Unit 4

Drawing Lines and Curves

You’re ready to draw! Choose a nice color (using the foreground color swatch). Or just leave it black.

The GIMP has a collection of four tools for drawing lines and freehand curves. I’ll start with the
simplest: the Pencil

Drawing Hard Edged Lines: The Pencil Tool

The Pencil tool lets you draw sharp-edged lines (Figure 4-3). Select it in the Toolbox, and then try
scribbling by dragging on the image to see what it does. The Pencil tool will leave a trail everywhere
you go, as long as you have the left mouse button pressed

Notice the mouse cursor in Figure 4-3. In addition to the normal arrow and the pencil icon telling you
which drawing tool is selected, there’s a circle around the arrow’s point. This shows the size of the
current brush.

Okay, a pencil normally has a point, not a brush But this is a Super GIMP Pencil

Brushes
Changing the brush gives you control over the width and shape of the line you draw with any of
GIMP’s drawing tools. There are two ways of changing the brush. You can click on the brush icon in
Tool Options, which drops down a menu Or you can click on the brush icon in the Toolbox, to the
right of the color swatches, which pops up the Brushes dialog
Brushes are like very small images. When you use a paint tool such as the Pencil, it’s as though you
dipped the brush image in ink and then dragged it across the screen.

In addition to the normal hard-edged circles, some brushes have fuzzy edges. The Pencil tool will
ignore the fuzzy edge; I’ll talk about how to use those brushes in a moment

Some brushes, such as the diagonal slashes, are asymmetric. They yield different patterns depending
on the direction in which you drag.

A few brushes are actually animated images. Why would you ever want an animated brush? Since it
changes as you drag it across the screen, you get a line that’s varied or random. A fun example is the
Vine brush (Figure 4-6).

The Brushes dialog has a few options, shown in Figure 4-5. Spacing can make the brush’s patterns
look more spread out as you drag across the screen. Try it with the Vine brush to see the effect, but
you can use it on non-animated brushes as well. Most of the buttons at the bottom of the Brushes
dialog help with changing brushes or adding new ones.

• Edit brush brings up a Brush Editor dialog. On most existing brushes, everything in this dialog will
be grayed-out because built-in brushes cannot be edited: they’re read-only.

• Open brush as image (new for GIMP 2.4) does, well, the obvious. You can edit the image, and then
save it as type GIMP brush

• New brush opens the Brush Editor dialog and lets you create a parametric brush (Figure 4-7). You
can specify shape, size, hardness, and related parameters. The button at the lower-left lets you save
your brush by the name chosen at the top of the Brush Editor. Your new brush will then appear in
the Brushes dialog every time you start the GIMP, unless you delete it

• Duplicate brush makes a copy of a parametric brush which you can change, and then save as a
different brush.

• Delete brush deletes a brush. You can’t delete any of the built-in brushes, only those that you
saved in your personal collection.

• Refresh brushes re-reads your brushes directory, to see if you’ve installed any new brushes while
GIMP was running.

Drawing Tool Options

The Eraser Tool
Well, not quite that simple. The definition of erase depends on the image. If the current layer has an
alpha channel, then erasing makes the current layer transparent wherever the eraser touches it.

Remember, alpha channel means that a layer or image supports transparency. The GIMP uses alpha
as a synonym for transparency in quite a few places. Tutorials on the web for GIMP or other image-
editing programs use this term quite a bit, so it’s good to remember it.

In a layer that does not support transparency, the Eraser just paints the current background color
The Eraser adds two new options to the usual drawing tool set. Hard edge makes the Eraser ignore
any fuzzy edges in the brush. Remember how the Pencil tool made fuzzy-edged tools look large and
sharp-edged? The Hard edge option will make the Eraser behave like that.

Anti erase is trickier. How is it possible that GIMP could un-erase something? When you erase in a
layer with an alpha channel, you’re merely telling GIMP to make that part of the layer transparent.
Behind the scenes, though, the GIMP knows which colors were there before you made it
transparent. With the Anti erase option, GIMP removes transparency from the layer wherever you
drag the eraser. If there was color there that you erased earlier, you’ll see color back again

Drawing Rectangles, Circles, and Other Shapes

Now that you’re an expert on drawing lines and erasing them, you’d probably like to draw some
shapes, too.

Defining Regions

The GIMP doesn’t have any tools specifically for drawing shapes, which confuses some people
coming to the GIMP from vector-drawing programs. But GIMP doesn’t need shape-drawing tools:
the trick is to make a selection, then fill or stroke the selection. To try this, first use the Rectangle or
Ellipse Select tools and drag out a selection in the image.

Outlining Selections: Stroking

Alternatively, you can stroke with a line-painting tool, such as Pencil or Paintbrush. The GIMP will act
as though you had run that paint tool around the borders of the selection, using the current color
and brush. (You can even make picture frames by stroking with a wide brush, especially if you use
one of the more elaborate brushes, such as some of the animated ones.) Sometimes stroking with a
paint tool, especially an antialiased tool like the Paintbrush, works better on curves than specifying a
line width. Try it both ways on a circular selection and see
If you use Line Width rather than a paint tool, you can specify the type of line that will be used by
clicking the expander next to Line Style

 Cap style changes the look of the ends of lines; Join style does the same for places where
lines connect to other lines (for instance, at the corners of a rectangle). Miter limit specifies
how sharp or blunt the corners will be.
 A limit of zero makes the corners as sharp as possible; higher numbers make them look
more blunted or rounded.
 Cap and join styles and miter limits won’t be very noticeable unless your line is quite wide.
Dash pattern lets you make a dashed line and specify exactly how the dashes will appear
Dash preset lets you choose from a selection of common dashed-line styles. You’ve already
seen what Antialiasing can do, in the section on the Paintbrush tool. It can be helpful on
rounded or diagonal lines. You can also stroke with a pattern be interesting if you use I’ll talk
about patterns in a moment
The Eraser Tool

The Eraser, like other drawing tools, uses the current brush. Use a large brush for erasing large
areas. For erasing smaller areas or single pixels, use a smaller brush.
Remember, you can zoom in on an image to magnify it so that you have more control over exactly
what gets erased.
Most of the time, there are more precise ways to remove detail than the Eraser.
But the Eraser is useful for quick-and-dirty touch-ups of drawings. The Eraser adds two new options
to the usual drawing tool set.
Hard edge makes the Eraser ignore any fuzzy edges in the brush. Remember how the Pencil tool
made fuzzy-edged tools look large and sharp-edged? The Hard edge option will make the Eraser
behave like that. Anti erase is trickier.
How is it possible that GIMP could un-erase something? When you erase in a layer with an alpha
channel, you’re merely telling GIMP to make that part of the layer transparent.
Behind the scenes, though, the GIMP knows which colors were there before you made it
transparent. With the Anti erase option, GIMP removes transparency from the layer wherever you
drag the eraser. If there was color there that you erased earlier, you’ll see color back again
Drawing Rectangles, Circles, and Other Shapes
Defining Regions The GIMP doesn’t have any tools specifically for drawing shapes, which confuses
some people coming to the GIMP from vector-drawing programs.
But GIMP doesn’t need shape-drawing tools: the trick is to make a selection, then fill or stroke the
selection. To try this, first use the Rectangle or Ellipse Select tools and drag out a selection in the
image.
Outlining Selections: Stroking Stroking a selection outlines the boundaries of the selection. It’s
located in Edit ➤ Stroke Selection..., and brings up the Stroke Selection dialog (Figure 4-15).

Stroke line will draw outlines using the current foreground color. You can specify the Line Width in
pixels (or, if you choose, in some other unit). The default 6-pixel line is quite wide.

Alternatively, you can stroke with a line-painting tool, such as Pencil or Paintbrush. The GIMP will act
as though you had run that paint tool around the borders of the selection, using the current color
and brush.
Sometimes stroking with a paint tool, especially an antialiased tool like the Paintbrush, works better
on curves than specifying a line width. Try it both ways on a circular selection and see
If you use Line Width rather than a paint tool, you can specify the type of line that will be used by
clicking the expander next to Line Style (Figure 4-16).
Cap style changes the look of the ends of lines; Join style does the same for places where lines
connect to other lines (for instance, at the corners of a rectangle). Miter limit specifies how sharp or
blunt the corners will be.
A limit of zero makes the corners as sharp as possible; higher numbers make them look more
blunted or rounded. Cap and join styles and miter limits won’t be very noticeable unless your line is
quite wide. Dash pattern lets you make a dashed line and specify exactly how the dashes will appear
(drag horizontally in the preview to make different patterns). Dash preset lets you choose from a
selection of common dashed-line styles.
You’ve already seen what Antialiasing can do, in the section on the Paintbrush tool. It can be helpful
on rounded or diagonal lines. You can also stroke with a pattern (which generally will only be
interesting if you use a fairly large line width). I’ll talk about patterns in a moment

Free Select with the Lasso

Another selection tool you’ll find useful for drawing is Free Select, also called the Lasso tool, from its
Toolbox icon.
The Lasso lets you draw a freehand selection of any shape (Figure 4-17). Just outline your shape in
the image, end somewhere near where you started, and GIMP will make a closed curve. You can
treat it just like you would a rectangular or elliptical selection
Filling Regions
Filling a selection with a solid color or pattern is even easier than stroking a selection. Just above
Stroke Selection in the Edit menu, Edit ➤ Fill with FG Color (Figure 4-18) does the obvious: it fills
your selection with the current foreground color. Fill with BG Color does the same thing but uses the
background color, and Fill with Pattern fills the selection with the current pattern

Draw a Rectangle/Square/Box in GIMP

Method 1: Making a Solid Shape
This method will allow you to create solid shapes filled with a single color, a
pattern, or a gradient. If you want to create an outlined shape, try Method 2 or
Method 3. 
Step 1: Create A Selection
With your image open in GIMP, switch to the Rectangle Select tool using the
toolbox or by pressing the keyboard shortcut R. 

Click and drag on your image to create a rectangle or square. GIMP will
outline the selection and provide adjustment handles at the four corners for
resizing, and along each edge for constrained resizing along a single edge
(although these will be hidden until you hover the cursor over the selection). 

You can also hold down the Alt key (Option on a

Mac) and click and drag to reposition your entire selection area. 
f you want to be precise about the location without having to place the
selection by hand, you can also use the Tool Options panel on the left dock
to type in a specific location and size, based on the upper left corner of the
selection area. 

You’ll need to have started drawing a selection already, and GIMP will
reposition it for you based on your input.

Once you’re happy with the size and position of your selection, press
the Enter key to finalize it. 

Step 2: Fill Your Selection

Now for the fun part! If you want to fill your selection area with a solid color,
select it using the color picker at the bottom of the toolbox. The upper left color
swatch is your foreground color, and the bottom right color swatch is your
background color. 

The Bucket Fill tool options

Step 2: Fill Your Selection

Now for the fun part! If you want to fill your selection area with a solid color,
select it using the color picker at the bottom of the toolbox. The upper left color
swatch is your foreground color, and the bottom right color swatch is your
background color. 
 The Bucket Fill tool options
witch to the Bucket Fill tool using the toolbox or the keyboard
shortcut Shift + B. Check the Tool Options panel and make sure the Fill
Type is set to FB color fill (although you can use BG color fill or Pattern
fill if you want to), and Affected Area is set to Whole Selection.

Then simply click anywhere inside your selection, and GIMP will fill it with your
chosen color or pattern. 
If you don’t want to use the Bucket Fill tool, you can quickly fill a selection area
with the current foreground color by pressing Ctrl +, (that’s a comma, in case
it isn’t clear) or fill with the current background color by
pressing Ctrl +. (that’s a period, even though my grammar checker is mad
about it).

You can also fill your selection with a gradient by switching to

the Gradient tool, which is nested in the toolbox underneath the Bucket
Fill tool, or you can use the keyboard shortcut G. Set your Tool Options as
desired, and then click and drag anywhere inside your selection to fill with
your chosen gradient settings. 
You can repeat this process as many times as you want, although I
recommend that you put each different rectangle/square/box on a separate
layer so that you can move them around independently of each other later on. 

Method 2: Making An Outlined Shape

This method is fairly similar to Method 1, although we’ll use a different
technique to create an outline of the selection instead of using a solid color,
gradient, or pattern fill. 

Step 1: Create A Selection

Create your selection as before using the Rectangle Select tool. I won’t
rehash the same details over again, since this is a fairly basic step. 

Step 2: Apply A Stroke

If you’re not familiar with the terminology, this isn’t some scary medical
condition that can affect your image. Instead, applying a stroke essentially
means drawing a line or brushstroke around the selection area

Open the Edit menu, and click Stroke Selection.

GIMP will open up the Stroke Selection dialog box, which is full of all sorts of
ways to customize the stroke that will be applied to your selection. 
You can apply a simple line, a pattern, or even a paint tool complete with
emulated brush input dynamics, although these dynamics won’t be as
effective as if you’d actually hand-drawn the stroke.

Choose all your settings, and click the Stroke button to finalize it. 

This is probably the most flexible way of creating a rectangle/box/square in
GIMP, and it can be combined with Method 1 or Method 3 to create more
complex effects. 

Method 3: Drawing Straight Lines In GIMP

If you don’t want to use either of the selection methods, there’s one last option
that might

It’s possible to draw perfectly straight lines in GIMP using one of the many
brush tools – and I don’t mean cheating by using a ruler on your drawing
tablet, which is silly. Usually, I wholeheartedly approve of silly things, but you
don’t want to damage your tablet’s drawing surface! 

This method has the advantage that it works with any of GIMP’s brush-based
tools, from the Paintbrush to the Clone tool, which creates some interesting
possibilities depending on the settings you choose. 

Select your chosen tool, and click at a point where you’d like to have one
corner of your shape. Hold down the Shift key, and move your mouse to the
next corner. While you’re holding the Shift key, GIMP will automatically draw
a straight line between the two points, showing the path that your auto-filled
stroke will take. 

However, that’s only good enough to draw straight lines. For a proper
rectangle/square/box, we’ll need to constrain the angle too. While still holding
down the Shift key, hold down the Ctrl key as well, which will constrain your
angle to 15-degree increments. 

That will allow you to draw any kind of straight-edged polygon that you want,
from squares to boxes to hyper cubes!
How to Make a Circle
The easiest way to make shapes in GIMP is with the Select Tool. There are
two built-in Select Tools: The Rectangle Select Tool and the Ellipsis Select
Tool. To make a circle, we’ll be using the Ellipsis Select Tool.

The first thing you need to do is create a new document

Open GIMP on your computer.

1. Select the “File” tab in the upper-left corner of the window.

2. Click on the “New” option on the drop-down menu.

3. Choose the dimensions of the image and click on the “OK” button on the pop-
up window.

4. Go to the bottom-right corner of the program and click on the “Create a New
Layer” icon.
5. Select “OK.”

The reason why you need to add a new layer before you make a shape in GIMP
is so that you’ll be able to move the shape around on the document. If you
make a shape directly on the background, you won’t be able to move it later.
Now that the canvas is ready, it’s time to make a circle. But before we do so,
we need to choose the foreground color and the background color. This is how
it’s done:
6. Head over to the “Tools” tab on the top menu and select “Toolbox” from the
drop-down list.

7. Find two colored boxes under the toolbox on the left sidebar.

8. Choose the foreground color (the color of the circle) and the background color
(the color of the canvas).
 Note: The foreground and background colors are black and white by default.
9. Select the “Ellipsis Select Tool” on the toolbox.
10. Click on the canvas and drag the edge of the circle to make it the desired size.

11. Proceed to the “Edit” tab above.

 12. Choose “Fill with FG Color” from the list of options.

Your circle will appear on the canvas. You can use the Ellipsis Select tool to make
round or oval shapes. If you want to create a circle that’s just an outline (with no fill
color), this is what you need to do:

1. Select the “Ellipsis Select Tool” from the toolbox.

2. Draw the circle on the canvas by clicking on it and dragging the line.

3. Go to the “Edit” tab again.

4. Choose “Stroke Selection…” from the list of options.

5. Select the stroke line type (solid color, pattern, or anti-aliasing).

6. Determine the width of the line.

7. Click on the “Stroke with a paint tool” box.

 8. Choose the “Paint tool.”

9. Select the “Stroke” button.

The circle will only have an outline, with the foreground color you have selected. If
you want to change the dimensions of the circle after you’ve made it, just click on its
border and drag it until you’re happy with the size.
How to Make a Triangle
GIMP only allows you to make shapes with the Rectangle and Ellipsis Select Tool.
Since there isn’t a selection tool for making triangles, it’s slightly trickier. The tool
you’ll need to create a triangle is the Free Select Tool. Follow the steps below to find
out how it’s done:

1. Open a new blank canvas in GIMP.

2. Create a new layer by clicking on the “+” icon.

3. Go to “Tools” on the top menu, and select “Toolbox.”

4. Click on the “Free Select Tool” on the toolbox on the left sidebar.

5. Left-click on the blank canvas to start the first line.

6. Right-click to release it.

7. Left-click again to create the second side of the triangle.

8. Repeat this process until you’ve linked all three of the lines.

9. Press “Enter” on your keyboard to select the triangle.

 10. Go to the “Bucket tool” and click on the triangle to color it.

That’s all there is to it. You’ve successfully drawn a triangle in GIMP.

How to Make a Square

Making a square in GIMP is no more complicated, and it will only take you seconds
to do. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Open GIMP and select “File” from the top menu.

2. Go to the “New” option and select “OK” to open a blank document.

3. Click on the “Create a New Layer” icon in the bottom-right corner of GIMP.
4. Go to “Tools” on the top menu, and choose “Toolbox.”

5. Navigate to the “Rectangle Select Tool” on the left sidebar.

6. Click on the “Expand from Center” box in the bottom-left corner.

7. Click on the blank canvas and make a square tool by dragging its borders.
8. Go to “Edit” on the top toolbar.

9. Choose the “Fill Selection Outline” option on the drop-down list.

10. Click on “Solid Color” on the pop-up window.

The square will immediately be colored in the default foreground color, which
 is black. If you want to change the color of the square, here’s how it’s done:

11. Select the “Bucket Tool” from the toolbox.

12. Click on the foreground color box.

13. Choose a new color for your square and select “OK.”
 14. Click on the square to color it.

If you want to create a perfect square, you can set a fixed aspect ratio on the toolbox.
You can do that by going to the bottom-left corner of GIMP and clicking on the
downward arrow next to “Aspect Ratio.” To make a square, choose a 1:1 aspect ratio.

How to Make a Rectangle

Making a rectangle in GIMP is very similar to creating squares. Let’s see how it’s
done:
1. Launch GIMP and select the “File” tab in the upper-left corner of the program.

2. Open a new blank document.

3. Go to “Create a New Layer” in the bottom-right corner.

4. Next, head over to “Tools” and select “Toolbox” from the drop-down menu.
5. Select the “Rectangle Select Tool.”

6. Check the “Expand from Center” box.

 7. Click on the canvas and drag the edges to the desired length.

8. Head over to “Edit” and choose “Fill with FG Color.”

Another way to make rectangles or any other shape in GIMP is with the Brush Tool.
This is how it’s done:
1. On the toolbox, find the “Pencil Tool.”

2. Choose the “Brush” icon in the “Tools” options menu.

 3. Find the “Brush Type” that works for you.

4. Under “Hardness,” select “100.”

5. Alter the height and weight of the rectangle.

6. Click on the canvas and drag the edge until you have the rectangle size you
desire.
7. Left-click on the rectangle to save it.

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