Creating shapes and objects with drawing software programs is confusing and often times intimidating. The drawing tool has several option feature icons such as freehand, framing, and text as well as geometric shapes like rectangle and ellipse tools. Each tool produces variation in colors and textures to insert and fill in to the drawn shapes or backgrounds. Original drawings as well as imported images are transformed in the image pad with the drawing feature tools. Certain programs allow the drawings to be converted into web or photo format files such as html, gif and jpeg.
Instructions
1. Open your drawing software program by clicking on the icon installed on your personal computer. An image pad will open in the center of your screen. You will most likely have a drawing tool grid with a variety of drawing feature options on the left side of you screen. If your image pad opens in a half-view grid format, place your cursor along the bottom edge and extend the page down. You will see the full drawing area.
2. Familiarize yourself with the drawing tool icons by placing your cursor over the icon without clicking. Highlighted bars will appear with the name of the function as well as the shortcut F-key number. You will most likely have feature tools like freehand, rectangle, ellipse and artistic text.
3. Select and click on a drawing tool like the rectangle and square tool to open. Drag the cursor in your image pad. The tool frame will appear allowing you to enlarge or reduce the linear rectangle or square objects until you reach your desired size.
4. Click on a "Pick" or "Marquee" tool to frame the object. This will enable the drawing tool features to fill, outline and shape the framed object.
5. Click a drawing tool such as the "Fill" feature to open. A bar will open with multiple icons allowing you to add special effects to your drawing like two-color pattern, texture, or fountain.
6. Click open one of the selected icons such as "Fountain". You will most likely have optional views like conical, radial, linear and square which will allow you to fill your framed object with a color surface pattern. The window will also have up and down arrows which will allow you to increase or decrease the percentage of color inserts within the pattern selected.
7. Open the color tabs to view more colors and customize the fill selection until you have reached your desired color pattern. The image pad also has extra colors which are generally located at the bottom of the screen. By clicking on the arrows with your cursor, more color option swatches will appear.
8. Click on your customized pattern. It will automatically appear in your image pad within your framed object. Bear in mind, you will have to repeat steps 3 through 7 for each new object or shape you create. Depending on your drawing program, web publishing options like html, gif, and jpeg will convert your drawing into the selected format.
9. Save your customized pattern. The save tool is generally in the program's ribbon bar. This term refers to a series of icons which are generally listed horizontally at the top of the drawing area. Though basic features like open, save, cut, copy, paste and print icons are located on the ribbon, drawing programs also include full screen preview, convert to curve tools as well as layering tools. By clicking on each tool, drop-down menus will appear with several option effects.
