Free tool
Grid Drawing Tool: Copy Any Photo Onto Your Canvas
The grid method is how painters get proportions right without tracing. Pick your canvas size, crop your reference photo to match, and Chromilla draws a grid with square cells in real inches or centimeters. Then copy it one square at a time, and tap any square to mix its color.
Your photo never leaves this device.
Canvas size
Grid
6 x 8 squares, each 2.0 x 2.0 in on your canvas
How to do grid drawing
Grid drawing, also called the grid method, breaks a photo into small squares so you can copy it onto your canvas one square at a time. Each square holds only a few simple shapes, so the proportions of the whole drawing stay right without tracing. Here is how to do it with this grid drawing tool.
- Pick your canvas size. Choose a preset or enter your own width and height, so the grid matches the surface you will actually draw or paint on.
- Crop the photo to match. Drag and zoom to choose what to keep. The crop always matches your canvas shape, so every square on the photo lines up with a square on the canvas.
- Set the grid. Choose a number of columns or a square size. The tool uses square cells in real inches or centimeters and lists the measurements you need to mark.
- Draw the same grid on your canvas. Mark light lines with a hard pencil, using the labeled columns and numbered rows to place each line.
- Copy one square at a time. Tap any square on the photo to see its color and get a mixing recipe for it. Sketch mode can also draw the main outlines for you to start from.
- Erase or paint over the lines. Light pencil lines disappear under a thin wash in acrylic or oil. For watercolor, erase the grid before you paint.
Before you draw, a Value Study shows the big light and dark shapes worth getting right first. When the drawing is done, a Guided Session turns the same photo into a step-by-step painting plan with a mix for every area.
Questions
What is a grid drawing tool?
It is a tool that overlays a grid on your reference photo so you can copy the image onto your canvas square by square. This one also labels the rows and columns, measures the squares in real inches or centimeters for your canvas size, and tells you the color of every square.
Can I turn my photo into a line drawing for the grid method?
Yes. Turn on Sketch and Chromilla draws the main outlines and the edges between the big light and dark shapes, so you can copy the structure first and add detail later. Use Detail for more or fewer lines. Each square's color still comes from your photo.
What is the grid method?
You draw the same grid on your reference photo and on your canvas, then copy one small square at a time. Each square holds only a few simple shapes, so proportions stay right across the whole drawing without tracing.
Is the grid method cheating?
No. Artists have used grids to study proportion since Albrecht Durer in the 1500s, and many art teachers start students with one. The grid handles placement and scale; you still make every line and every color decision yourself.
How many squares should I use?
4 to 6 columns work for loose sketches and landscapes. Use 8 to 12 for portraits or detailed subjects. More squares means more accuracy, and also more lines to erase later.
What if my photo and canvas are different shapes?
Crop the photo to the canvas proportions first, otherwise the grid squares cannot match. This tool does that for you: pick your canvas size and drag the photo to choose what to keep.
How do I draw the grid on canvas without it showing?
Use a hard graphite pencil or a watercolor pencil and light pressure. For oil or acrylic, a thin wash covers the lines. For watercolor, erase the grid before you paint.