How to Draw & Color in Microsoft Paint or Classic Paint

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Make sketches, draw lines, and add color with this easy-to-use program

Co-authored by Mark Weiser and Travis Boylls

Last Updated: December 5, 2025 Fact Checked

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Using MS Paint

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Using Classic Paint

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Learning What You Can Do

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Q&A

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Tips

You don't need complex software like Photoshop to make great art! MS Paint, which comes with all copies of Microsoft Windows, is a perfectly capable program that you can use to make fun drawings. This wikiHow will teach you how to use both the old and new versions of the program, as well as some helpful tips, including advice from artist Mark Weiser.

Draw and Color in MS Paint

Use the color swatches at the top to select a color.
Use the shape tools, line tools, and pencil tool to create basic outlines of a drawing.
Use the paint bucket tool to fill in parts of a drawing with colors.

Section 1 of 3:

Using MS Paint

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1
Work in a good file size. Since MS Paint works with very basic pixels, if you want to make your drawing really nice, you'll need to increase the canvas size. Do this by clicking the resize button and setting the dimensions somewhere above 2000 pixels.
- To increase the size of a document, click File, followed by Image Properties. Select Pixels as the unit size and enter a pixel size for the height and width of your image. Then click Ok.
Creating layers allows you to separate different elements of your drawing. You can work on one aspect of your drawing without altering or damaging the others. To create a layer, click Layers at the top of the page to open the Layers menu. Then click the plus (+) icon at the top to create a new layer. Click the layer you want to work in in the Layers menu.

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3
Select a color. To select a color, click one of the colored circles at the top.
- You can also click the color wheel (Edit Colors) icon and select a specific color from the color box, adjust the RGB levels, or enter a hexadecimal color code.
- Use the color picker tool, which resembles an eyedropper, to select a color from your drawing.
4
Create your main lines and shapes. You can find both the straight line tool and the curved line tool in the “Shapes” menu at the top of the page. There are also a variety of shapes you can use, including the square and ellipse tools, as well as some others.
- To use one of the shape tools, simply click and drag where you want to place the shape. Hold Shift to keep the shape size proportional.
- To use the straight line tool, simply click and drag to create a straight line. To use the curved line tool, click and drag to create a line. Then click and drag to create a curve.
5
Draw free hand with the pencil tool. To draw freehand, click the pencil tool and then click and drag to create lines on your canvas.
- You can use the drop-down menu below “Brushes” to select different brush textures.
- Use the slider bars on the left side to adjust the size and opacity of the brush strokes.
The Eraser tool is in the Tools section at the top of the page. Click the Eraser tool and then use the slider bar on the left to adjust the size of the Eraser. Then click and drag over parts of a line you want to erase.
Use the paint bucket tool to fill in all of your base colors. It’s the icon that resembles a bucket pouring paint. Select a color and then click the paint bucket tool. Click where you want to color to fill in the outlines with that color.
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Add highlights, shadows, and midtones. Now for the fun part. Select all and copy your drawing as it is now. Then, choose an area that you want to shade (say, the hair). Select that base color and set it to color 2.Then, make color 1 your shading color. Use any of the tools to do the shading however you like. Don't worry about going over your black lines! Just do one area (with the same base color) at a time.
- Use the pencil tool and different brush types to create different textures, shades, and gradients.
- According to Weiser, adding shadows can add more dimensions to your drawing and make it look more realistic.^{[1]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Mark Weiser
  Artist
  
  Expert Interview}
To add text to your drawing, click the icon that resembles an “A” at the top. Use the menu at the top of the page to select the font, style, size, and justification. Then click where you want to add text and type the text you want to add.
To add a sticker to your drawing, click the Stickers drop-down menu at the top of the page. Click one of the stickers and then click where you want to put it. Alternatively, you can click Generate sticker and then enter a description of a sticker you want to create. This will use AI to generate a sticker.
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Use Copilot to edit your drawing (optional). There are several AI features you can use to edit your image. To access these, click Copilot at the top of the page. The following are some features you can use:
- Cocreator: This allows you to enter a description of an image. Copilot will then use AI to generate an image while you draw.
- Image Creator: This allows you to create an image using AI by entering a description of the image.
- Sticker Generator: This allows you to generate stickers using AI.
- Generative Erase: This allows you to remove objects using the background fill.
- Object Select: This allows you to select a specific object in your drawing.
- Remove background: This allows you to remove the background of an image.
It’s always a good idea to save frequently while you work. To save, click File in the menu bar at the top. Then click Save as. Select a file type. Then enter a file name for the image and click Save.

Section 2 of 3:

Using Classic Paint

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A classic version of MS Paint comes pre-installed on early versions of Windows 10 and below. You can download the early Windows 10 version of MS Paint from here. Alternatively, you can experience the original 1.0 version of MS Paint in a web browser at jspaint.app
2
Select a color. If you are using the Windows 10 version of MS Paint, click one of the colored swatches at the top of the page. In MS Paint 1.0, the colored swatches are at the bottom of the screen.
- To define a custom color, click the Edit color icon, which resembles a rainbow box next to the color swatches. In MS Paint 1.0, click Colors in the menu bar at the top and then click Edit colors. Then click Define custom color. Select a color from the colored box, or adjust the specific RGB values.
3
Create your main lines and shapes. Click one of the shapes in the Shapes menu to select it. You can also create a straight or curved line. In MS Paint 1.0, all shapes and lines are in the toolbar to the left.
- To use one of the shape tools, simply click and drag where you want to place the shape. Hold Shift to keep the shape size proportional.
- To use the straight line tool, simply click and drag to create a straight line. To use the curved line tool, click and drag to create a line. Then click and drag to create a curve.
4
Draw freehand. To draw freehand, select the pencil or brush tool and click and drag to create lines.
- Use the brush drop-down menu at the top of the page to select different brush thicknesses and styles.
- On MS Paint 1.0, the Pencil tool only creates thin black lines. The Brush tool is next to the pencil tool; this displays different brush types below the toolbar to the left.
The Eraser tool is in the Tools section at the top of the page. Click the Eraser tool and then use the slider bar on the left to adjust the size of the Eraser. Then click and drag over parts of a line you want to erase.
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Fill in your base colors. Use the paint bucket tool to fill in your base colors in your entire drawing. You'll want to zoom in order to catch all of the little gaps that can be created.
- The fill tool looks like a paint bucket being poured out.
To add text to your drawing, click the icon that resembles an “A” at the top or in the toolbar. Click and drag where you want to create a text box for your text. Use the menu at the top of the page to select the font, style, size, and justification. Then start typing.
According to Weiser, shadows can add more depth to your drawings and make them more realistic. Use the fill tool to fill in your shading areas, using a deeper value color than your base tone.^{[2]
X
Expert Source

Mark Weiser
Artist

Expert Interview}
Use the fill tool to fill in your highlighted areas, using a lighter value color than your base tone.

Section 3 of 3:

Learning What You Can Do

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What you have to keep in mind is that MS Paint is not Photoshop. Don't expect to be able to get a Photoshop look with your drawings. You can make nice pictures, but they have a very particular look to them. Embrace it. You should also keep in mind that the files save with poorer quality than programs like Photoshop, so don't expect them to print well at high resolutions.
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Make the changes that you can. Know what sort of changes you can make to existing images, like photographs. MS Paint isn't Photoshop, but some basic tweaks can be achieved using the program. You can do things like:
- Crop images. Cropping in MS Paint can actually be easier than in some other programs, since all you have to do is drag around the corners of the image.
- Cover small problems. Copying and pasting small selections that can band-aid small problems with an image is pretty easy with MS Paint, as long as you're patient.
- Correct red eye. If you have some dark pixels you can copy and paste, or if you feel like you can use the freehand tools, then fixing red eye is very doable in a program like MS Paint.
- Use the Copilot features to make quick changes to images that are beyond your skills.
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Experiment with other programs. If you're using MS Paint because you think you can't get a better program, don't worry. There are other options out there. Be sure to check out these alternatives to help you on your road to digital art mastery:
- One program that you might find useful is a free program called Oekaki. This is similar in look to MS Paint but has many more features. You don't even have to download anything. Many websites have Oekaki as an app within a web browser. This program allows some actual layers, much like Photoshop, which means you can make much nicer pictures.
- If you want to use a program that is more powerful but you don't want to spend the money on Photoshop, know that there are alternatives. Paint Tool Sai, Manga Studio, and many other programs, which are similar to Photoshop, can be purchased for $20-50. You can also download and use GIMP, which is an open-source app with most of the functionality of Photoshop, completely free.

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Is there a way to make the canvas transparent?

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As of now, no.

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What are layers and what is cropping?

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Cropping is making the image smaller by removing unnecessary things. Layers are like overlaid images. They can be useful when you edit a photo.

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How can I make my photo of a sketch into a cartoon?

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Scan your photo, open it in paint, and go over the lines in black. Then, color if desired.

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Tips

One way to make your work easier is to sketch a picture on paper and then scan it, or take a picture with your phone and transfer it to your computer. Click File and then Open and select the image. Then create a new layer and sketch over it.

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Saving in GIF is good for flat colors (e.i., non-shaded material) and animations, PNG is best for shaded work, and JPEG is best for photographs. BMP is not recommended because you tend to lose color quality. Keep this in mind when saving your art.

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You can also zoom in and out to help you if it gets really fiddly, by pressing View then Zoom in the top left corner of your screen.

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