November 21, 2023
How to draw on Canva
Carly
Canva's new Draw tool lets you get your ideas down using freehand drawing, underlines, or annotations.
This guide will break down how to start drawing on Canva and what you can do with the tool.
Getting started
You can conveniently use Canva’s Draw tool on your computer or via Canva’s mobile app.
The app has a slightly different layout and organization compared to the Canva website; however, both are very easy to use.
On a computer
Once you sign into https://www.canva.com/, start off by hitting Create a design, located in the top right-hand corner of your Canva dashboard.
A menu will pop up where you’ll either choose a predefined canvas size or customize your canvas dimensions by clicking on custom dimensions.
When choosing a canvas to draw on, keep in mind that Draw is available in all doctypes except for Docs.
Once you click on a canvas, you'll be taken to your workspace. Here you’ll find the Draw tool on the black toolbar on the left side of your screen. Click on it.
Now you're all set to start drawing. Keep reading to learn how to use the tool on your mobile device and how to make the most of it.
On mobile
Canva offers an app for both iOS and Android devices, allowing you to create and edit designs on the go. Once you’re signed in on your device, tap the + sign at the bottom of the page to create a design.
This will take you to a new design. Tap Draw on the black toolbar at the bottom of your screen.
It's that simple. Now that you know how to set yourself up to draw on Canva on both your computer and mobile device, we'll take a closer look at what you can do with the tool.
How to draw on Canva
Let's get to the drawing part. The following steps are essentially the same on the computer and Canva’s mobile app. The only difference is that you click on your computer and tap on your phone or tablet.
To start drawing, select your drawing tool from the options. You have the pen, marker, and highlighter to choose from.
For more precise control, you can change the settings, which are indicated by the lines on the drawing toolbar. Here, you can choose thickness options that are already set, type in the levels you want, or use the sliders. They adjust how see-through or thick your drawing appears.
To change colours, click the Colour tile. You can choose from existing ones in your colour palette or create new ones with the rainbow tile.
Your colour palette is your go-to collection of colours that you use throughout your design. It's important to note that Canva Free members are limited to one colour palette, with just three colours. Canva Pro members, on the other hand, can create up to 100 palettes, with 100 colours each.
Now, simply click and drag your chosen tool on the canvas to create your artwork. After drawing, you can manage it like any other element in Canva by selecting, editing and moving it.
Remember, Canva is all about collaboration. So, when you're working with others on a project, you can easily spot who's using the drawing tool by looking at their cursors.
How to erase on Canva
If you want to remove a part of your drawing, choose the Eraser option. Then, click and drag it over the areas you want to erase.
When you're done erasing and want to go back to regular mode, click the Cursor tool to apply the changes.
How to elevate your drawings
No worries if your drawings are a bit rough around the edges. You can take them up a notch with Canva's Shape Assist feature.
Here's how it works - when you draw a shape, simply pause for a second at the end.
Canva will automatically refine it for you, making sure your design looks professional without any extra effort on your part.
While Canva is continually adding more shapes to this feature, it currently works with the following shapes:
Rectangles
Arrows
Triangles
Circles
Stars
Lines
Hearts
Diamonds
So, take advantage of this tool to make your drawings look even more professional in Canva.
How to save your work on Canva
To save your Canva designs, simply hit Share on the top right-hand corner of your screen. From there, you can choose how you want to save or share your work with others.
If you're having trouble saving your design drawings, they might have exceeded Canva’s stroke limit of 1 MB per design. To resolve this, you have a couple of options. First, you can try reducing the size of your design by removing some strokes.
Another approach is to make copies of your design, which will allow you to continue working on your project while staying within the file size limit.
To do this, save your design by clicking File in the top left-hand corner and Make a copy in the drop-down menu.
This way, you can pick up where you left off with the new version of your design.
Wrapping up
There you have it - you know how to draw on Canva. Now, it’s your turn to use it for your own designs. You can personalize your screenshots, presentations, social media posts, and more. Canva also has other tools to check out, such as blurring videos, creating animated graphics, and designing custom logos.
