Grid Maker for Drawing

Online grid makers create mathematically perfect grids in seconds, eliminating measurement errors and saving hours of manual setup time. You can instantly adjust grid size, positioning, and cell count—then export or print for immediate use.

Hand-drawn grids require careful measuring with rulers, often resulting in inconsistent cell sizes that compound errors across your drawing. This grid maker lets you focus on the creative work instead. Try it now →

For drawing, use a hard, light pencil (2H–4H) or vine charcoal so the grid can be lightly dab-erased once your outlines are in place.

For painting, make the grid with removable materials like charcoal, pastel, watercolor pencil, or thinned paint — then paint or glaze over it so it disappears beneath your layers.

For detailed portraits (A4/Letter size), we recommend a 2cm or 1-inch grid. This size is small enough to capture key details like eyes and lips but large enough not to clutter the image. If you are drawing larger (A3+), you can increase the cell size to 3cm or 4cm.

Draw your grid very lightly using a hard pencil (4H or 2H). After sketching your outlines, gently dab (don't rub) the grid lines with a kneaded eraser—they lift off easily without damaging your paper or artwork beneath.

For best results, avoid pressing hard when drawing the grid. The harder the pencil, the lighter and easier to remove the lines will be. Some artists use a light blue pencil for grids since it doesn't photograph or scan well, making removal unnecessary for digital output.

No—the grid method is a legitimate artistic technique used by masters including Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Dürer, and modern photorealist Chuck Close. Dürer published grid device instructions in 1525, and many art schools teach it as a foundational skill today.

Unlike tracing, the grid method trains your eye to see proportions, angles, and spatial relationships. You make every mark yourself while learning to measure and observe accurately. These skills transfer directly to freehand drawing—many artists who master the grid method eventually need it less as their observational abilities improve.

The grid method makes scaling easy. If your reference photo has a 1cm grid and your canvas is 4 times larger, simply draw a 4cm grid on your canvas. Each cell on your reference corresponds to a cell on your canvas at the same position. GridMyPic's real-world size matching feature lets you set your actual canvas dimensions in centimeters or inches, then automatically calculates the correct grid proportions.

Start with a 4×4 grid (16 cells) for simple compositions. This provides enough reference points without being overwhelming for beginners. As you gain confidence, move to 6×6 or 8×8 grids for more detailed subjects like portraits.

For highly detailed work, a 12×12 or 16×16 grid helps capture subtle features like facial expressions. The key is finding the balance where you have enough reference points without cluttering the image. Use our complete beginner's guide to learn more about choosing the right grid size for your subject.

Yes—the grid method works for oil painting, acrylics, watercolor, and any other medium. For paintings, draw your grid lightly with charcoal, pastel, or a thin wash of paint. Once you've blocked in your main shapes, the grid lines get painted over and disappear beneath your layers. Many portrait and landscape painters use grids to establish accurate proportions before applying color.

The grid method has a rich history in art. Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) created detailed woodcuts showing artists using grid devices to achieve accurate perspective. Leonardo da Vinci used grids for proportion studies and transferring compositions. In modern times, Chuck Close became famous for his large-scale photorealist portraits created using a grid system. The method was standard practice in Renaissance workshops and continues to be taught in art schools today.

The key difference is skill development. Tracing copies lines directly without requiring you to understand what you're drawing. The grid method, in contrast, teaches you to observe, measure, and translate what you see. You actively compare angles, curves, and proportions between your reference and your canvas. This process builds visual analysis skills that transfer to freehand drawing—many artists who master the grid method eventually need it less because their eye becomes trained to see accurately.