Grid maker › FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Everything people usually ask about the grid maker and about drawing with a grid.
Is the grid maker free?
Yes. Every setting, effect and export size is free, with no account, no watermark and no usage limit.
Are my photos uploaded anywhere?
No. Your image is read and drawn entirely by your own browser. It is never sent to a server, which is also why the tool keeps working if your connection drops after the page has loaded.
Do I need to install anything?
No. It runs in any modern browser on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.
Why are my cells rectangles instead of squares?
The rows and columns you chose do not match the proportions of your photo. Turn on Keep cells square and the row count is worked out from the image for you.
What grid size should I use for a portrait?
Sixteen to twenty-four columns suits most human portraits, because features like eyes and lip corners need cell-level precision. There is a full size table in the guide on choosing a grid size.
What is the difference between sketch and line art?
Sketch keeps grey mid-tones and looks like a soft pencil rendering. Line art pushes those greys into solid black lines on white, which is sharper to follow and much cheaper to print.
Can I download the grid at A4 or A3 size?
Yes. Choose the sheet format and the export is generated at those exact millimetre dimensions. A4 at 300 DPI comes out as 2480 by 3508 pixels. Set portrait or landscape and a margin, and the readout shows the physical size of each square.
How do I print it at the right size?
Choose Actual size or 100% in your print dialog rather than Fit to page. Fit to page rescales slightly to respect printer margins, which makes the millimetre measurements wrong.
Does the grid appear on the downloaded image?
Yes. The grid, labels, guides and any effect are baked into the PNG or JPG exactly as you see them. The grey page outline and blue dashed margin are screen guides only and are never included.
Can I crop the photo to the page?
Yes. Drag the image to move it, scroll or pinch to zoom, or press Fill page. The grid follows whatever part of the photo stays on the page.
How do I draw the grid on my paper?
Divide your drawing width by the number of columns to get your cell size, mark that spacing along the edges and join the marks with a ruler. Use a 2H pencil so the lines erase cleanly.
Is drawing from a photo with a grid cheating?
No. It is a measuring technique, like a plumb line or a viewfinder. It handles proportion so you can spend your attention on edges, value and mark-making.
Can I sell a drawing I made this way?
Your drawing is your own work. What matters is the reference: use your own photo, a licensed one, or an image released for free use. Closely copying someone else's photograph and selling the result can infringe their copyright regardless of method.
Which image formats can I load?
JPG, PNG, GIF and WEBP. You can also paste an image straight from the clipboard with Ctrl+V.
Try it on your own reference
The grid maker is free, runs in your browser and never uploads your photo.
Open the grid maker