Drawing on a Computer

Painting without paint

Kofi loves drawing. At home he uses a pencil and paper. At school, in the computer lab, he draws with a paint program.

A paint program is software that turns the computer screen into a sheet of paper and the mouse into a brush. You can draw lines, fill in colours, make shapes and write words. If you make a mistake, you can undo it with one click. And you can save your picture to look at again, print, or share.

No paint on your fingers. No crumpled paper. And the colours never run out.

In this book you will learn to use a paint program step by step, from opening it to saving your first masterpiece.

Which paint program?

There are many paint programs. They all work in a similar way.

• Tux Paint is made for children. It is free, has big buttons, fun sounds and a penguin called Tux. Many school labs in Ghana use it.
• Microsoft Paint comes with every Windows computer. Look for it in the Start menu.
• KolourPaint is the paint program on many Linux computers.
• On a tablet or phone there are drawing apps too.

In this book we mostly talk about Tux Paint and Microsoft Paint. If your lab has a different one, do not worry. The tools have the same names and do the same jobs.

Try this: Ask your teacher which paint program is on the computers in your lab.

Opening the program

To start drawing you must open the program.

On Windows:

1. Click the Start button at the bottom left of the screen.
2. Type Paint (or Tux Paint).
3. Click the program when it appears.

On a desktop with icons: find the icon (a small picture of a paint palette or a penguin) and double-click it: two quick clicks of the left mouse button.

Wait a few seconds. A window opens with a big white area in the middle. That is your canvas, the paper you will draw on.

Try this: Open the paint program. Then close it using the X in the corner. Open it again. Now you know the way in and the way out.

Using the mouse

The mouse is your brush, so let us get comfortable with it.

• Rest your hand gently on the mouse. Your first finger sits on the left button, your middle finger on the right button.
• Move the mouse and watch the pointer move on the screen.
• Click means press and release the left button once.
• Double-click means two quick clicks.
• Drag means press the left button, keep it held down, move the mouse, then let go. Drawing is almost always dragging.

If you reach the edge of the mouse mat, lift the mouse and put it back in the middle. The pointer stays where it is.

Try this: Drag the pointer slowly around the edge of the canvas without letting go. Then drag a wiggle across the middle.

The parts of the window

Look at the paint window. It has four main parts.

1. The canvas in the middle: the white area where you draw.
2. The toolbox, usually on the left: buttons for each tool (paint, lines, shapes, text, eraser, undo).
3. The colour palette, usually at the bottom or top: little squares of colour to choose from.
4. The menu or ribbon at the top: words like File, Edit and View, or buttons for Save, Open and New.

In Tux Paint the tools are big buttons on the left, the colours run along the bottom, and the right side shows the brushes or shapes for the tool you picked.

Try this: Point at each part of the window and say its name aloud.

The paint tool

The first tool to learn is the paint or brush tool. Its button usually shows a paintbrush.

1. Click the Paint tool.
2. Click a colour.
3. Move the pointer onto the canvas.
4. Drag to paint. Wherever you drag, a line of colour appears, like a brush on paper.

Let go of the button and the line stops. Drag again to start a new line.

Try moving the mouse quickly and slowly. Quick strokes look rough; slow strokes look smooth.

Try this: Paint a wavy line across the canvas. Then paint your initials in big letters.

Brushes: thick and thin

A real painter has many brushes. So does a paint program.

When the paint tool is selected, look for the brush choices. In Tux Paint they are on the right. In Microsoft Paint, click the Brushes button or the Size button.

• A thin brush is good for details: eyes, whiskers, writing.
• A thick brush is good for filling big areas or drawing bold outlines.
• Some brushes make patterns: dots, stars, footprints, splatters.

Changing the brush does not change the colour. Changing the colour does not change the brush. You choose both.

Try this: Paint a tree. Use a thick brown brush for the trunk and a thin green brush for the leaves.

Choosing colours

The colour palette is a row of coloured squares. Click a square and every tool you use will draw in that colour until you pick another.

Most palettes have: black, white, grey, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink and brown.

In Microsoft Paint there are two colours: Colour 1 (left mouse button) and Colour 2 (right mouse button). Usually you only need Colour 1.

Want a colour that is not in the palette? Look for Edit colours or the rainbow button. A big colour picker opens and you can choose any shade you like.

Try this: Paint a Ghana flag. You need red, gold (yellow), green and black. Which square is which?

Mixing colours on screen

On paper, you mix paint to make new colours. On a computer, the colour picker does the mixing for you.

Screen colours are made from red, green and blue light. Mixing red and green light makes yellow. Mixing all three makes white. No light at all is black.

That is why the colour picker has sliders or a rainbow. Slide towards red for warm colours, towards blue for cool ones. Lighter means more white, darker means more black.

You do not need to understand it all now. Just know that there are millions of colours in a computer, far more than in a box of crayons.

Try this: Open the colour picker and find a colour for the sea at Elmina, and one for the red earth of a village road.

The line tool

Freehand lines with the brush are wobbly. For a straight line, use the Line tool.

1. Click the Line tool.
2. Choose a colour and a thickness.
3. Press the mouse button where the line should start.
4. Drag to where it should end. You will see the line stretch like a rubber band.
5. Let go.

A perfectly straight line! Use it for roofs, roads, fences, flagpoles and the edges of a table.

In Tux Paint the tool is called Lines. In Microsoft Paint it is in the Shapes group.

Try this: Draw a house using only straight lines: a square for the walls and a triangle roof on top.

The shape tool

The Shapes tool draws perfect shapes: rectangles, squares, circles, ovals, triangles and stars.

1. Click Shapes and pick a shape.
2. Press the mouse where one corner should go.
3. Drag to stretch the shape to the size you want.
4. Let go.

Some programs let you choose outline only or filled with colour. In Tux Paint, after you let go, you can move the mouse to turn the shape, then click to fix it in place.

Shapes are the building blocks of many drawings. A trotro is a long rectangle, a small rectangle on top, and two circles for wheels.

Try this: Draw a trotro using three rectangles and two circles. Add a line for the road.

The fill tool

Colouring in a big shape with the brush takes ages. The Fill tool does it in one click.

Its button usually looks like a tipping paint bucket, and in Tux Paint it is called Fill.

1. Click the Fill tool.
2. Choose a colour.
3. Click inside the shape you want to colour.

The colour pours in and fills the whole area up to the edges.

Watch out: if the shape has a gap in its outline, the colour leaks out and floods the whole canvas! If that happens, do not panic. Use Undo (next page), close the gap, and fill again.

Try this: Draw a circle with the shape tool and fill it gold to make the sun.

Undo: fixing mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes. On paper you need a rubber. On a computer you have something better: Undo.

Undo takes back your last action, as if it never happened. Painted a line in the wrong place? Undo. Filled the whole canvas by accident? Undo.

Three ways to undo:

• Click the Undo button (an arrow curling to the left).
• Open the Edit menu and click Undo.
• Hold Ctrl on the keyboard and press Z.

Click Undo again to take back the action before that, and again, and again.

Redo (an arrow curling right, or Ctrl + Y) puts back what you just undid, in case you change your mind.

Try this: Draw three lines. Undo them one by one. Then redo all three.

The eraser

Sometimes you want to remove just a small part of the drawing, not the whole last action. That is the job of the Eraser.

1. Click the Eraser tool.
2. Choose a size, big or small.
3. Drag over the part you want to remove.

The eraser paints with the background colour (usually white), so it looks like rubbing out.

Undo or eraser?

• Undo removes the last thing you did, whole.
• The eraser removes any part of the picture, wherever you drag.

Use undo for a mistake you just made. Use the eraser to tidy small bits anywhere.

Try this: Paint a big blob. Use the eraser to carve a smiley face into it.

Starting again

If the picture is beyond saving, you can start fresh.

Look for New in the File menu, or the New button. The program asks whether you want to keep the old picture. If you do not, say no, and a clean white canvas appears.

In Tux Paint, New also lets you choose a background colour or a starter picture to draw on.

You may be asked "Save changes?" If you want to keep the old picture, click Yes and save it first (we will learn how soon). If you really do not want it, click No.

Try this: Scribble on the canvas, then click New and choose not to save. Is the canvas clean?

Drawing with the magic tools

Tux Paint has a tool called Magic, and other programs have similar effects.

Magic tools do things a brush cannot:

• Rainbow: paints with all the colours at once.
• Sparkles and Glitter: add shiny dots.
• Blur: softens part of the picture.
• Mirror and Flip: turn the picture over.
• Grass, Bricks, Waves: paint textures.
• Fill with pattern: fills a shape with a design instead of a flat colour.

Try each one on a test picture to see what it does. Not every effect is useful for every drawing, but they are fun to explore.

Try this: Draw a sea with the brush, then use a wave or ripple effect on it.

Stamps and stickers

Tux Paint has Stamps: ready-made pictures (animals, fruit, vehicles, people) that you can place on the canvas with a click. Microsoft Paint does not have stamps, but you can paste pictures in.

1. Click Stamp.
2. Pick a picture from the list on the right.
3. Make it bigger or smaller with the size buttons.
4. Click on the canvas to place it.

Stamps are useful for things that are hard to draw: a lion, a bicycle, a bus. Mix stamps with your own drawing.

Try this: Draw a market scene. Use stamps for the fruit and vegetables and draw the stalls yourself.

Adding words

Pictures often need words: a title, your name, labels, a speech bubble.

1. Click the Text tool (the button shows the letter A).
2. Choose a colour and, if you can, a size and font.
3. Click on the canvas where the words should start.
4. Type on the keyboard.
5. Press Enter to finish, or click somewhere else.

Keep words short and big so they are easy to read. Use the Shift key for capital letters.

In Tux Paint there is also a Label tool. Labels can be moved after you type them; plain text cannot.

Try this: Write My name is … at the top of a drawing, with your name.

Selecting and moving

Drew the sun in the wrong corner? You do not have to redraw it. Select it and move it.

1. Click the Select tool (a dotted rectangle).
2. Drag a box around the part you want.
3. Move the pointer inside the box. It changes to a four-way arrow.
4. Drag the box to a new place and let go.

You can also copy a selection (Ctrl + C) and paste it (Ctrl + V) to make a second one. Five pastes of one goat gives you a whole herd.

Tux Paint does not have a select tool, but its Magic tools can shift and flip the picture.

Try this: Draw one star, select it, copy and paste it four times to make a night sky.

Zooming in

For tiny details, the picture can be made bigger on screen with Zoom.

Zoom does not change your picture. It only changes how big it looks, like a magnifying glass.

• Click the Magnifier tool, or press Ctrl and + (plus).
• Zoom out again with Ctrl and − (minus), or choose 100% in the View menu.

When zoomed in, you may see that your drawing is made of tiny squares called pixels. Every picture on a screen is a grid of pixels, each one a single colour.

Try this: Draw a small eye on a face. Zoom in to add a tiny white dot that makes it shine. Zoom out to see the effect.

Planning a picture

Good drawings start with a plan, on the computer just like on paper.

1. Think about what you want to draw. A village at sunset. A football match. Your family.
2. Decide what goes where. Sky at the top, ground at the bottom, the main thing in the middle.
3. Big shapes first. The house, the tree, the sun. Use the shape tool and fill them.
4. Details next. Windows, leaves, faces. Use a thin brush.
5. Words last. A title and your name.

If something goes wrong at step 3, you have not wasted the details yet.

Try this: On paper, draw a quick plan of a picture you want to make. Then make it on the computer.

Project: the Ghana flag

Let us make something real.

1. Shapes tool, rectangle. Drag a wide rectangle across the top third of the canvas. Fill it red.
2. Draw a second rectangle below it, the same size. Fill it gold (yellow).
3. Draw a third below that. Fill it green.
4. Shapes tool, star. Choose black. Drag a star in the middle of the gold band.
5. Text tool. Write Ghana underneath.

Check: are the three bands the same height? If not, undo and try again.

Try this: When your flag is done, use the Text tool to add the date Ghana became independent: 6 March 1957.

Project: my school

Draw your school using everything you know.

• Rectangle for the building. Fill it a light colour.
• Triangle or long rectangle for the roof. Fill it rust red or grey.
• Small rectangles for windows and a door.
• Line tool for the flagpole, with a tiny flag on top.
• Brush for trees and bushes.
• Circle, filled gold, for the sun. A few blue brush strokes for sky.
• Stamps or your own drawing for pupils in the yard.
• Text tool for the school's name on the sign.

Zoom in for the small parts. Use undo when something goes wrong. Take your time.

Try this: Show your school picture to a friend. Can they tell which building is which?

Saving your picture

A drawing on the screen is not safe until you save it. If the computer is switched off, an unsaved picture is gone for ever.

Saving writes the picture to the computer's storage as a file, so you can open it tomorrow.

In Microsoft Paint:

1. Click File, then Save (or press Ctrl + S).
2. A box opens. Type a name for the file, such as kofi-flag.
3. Click Save.

In Tux Paint:

1. Click the Save button on the left.
2. That is it! Tux Paint names and stores the picture for you.

Save early, and save often: every few minutes while you work.

File names

When you save, you give the file a name. A good name tells you what the picture is, so you can find it next week.

Good names: ghana-flag, my-school, ama-market-scene. Bad names: picture1, untitled, asdfgh.

Rules for a safe file name:

• Use letters, numbers and dashes.
• Avoid symbols like / \ : * ? " < > |. The computer does not allow them.
• Keep it short.

The computer adds an extension to the end, such as .png or .jpg. That tells it the file is a picture. Leave it alone.

Try this: Think of a good file name for a drawing of your family at Christmas.

Where did it go? Folders

Files live in folders, just as papers live in a cupboard.

When you save in Microsoft Paint, the save box shows the folder. Usually it is Pictures. Your teacher may ask you to save in a class folder, such as Basic 3 or one with your own name.

To find your picture later:

1. Open File Explorer (the yellow folder icon).
2. Click Pictures (or your class folder).
3. Look for your file name. Double-click it to open.

In Tux Paint, click Open and your saved pictures appear as small thumbnails. Click one, then click Open.

Try this: Save a picture, close the program, then find and open the picture again.

Save and Save As

There are two ways to save.

Save keeps the picture under the name it already has. The old version is replaced by the new one. Use it while you are working.

Save As lets you give the picture a new name or put it in a different folder. The old file stays as it was. Use it when you want to keep two versions: house-v1 and house-v2.

Example: Abena draws a market. She saves it as market. Then she adds a goat and uses Save As to call it market-with-goat. Now she has both.

Tux Paint asks you: "Save over the old picture, or save a new one?" Choose the one you want.

Try this: Save a drawing, add one thing, then Save As with a different name. Open the folder and check there are two files.

Printing and sharing

Once saved, your picture can leave the computer.

Print: click File, then Print. Make sure the printer is on and has paper. Ask your teacher first; ink and paper cost money.

Share: a picture file can be copied to a pen drive (USB stick), sent by email, or shown on the school's projector.

Wallpaper: some programs let you set your picture as the computer's desktop background.

Remember: a picture you share can be seen by many people. Only share your own work, and never share a picture of someone else without asking them.

Try this: With your teacher's help, show your best picture on the class projector.

Looking after the computer

The computer lab is for everyone, so treat it well.

• Wash and dry your hands before you start. Sticky mice are no fun.
• No food or drink near the keyboard.
• Hold the mouse gently. Do not bang it on the table.
• Save your work and close the program before you leave.
• Do not switch the computer off at the wall. Use Shut down in the Start menu.
• Tell the teacher if something is broken. Do not try to fix it yourself.
• Sit up straight, with the screen at eye level, and take a break every twenty minutes.

Try this: Make a poster, on the computer, with three rules for the computer lab.

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcuts let you do things fast without the mouse. Hold the first key and tap the second.

Shortcut	What it does
Ctrl + Z	Undo
Ctrl + Y	Redo
Ctrl + S	Save
Ctrl + N	New picture
Ctrl + O	Open a picture
Ctrl + C	Copy the selection
Ctrl + V	Paste
Ctrl + A	Select all
Ctrl + P	Print

You do not have to learn them all now. Start with Ctrl + Z (undo) and Ctrl + S (save). They are the two you will use most.

Try this: Draw a line, press Ctrl + Z, then press Ctrl + S. Did it undo, then save?

Tux Paint and Microsoft Paint compared

Job	Tux Paint	Microsoft Paint
Paint freehand	Paint	Brushes / Pencil
Straight line	Lines	Shapes → Line
Shapes	Shapes	Shapes
Fill an area	Fill	Fill with colour (bucket)
Undo	Undo button	Undo arrow or Ctrl + Z
Rub out	Eraser	Eraser
Words	Text / Label	Text (A)
Ready-made pictures	Stamps	Paste an image
Effects	Magic	Few
Save	Save button	File → Save

Different names, same ideas. Once you know one program, the next is easy.

Try this: If your lab has both, draw the same picture in each. Which did you prefer?

When things go wrong

The program will not open. Wait ten seconds and try once more. If it still fails, tell the teacher.

The pointer is stuck. Lift the mouse and put it down again. Check the cable.

I filled the whole screen by mistake. Ctrl + Z.

My picture disappeared. Did you click New? Try Undo. If it was saved, use Open.

The colours look wrong. Check which colour square is selected.

The text tool is typing in the wrong place. Press Enter, then click where you want it.

I cannot find my saved file. Look in Pictures, then ask the teacher to search by name.

Stay calm. Almost every problem has an undo.

Try this: Pick one problem above and show a friend how to fix it.

Quiz

1. What is the white area in the middle of the paint window called?
2. Which tool colours a whole shape with one click?
3. What happens if you use the fill tool on a shape with a gap in its outline?
4. Name two ways to undo.
5. What is the difference between undo and the eraser?
6. Which tool draws a perfectly straight line?
7. Which key do you hold for a capital letter in the text tool?
8. Why must you save your picture?
9. What is a good file name for a drawing of a trotro?
10. What is the difference between Save and Save As?

What you have learned

You can now:

• Open a paint program and name the parts of its window.
• Use the mouse to click, double-click and drag.
• Paint with the brush in different sizes and colours.
• Draw lines and shapes, and fill them.
• Fix mistakes with undo, redo and the eraser.
• Add words, stamps and effects.
• Plan a picture, build it with big shapes first, and finish with details.
• Save your work with a sensible file name, find it again in a folder, and use Save As for a second version.
• Look after the computer lab.

Next you will learn to type longer pieces of writing on the computer. Your mouse and keyboard skills will carry straight over.

Learn more

• Tux Paint — the free paint program for children; download it at home
• Tux Paint documentation — a guide to every tool, with pictures
• Tux Paint features — see what the Magic tools and Stamps can do
• GIMP — a free, more powerful paint program for when you are older
• NaCCA Ghana — the official Basic 3 computing curriculum

Watch more

Think about it

1. What can a paint program do that paper and crayons cannot? What can paper do that a computer cannot?
2. Why is it a good idea to draw big shapes first and details last?
3. If undo takes back your last action, why do we still need the eraser?
4. What might happen if everyone in the class saved their picture as picture1?
5. Why should you ask before sharing a picture of someone else?