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This tutorial will walk you through the process of creating a fully functional pro-level drawing application, using the HTML Canvas API. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have an app that lets users draw freehand with a variety of brush sizes and colors, shapes like rectangles and circles, undo mistakes, clear the canvas, and save their artwork as an image. We’ll also make sure it’s responsive and user-friendly!

How to Build a Canvas Drawing App: Step-by-Step Integration

1. Set up the project

We will first lay down the fundamental structure of our drawing application, which includes some HTML to get us started, and add the <canvas> element where all magic will happen.

HTML:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Canvas Drawing App</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Canvas Drawing App</h1>
    <div class="toolbar">
        <button id="clearBtn">Clear</button>
        <button id="undoBtn">Undo</button>
        <button id="saveBtn">Save</button>
        <fieldset style="background-color: #ccc; border-radius: 10px; margin: 5px;">
            <label for="colorPicker" >Brush Color:</label>
        <input type="color" id="colorPicker" value="#000000">
        </fieldset>
        <fieldset style="background-color: #ccc; border-radius: 10px; margin: 5px;">
            <label for="bgColorPicker">Background Color:</label>
            <input type="color" id="bgColorPicker" value="#ffffff">
        </fieldset>
        <fieldset style="background-color: #ccc; border-radius: 10px; margin: 5px;">
            <label for="brushSize">Brush Size:</label>
            <input type="range" id="brushSize" min="1" max="50" value="5">
        </fieldset>
        <fieldset style="background-color: #ccc; border-radius: 10px; margin: 5px;">
            <label for="drawingMode">Drawing Mode:</label>
            <select id="drawingMode">
                <option value="freehand">Free hand</option>
                <option value="line">Line</option>
                <option value="rect">Rectangle</option>
                <option value="circle">Circle</option>
            </select>
        </fieldset>
    </div>
    <canvas id="canvas" width="1000" height="500"></canvas>
</body>
</html>

Here, we have the toolbar with buttons and inputs for color, background, and brush size, along with the canvas where drawing happens and some drawing modes also.

2. Styling the Canvas Drawing App

Next, let’s style the app to make it visually appealing.

   body {
        text-align: center;
        font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
        background-color: #f4f4f9;
        margin: 0;
        padding: 20px;
    }

    h1 {
        margin-bottom: 20px;
        color: #333;
    }

    .toolbar {
        display: flex;
        justify-content: center;
        align-items: center;
        margin-bottom: 20px;
        background-color: #fff;
        padding: 10px;
        border-radius: 8px;
        box-shadow: 0 4px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
    }

    button {
        background-color: #007bff;
        color: #fff;
        border: none;
        padding: 10px 15px;
        margin: 0 10px;
        border-radius: 5px;
        cursor: pointer;
        font-size: 16px;
        transition: background-color 0.3s;
    }

    button:hover {
        background-color: #0056b3;
    }

    input[type="color"], input[type="range"] {
        margin: 0 10px;
        border-radius: 5px;
        border: 1px solid #ccc;
    }

    input[type="range"] {
        width: 150px;
    }

 /* Label Styles */
    label {
        margin-right: 10px;
        font-size: 16px;
        color: #333;
    }

        /* Dropdown Styles */
    select {
        padding: 10px;
        font-size: 16px;
        border-radius: 5px;
        border: 1px solid #ccc;
        cursor: pointer;
    }

    canvas {
        border-radius: 20px;
        display: block;
        margin: 0 auto;
        border: 2px solid #333;
        box-shadow: 0 4px 10px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
        cursor: crosshair;
    }

/* For devices with max-width 768px (tablets and smaller) */
    @media (max-width: 768px) {
        .toolbar {
            flex-direction: column;
            padding: 10px;
        }

    button, input[type="color"], input[type="range"] {
            margin-bottom: 10px;
            width: 100%;
        }

    input[type="range"] {
            width: 100%;
        }


    }

This CSS adds a neat border to the canvas, centers it, and gives it a slight shadow to make it stand out. It also makes sure the app looks clean and modern.

3. Understanding the HTML5 Canvas API

Before diving into the JavaScript code, it’s crucial to understand the basics of the Canvas API. The canvas tag in HTML represents a drawable region, and we can use JavaScript to control this region. The canvas can be used to draw shapes, lines, images, and more by accessing its context (using getContext('2d') for 2D drawing).

4. Initializing the Canvas with JavaScript

Let’s start by initializing the canvas and setting up its drawing context.

const canvas = document.getElementById('canvas');
const ctx = canvas.getContext('2d');

// Set default brush size and color
let brushColor = '#000000';
let brushSize = 5;
let painting = false;

This code grabs the canvas element from the HTML and sets the context for 2D drawing. We’ve also initialized variables for the brush color and size.

5. Handling Mouse Events for Drawing

For drawing, we need to capture mouse events like mousedown, mouseup, and mousemove.

canvas.addEventListener('mousedown', (e) => {
    painting = true;
    ctx.beginPath();
    ctx.moveTo(e.offsetX, e.offsetY);
});

canvas.addEventListener('mouseup', () => {
    painting = false;
});

canvas.addEventListener('mousemove', (e) => {
    if (painting) {
        ctx.lineTo(e.offsetX, e.offsetY);
        ctx.strokeStyle = brushColor;
        ctx.lineWidth = brushSize;
        ctx.stroke();
    }
});

This code ensures that drawing begins when the mouse is pressed down (mousedown), continues while the mouse moves (mousemove), and stops when the mouse is released (mouseup).

6. Drawing Freehand

The freehand drawing is now functional. Users can click and drag to draw on the canvas. To make it more interesting, we’ll also add controls to adjust the brush size and color.

<div class="toolbar">
    <label for="colorPicker">Brush Color:</label>
    <input type="color" id="colorPicker" value="#000000">
    
    <label for="brushSize">Brush Size:</label>
    <input type="range" id="brushSize" min="1" max="50" value="5">
</div>

Actually, we have already added this in our HTML at the first step, so you don’t need to do it again.

7. Implementing the Undo Feature

Allowing users to undo their last drawing action is crucial. We can achieve this by saving the canvas state after each drawing action and restoring it when needed.

let drawnShapes = [];

function saveCanvasState() {
    const canvasData = ctx.getImageData(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);
    drawnShapes.push(canvasData);
}

function undoLastAction() {
    if (drawnShapes.length > 0) {
        drawnShapes.pop(); // Remove last shape
        const lastState = drawnShapes[drawnShapes.length - 1];
        if (lastState) {
            ctx.putImageData(lastState, 0, 0);
        }
    }
}

8. Clearing the Canvas

The “Clear” button allows users to erase all drawings on the canvas.

document.getElementById('clearBtn').addEventListener('click', () => {
    ctx.clearRect(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);
});

9. Saving the Drawing as an Image

Users may want to save their creations, so let’s implement a “Save” button that downloads the drawing as a PNG file.

document.getElementById('saveBtn').addEventListener('click', () => {
    const link = document.createElement('a');
    link.download = 'canvas-drawing.png';
    link.href = canvas.toDataURL();
    link.click();
});

Conclusion

With this guide, you’ve built a fully functional Canvas Drawing App with:

Basic drawing features
Undo and Clear functionalities
Customization options for stroke color, bacground, and brush size
Ability to save the drawing as an image
Responsive design

Complete Code:

Here’s the full code in one HTML file:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Canvas Drawing App</title>
    <style>
      body {
        text-align: center;
        font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
        background-color: #f4f4f9;
        margin: 0;
        padding: 20px;
    }

    h1 {
        margin-bottom: 20px;
        color: #333;
    }

    .toolbar {
        display: flex;
        justify-content: center;
        align-items: center;
        margin-bottom: 20px;
        background-color: #fff;
        padding: 10px;
        border-radius: 8px;
        box-shadow: 0 4px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
    }

    button {
        background-color: #007bff;
        color: #fff;
        border: none;
        padding: 10px 15px;
        margin: 0 10px;
        border-radius: 5px;
        cursor: pointer;
        font-size: 16px;
        transition: background-color 0.3s;
    }

    button:hover {
        background-color: #0056b3;
    }

    input[type="color"], input[type="range"] {
        margin: 0 10px;
        border-radius: 5px;
        border: 1px solid #ccc;
    }

    input[type="range"] {
        width: 150px;
    }

 /* Label Styles */
    label {
        margin-right: 10px;
        font-size: 16px;
        color: #333;
    }

        /* Dropdown Styles */
    select {
        padding: 10px;
        font-size: 16px;
        border-radius: 5px;
        border: 1px solid #ccc;
        cursor: pointer;
    }

    canvas {
        border-radius: 20px;
        display: block;
        margin: 0 auto;
        border: 2px solid #333;
        box-shadow: 0 4px 10px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
        cursor: crosshair;
    }

/* For devices with max-width 768px (tablets and smaller) */
    @media (max-width: 768px) {
        .toolbar {
            flex-direction: column;
            padding: 10px;
        }

    button, input[type="color"], input[type="range"] {
            margin-bottom: 10px;
            width: 100%;
        }

    input[type="range"] {
            width: 100%;
        }


    }

/* For devices with max-width 480px (mobile phones) */
@media (max-width: 480px) {
    h1 {
        font-size: 18px;
    }

    button {
        font-size: 14px;
        padding: 8px 10px;
    }

    .toolbar {
        padding: 8px;
    }

    input[type="range"] {
        width: 100%;
    }


}
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Canvas Drawing App</h1>
    <div class="toolbar">
        <button id="clearBtn">Clear</button>
        <button id="undoBtn">Undo</button>
        <button id="saveBtn">Save</button>
        <fieldset style="background-color: #ccc; border-radius: 10px; margin: 5px;">
            <label for="colorPicker" >Brush Color:</label>
        <input type="color" id="colorPicker" value="#000000">
        </fieldset>
        <fieldset style="background-color: #ccc; border-radius: 10px; margin: 5px;">
            <label for="bgColorPicker">Background Color:</label>
            <input type="color" id="bgColorPicker" value="#ffffff">
        </fieldset>
        <fieldset style="background-color: #ccc; border-radius: 10px; margin: 5px;">
            <label for="brushSize">Brush Size:</label>
            <input type="range" id="brushSize" min="1" max="50" value="5">
        </fieldset>
        <fieldset style="background-color: #ccc; border-radius: 10px; margin: 5px;">
            <label for="drawingMode">Drawing Mode:</label>
            <select id="drawingMode">
                <option value="freehand">Free hand</option>
                <option value="line">Line</option>
                <option value="rect">Rectangle</option>
                <option value="circle">Circle</option>
            </select>
        </fieldset>
    </div>
    <canvas id="canvas" width="1000" height="500"></canvas>
     <script>
    window.onload = function () {
    const canvas = document.getElementById('canvas');
    const ctx = canvas.getContext('2d');

    // Initial state
    let painting = false;
    let brushColor = '#000000';
    let bgColor = '#ffffff';
    let brushSize = 5;
    let drawingMode = 'freehand';
    let startX = 0;
    let startY = 0;
    let currentX = 0;
    let currentY = 0;
    let drawnShapes = [];

    // Set initial background color
    ctx.fillStyle = bgColor;
    ctx.fillRect(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);

    // Mouse down event to start drawing
    canvas.addEventListener('mousedown', (e) => {
        painting = true;
        startX = e.offsetX;
        startY = e.offsetY;
        if (drawingMode === 'freehand') {
            ctx.beginPath();
            ctx.moveTo(startX, startY);
            ctx.lineCap = 'round';
        }
    });

    // Mouse up event to end drawing
    canvas.addEventListener('mouseup', (e) => {
        if (!painting) return;
        painting = false;

        if (drawingMode === 'line') {
            drawLine(e.offsetX, e.offsetY, true);
        } else if (drawingMode === 'rect') {
            drawRectangle(e.offsetX, e.offsetY, true);
        } else if (drawingMode === 'circle') {
            drawCircle(e.offsetX, e.offsetY, true);
        }

        // Save the state for undo
        const canvasData = ctx.getImageData(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);
        drawnShapes.push(canvasData);
    });

    // Mouse move event to draw or update shapes
    canvas.addEventListener('mousemove', (e) => {
        if (!painting) return;

        currentX = e.offsetX;
        currentY = e.offsetY;

        // Clear the canvas and redraw previous shapes
        ctx.clearRect(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);
        ctx.fillStyle = bgColor;
        ctx.fillRect(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);

        if (drawnShapes.length > 0) {
            ctx.putImageData(drawnShapes[drawnShapes.length - 1], 0, 0);
        }

        if (drawingMode === 'freehand') {
            drawFreehand(currentX, currentY);
        } else if (drawingMode === 'line') {
            drawLine(currentX, currentY, false);
        } else if (drawingMode === 'rect') {
            drawRectangle(currentX, currentY, false);
        } else if (drawingMode === 'circle') {
            drawCircle(currentX, currentY, false);
        }
    });

    // Draw freehand
    function drawFreehand(x, y) {
        ctx.lineWidth = brushSize;
        ctx.strokeStyle = brushColor;
        ctx.lineTo(x, y);
        ctx.stroke();
    }

    // Draw Line
    function drawLine(x, y, isFinal) {
        ctx.lineWidth = brushSize;
        ctx.strokeStyle = brushColor;
        ctx.beginPath();
        ctx.moveTo(startX, startY);
        ctx.lineTo(x, y);
        ctx.stroke();
        if (isFinal) {
            ctx.closePath();
        }
    }

    // Draw Rectangle
    function drawRectangle(x, y, isFinal) {
        ctx.lineWidth = brushSize;
        ctx.strokeStyle = brushColor;
        const width = x - startX;
        const height = y - startY;
        ctx.strokeRect(startX, startY, width, height);
        if (isFinal) {
            ctx.closePath();
        }
    }

    // Draw Circle
    function drawCircle(x, y, isFinal) {
        ctx.lineWidth = brushSize;
        ctx.strokeStyle = brushColor;
        const radius = Math.sqrt(Math.pow(x - startX, 2) + Math.pow(y - startY, 2));
        ctx.beginPath();
        ctx.arc(startX, startY, radius, 0, Math.PI * 2);
        ctx.stroke();
        if (isFinal) {
            ctx.closePath();
        }
    }

    // Toolbar button actions
    document.getElementById('clearBtn').addEventListener('click', () => {
        ctx.clearRect(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);
        drawnShapes = []; // Clear history
        ctx.fillStyle = bgColor;
        ctx.fillRect(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);
    });

    document.getElementById('undoBtn').addEventListener('click', () => {
        if (drawnShapes.length > 0) {
            drawnShapes.pop(); // Remove the last shape
            ctx.clearRect(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height); // Clear canvas
            ctx.fillStyle = bgColor;
            ctx.fillRect(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);
            const lastImage = drawnShapes[drawnShapes.length - 1];
            if (lastImage) {
                ctx.putImageData(lastImage, 0, 0); // Restore the last state
            }
        }
    });

    document.getElementById('saveBtn').addEventListener('click', () => {
        const link = document.createElement('a');
        link.download = 'canvas-drawing.png';
        link.href = canvas.toDataURL();
        link.click();
    });

    // Event listeners for inputs
    document.getElementById('colorPicker').addEventListener('input', (e) => {
        brushColor = e.target.value; // Change the brush color dynamically
    });

    document.getElementById('bgColorPicker').addEventListener('input', (e) => {
        bgColor = e.target.value; // Update the background color in real-time
        ctx.fillStyle = bgColor;
        ctx.fillRect(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);

        // Restore the drawn shapes
        if (drawnShapes.length > 0) {
            ctx.putImageData(drawnShapes[drawnShapes.length - 1], 0, 0);
        }
    });

    document.getElementById('brushSize').addEventListener('input', (e) => {
        brushSize = e.target.value;
    });

    document.getElementById('drawingMode').addEventListener('change', (e) => {
        drawingMode = e.target.value; // Change the drawing mode dynamically
    });
};

    </script>


</body>
</html>

So basically it becomes easy to draw. You just need a little imagination. Let me share with you some more of my designs.

FAQs

Can I use this app on mobile devices?
Yes, you can enhance the app to capture touch events for mobile compatibility.

How do I add more shapes?
You can expand the drawing modes by adding functions to draw polygons, ellipses, and other shapes.

Is the canvas drawing app fast enough for large drawings?
The performance depends on the complexity of the drawing. You can optimize it by limiting the canvas size or brush strokes.

How can I make the app work offline?
You can use a service worker to cache the app resources and make it available offline.

Can I save my drawings in different formats?
Yes, with minor tweaks, you can allow users to export drawings in various formats like JPG or SVG.