3 Easy Ways To Paint On Canva For Free

If you wish to paint in Canva, how do you do that? Is there a Canva Paint Tool? This guide will show you how to paint in Canva, so let’s dive in.

Ways And Steps To Paint On Canva

The easiest way to paint on Canva is by selecting the Draw button on the menu panel on the left. A set of drawing tools will slide out from the left.

Select the Pen tool for a finer tip, and the Marker tool for a heavier tip. Your cursor will change to an icon like a pen. Click and drag on your Canva document page to start drawing and painting.

You cannot paint on Canva like how you can do so in Adobe Illustrator or other apps that can mimic physical painting action by hand with a brush. But there are various methods you can use to create paint-like and brush stroke effects in Canva.

Here are detailed steps on how to paint on Canva like a pro:

Method 1: Draw Tool

This method works well if you wish to paint and draw a graphic from scratch and create something with a hand-created effect. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Draw Button

On the left-hand side menu, select the Draw button. A set of drawing tools will appear in a menu that slides out from the left.

Step 2: Select A Drawing Tool

In the slide-out panel, select any of the tools that are suitable for your design. If you want your paint effect to be finer, select the Pen tool.

For a thicker tip, select the Marker tool.

If you want a highlighting effect for text in Canva, select the Highlighter tool.

Step 3: Paint In Canva

You will see that once you’ve selected any of the drawing tools, your cursor changes to a pen icon.

Click the cursor on your Canva page and drag it to start drawing and painting.

If you wish to remove any of the strokes, select the Eraser tool from the Drawing tool panel on the left.

Then bring the Eraser cursor over the stroke, and click on it once. It will remove the latest action you’ve taken with your drawing tool.

Change your ink color by going to the colored square on the slide-out panel. You can add a new color or select one from the Default Colors section.

If you want to change the Weight and Transparency of the ink, click on the Settings button that has the three lines.

Method 2: Paint Effect

This method allows you to apply paint brush stroke effects to your photo or image, without having to paint from scratch. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Edit Photo

Select your photo or image by clicking on it once.

Then, select the Edit photo button in the top menu.

Step 2: Go to Old Photo Editor

In the panel that slides out from the left, go to the bottom that says “You’re using the new photo editor. To use the old experience click here.” Select the link that says “Click here”.

Then, click on the button that says Revert to the old editor.

Step 3: Paint Effects

Select your image once again, then go to the top menu and click on the Edit image button.

In the left-side panel, scroll down and look for the Paint Effects section. Select See all.

Select any of the effects you like for your image to have a painted effect.

In this example, I will choose the Windel option.

Method 3: Frames

Step 1: Elements

The first step is to select the Elements button.

In the left-side panel that slides out, go to the search bar and type in “brush”. Hit the Return or Enter key.

Step 2: Select Frame

Scroll down to the Frames section and select See all.

You will see frames of different brush styles.

Select any one of them and it will appear on your Canva page. You can make it look more interesting by rotating it in Canva at a certain angle.

Step 3: Add Image Or Graphic

Next, select the Photos or Elements button on the left-side menu.

Then, in the slide-out panel, click and drag your image or graphic into the brush frame on your Canva page.

Now, your image graphic has a brush effect on the edges.

FAQs On Painting In Canva