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## 2. Drawing Simple Objects

This sections will give you an introduction about the creation of simple objects in Gimp. It's pretty simple once you figured out how to do it. Gimp provides a huge set of Tools and Shortcuts in which most new users are lost.

### 2.1. Drawing a straight line

Lets begin by painting a straight line. The easiest way to create a straight line is by using your favorite painting tool, the mouse and the keyboard.

Procedure 3.2. Drawing a straight line

1. Figure 3.1. The dialog shows a new image, filled with a white background.

   Create a new image. Select your favorite paint tool or use the pencil if in doubt. Select a foreground color, but be sure, that foreground and background color are different.

2. Figure 3.2. The dialog shows a new image, with the first dot indicating the start of the straight line. The dot has a black foreground color.

   Create a start point by clicking on the image display area with the left mouse button. Your canvas should look similar to Figure 3.1, “ The dialog shows a new image, filled with a white background. ”.

3. Figure 3.3. The screenshot shows the helpline, which indicates how the finished line will look like.

   Now, hold down the Shift button on your keyboard and move the mouse away from the created start point. You'll see a thin line indicating how the line will look like.

4. Figure 3.4. The created line appears in the image window after drawing the second point (or end point), while still having the Shift key pressed.

   If you're satisfied with the line direction and length, click again the left mouse button to finish the line. The Gimp shows a straight line now. Please check the foreground and background color and if the Shift key was still pressed during painting in case no line appears. You can continuously creating lines by still holding the Shift and create additional end points.

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