To begin with 2D Design let's get familiar with the working environment. On the left side of the screen of Microsoft Paint is the toolbox. The toolbox contains the following tools. Starting with the first button on the tool box on the first space on the left side of the screen is the free-form select tool. This tools icon looks like a dotted line star and should be on the top left side of the screen just below the word File on the menu bar. The button next to the free-form select button and looks like a dotted line square is the select button. Just below the free-form select button is the eraser button. This button looks like an eraser. Next to the eraser button is the fill with color button. This button is next to the eraser button and below the select button(The one that looks like a dotted line square) and looks like a paint can. The button below the eraser button is the pick color button. This button is below the eraser button and to the left of the magnifier and looks like an eye dropper. The magnifier button looks like a magnifying glass and is to the right of the pick color button and below the fill with color button. Below the pick color button is the pencil button. The pencil button looks like a pencil and is to the left of the brush button. The brush button is to the right of the pencil button and is below the magnifier button and this button looks like a brush. Below the Pencil button is the spray paint button. This button looks like a spray paint can and is below the pencil button and is to the left of the text button. The button directly to the right of the spray paint button is the text button. This button has a big 'A' on it and is below the brush button and to the right of the spray paint button. Below the spray paint button in the toolbar is the line button. The line button has a diagonal line on it. This button is below the Spray paint button and to the left of the curve button. The curve button is below the text button and to the right of the line button. This button has a squiggly line on it. The rectangle button has a rectangle on the button that is not dotted(the select button the rectangle is dotted) and is below the line button. Next to this button is the polygon button which has some sort of polygonal shape on it and is below the curve button. The ellipse button is below the rectangle button and has an ellipse on it. Next to the ellipse button is the rounded rectangle button. This button has a rounded rectangle on it and is below the polygon button. This is the last button in the toolbox. The space below the toolbox is the options for the different buttons like brush shape, filling style, etc. The following is how the buttons are arranged.
Microsoft Paint Brush and Microsoft Paint have different layouts in button positions
Now that we know about the toolbox let's examine the rest of the screen. The big white section to the right of the toolbox is the you canvas. This is were you are supposed to draw what ever you want. So let's test out the canvas. First click the Brush tool or the pencil tool and then move the pointer over to the canvas. The mouse icon should change to either a pencil or a pair of crosshairs. Next click and drag to mouse icon across the canvas. A line should appear on the canvas. This is how you are going to draw on the canvas.
The next thing on the screen other than the canvas is the color palette. This is found on the bottom of the screen and it has a lot of colors separated into boxes. This is were you will pick the color of the lines and fillings that you will use. To select a color left click on the color you want to be the foreground color and right click the color you want for the the background color (the background color is used for filled squares, circles, etc.). This is how the color palette is used. Experiment with he colors by selecting foreground colors and then using the pencil or brush tool to draw on the canvas.