint, drag the pointer.

To create an airbrush effect

1. In the toolbox, click the can of spray paint.

2. At the bottom of the toolbox, click a spray size.

3. To spray, drag the pointer.

Erasing

To erase a small area

1. In the toolbox, click on the eraser .

2. At the bottom of the toolbox, click an eraser shape.

3. Drag the pointer over the area you want to erase.

Notes

· The selected background color shows what color the eraser will leave behind. You can change the background color by right-clicking another color in the color box.

To erase a large area

1. In the toolbox, click the rectangle to select a rectangular area or click the polygon shape to select a free-form area.

2. Drag the pointer to select the area you want to erase.

3. On the Edit menu, click Clear Selection.