Your First Project

Click "New Project"

From the dashboard, click the "New Project" button in the top-right corner, or press Cmd+N (Mac) / Ctrl+N (Windows).

Choose project type

Select from preset templates or start from scratch:

• Blank Canvas - Empty canvas to start from scratch
• Pixel Art - 32×32 or 64×64 grid optimized for pixel art
• ASCII Art - 80×24 terminal-sized canvas
• Animation - Pre-configured with timeline and frames

Set canvas dimensions

Choose your canvas size:

• Width: 8-256 characters/pixels
• Height: 8-256 characters/pixels

Name your project

Give your project a descriptive name. You can change this later in project settings.

Click "Create"

Your new project will open in the editor!

Select the Pencil tool

Click the pencil icon in the toolbar or press B (for Brush).

Choose a character

In the properties panel, select a character to draw with. Try @, #, or █ for solid shapes.

Pick a color

Click the color picker to choose your foreground color. Try the default purple (#8b5cf6) to start.

Draw on the canvas

Click and drag on the canvas to draw. Each click places your selected character.

Experiment with other tools

Try the shape tools:

• Press R for Rectangle
• Press E for Ellipse
• Press L for Line

Select the Ellipse tool (press E)

Draw the face outline

Draw a circle using the character o or O:

    ooooo
  oo     oo
 o         o
 o         o
 o         o
  oo     oo
    ooooo

Add the eyes

Use the Pencil tool (press B) to add two dots for eyes with @:

    ooooo
  oo     oo
 o   @   @  o
 o         o
 o         o
  oo     oo
    ooooo

Draw the smile

Use the Line tool (press L) or Pencil to create a smile:

    ooooo
  oo     oo
 o   @   @  o
 o         o
 o   \___/  o
  oo     oo
    ooooo

Click the Export button in the top bar

Choose export format

• PNG - High-quality image with transparency
• GIF - For animations (if multiple frames)
• HTML - Interactive web version
• JSON - Project file to share or edit later

Configure export settings

• Set output size (1x, 2x, 4x scaling)
• Choose background color (or transparent)
• Select font (SF Mono, Courier, etc.)

Click "Export"

Your file will download to your computer!

Open the Timeline

If not visible, click the timeline toggle at the bottom of the screen or press T.

Add a new frame

Click the "+ Frame" button or press N (for New frame).

Edit Frame 2

Make a small change to your artwork - move something, change a character, or modify colors.

Preview the animation

Press Space to play/pause the animation. Adjust the FPS (frames per second) in the timeline if needed.

Export as GIF

Use the export menu and choose GIF to save your animation!