How to use Google’s Chrome Canvas drawing app

Touchscreens are found on all kinds of devices, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Many of these devices now have a stylus to use the touchscreen more easily. Because of the convenience, many people use these devices to compose art instead of a traditional sketchbook. And there are several applications that allow people to compose many kinds of artwork on their devices quickly and easily.

Most may think of an iPad as the best device for art composition, but the best Chromebooks have become great options for art composition. To give Chromebooks an advantage in this space, Google created the Chrome Canvas app as a central location for art composition on Chromebooks. Let’s look at what Chrome Canvas is and how to use it.

What is Chrome Canvas?

Chrome Canvas is a web-based art composition app that works well on Chromebooks. The app has a simple interface that is easy to use and navigate. It does not include many advanced features like other apps but has several typical features, such as drawing tools and interchangeable backgrounds. It’s a great lightweight app for those who like to doodle more casually, but if you’re a more serious artist, look elsewhere for a more robust app.

How to get the Chrome Canvas app on a Chromebook

Chrome Canvas is a progressive web app (PWA), which means it’s a web-based app available through Google Chrome. The app may have come preinstalled on your device, but if not, it’s easy enough to do.

1. In Chrome, go to canvas.apps.chrome.
2. On the right side of the address bar, tap the Install button (shaped like a computer screen with an arrow pointing down).
3. Tap the Install button in the dialog box that pops up.

4. The app installs and opens in a new window. Tap Get started in the dialog box to go to the homescreen.
5. Sign in to your Google Account if prompted.

How to use the Chrome Canvas app on your Chromebook

Once the app is installed, it’s time to get drawing. You can do a number of things within the Chrome Canvas app and tinker with many of the settings. These features and settings are designed to help you compose the best piece of art possible.

Start a new drawing

1. Open the Chrome Canvas app on your Chromebook.
2. Tap the New drawing button in the upper-left corner.

Start a new drawing from an existing image

1. Launch Chrome Canavs on your Chromebook
2. Select the New from image button near the top.
3. Search through the file explorer to find the file you want to use as a base for your drawing and select it.

Change your drawing tool

Chrome Canvas has four drawing tools and an eraser available for you to draw with. These drawing tools are a pencil, pen, marker, and chalk.

1. Open a new or existing drawing in Chrome Canvas.
2. On the left is a menu with all the drawing tools. Select the one you want to use.

Change the color of your drawing tool

1. Select a drawing or create a new one from the Chrome Canvas homepage.
2. Tap the black circle at the top of the menu on the left side of the page.
3. Choose a color from the preset palette.

4. Choose a custom color by tapping the Custom button at the top of the pop-up. Then, enter the hex code or move the sliders to find the color you want.

Change the size and opacity of your drawing tool

1. Launch Chrome Canvas and select a drawing.
2. Tap the size and opacity icon on the left (shaped like a pen with a colored triangle under it).
3. Move the sliders to select the settings you want.

Undo or redo an action

In Chrome Canvas, select or open a drawing. Then, perform an action such as drawing a line or erasing something.

• Tap the undo arrow (pointing to the left) at the top to undo the action.
• Tap the redo arrow (pointing to the right) at the top to redo the action.
• Use your keyboard to complete these actions. To undo something, tap Ctrl+z. To redo something, tap Ctrl+Shift+z.

Add a layer to your drawing

1. Open a drawing on Chrome Canvas.
2. Tap the Layers button in the upper-right corner of the screen (shaped like a square with another square below it).
3. Tap the + button in the upper-right corner of the Layers dialog box.

Reorder the layers of your drawing

1. Open one of your drawings.
2. Select the Layers button in the upper-right corner.
3. Select the layer you’d like to move by tapping on it.
4. Move your mouse to the four-way arrow to the left of the layer. Drag it up or down to move the order of the layers of your drawing.

Delete a layer of your drawing

1. In your drawing, tap the Layers button.
2. Tap the layer you’d like to delete.
3. Tap the trash can icon to the left of the layer.

Hide a layer of your drawing

1. Press the Layers button in a drawing.
2. Select the layer you’d like to hide.
3. Tap the hide icon (shaped like an eye with a line through it).

Change the background color

1. In one of your drawings, tap the Layers button on the right.
2. Tap the background color button at the bottom of the Layers pop-up (shaped like a half-filled square).

3. Select a color from the color palette or select a custom color by tapping the Custom button.

Save your drawing as an image

1. Select a drawing from the Chrome Canvas homescreen.
2. Tap the three dots in the upper-right corner of the drawing.
3. Press the Save as image option. This saves the drawing as a PNG in your Downloads folder.

​​​​​​Share a drawing

1. Open a Chrome Canvas drawing.
2. Tap the three dots in the upper-right corner of the screen.
3. Tap Share.
4. Select the method of sharing (such as an app or a feature such as Gmail or Nearby Share) you’d like to use. The drawing is shared as a PNG.

How to access Chrome Canvas on a non-Chromebook device

Even though Chrome Canvas was designed for Chromebooks, it is accessible and usable on other devices. Accessing it is just as easy as it is on a Chromebook. Go to canvas.apps.chrome in Google Chrome on your device, and Chrome Canvas appears. You can even download it as a PWA, just like on a Chromebook, by pressing the Install button in the address bar. If your device has a stylus or touchscreen, you can use the stylus or your finger to draw. Chrome Canvas is great no matter which device you use it on.

Draw to your heart’s content

Many doodlers find the Google Chrome Canvas app a quick and easy way to draw on their Chromebooks. Chrome Canvas includes many useful features, such as four drawing tools and layers, making it a robust drawing option. If you’re looking for a Chromebook-oriented note-taking app, look no further than the Google Cursive app.