Tux Paint is a freeware drawing program specifically released for 3 to 12 years children and beginners. It is an open-source installer developed with provisions of GNU General Public License, version 2 that enables you to download it on a number of machines. It offers easy to use toolbox as well as starter images in a combination of sound effects, and a cartoon mascot for learning the basics of drawing on the computer. Bill Kendrick exclusively developed the program in the association of a team of volunteer developers and it is used as a computer literacy drawing activity around the world. 

Tux Paint Intuitive Interface

An intuitive and user-friendly interface is presented in a cartoon style while offering a fixed-size canvas without any bothering to set the pixels or inches. The default mode of the screen is 800 x 600, but it can fit on the screen with no problem what size the screen has big or small. Just use thumbnails to load or save the images because the entire ‘settings’ option is kept under a separate ‘Configuration window’. The option is also locked and only parents or teachers can access it to make changes. The children are offered ‘Starter; image in both styles; coloring book and photo-realistic. It is including with paintbrush, shapes, text, and a stamp feature for adding pre-drawn and photographic imagery to pictures. Parents and teachers can download additional content from 3rd-parties.

Table of Contents

Multiple Simple Tools

The app is the best starting drawing practice software for kids as it offers multiple simple and basic tools. You will find a few advanced tools also. You can simply apply brushes, penguin figures, shapes, and some fonts also. After completing the practice with basic tools, you can go to special effects such as bricks, cartoon chalk, color shift, distortion, darken, emboss, fill, and others. Just click the undo or redo button and correct your mistake easily.  

Configuration Option

The main window is including with all simple features that can be easily applied by your kids. But you will find a separate and locked configuration panel that your kids can’t reach to make any unwarranted change. The different vital settings can be settled down from here such as setting up the videos and audio settings, adjusting the size of the screen, disabling sound effects, widow size selection, and so on. Create keyboard shortcuts and make changes in the mouse settings also. Language settings, printing, saving, data preferences, and other changes are also set from the configuration panel. 

Simple & Portable

You need not take any difficult steps to carry on or out of the program. It will restart from the image where you have left it. You need not save the file with a specific filename as it restarts using the thumbnails. Additionally, it is portable with compatibility with Windows and Linux operating systems. it also reliably runs on older or slow systems. 

Special Effects

The software is no doubt basically released for children with simple drawing tools, yet it offers a plethora of special effects for extra practice;

  • Blind Creates a blind image across the photo Blocks create blocky parts in the photoBlur parts can be created using a mouseBricks are the large and small size of bricks styleCalligraphy makes quick strokes for creating thicknessCartoon creates different cartoon-style imagesChalk gives your drawing a chalk styleColor & White gives monotonous look to your pictureColor Shift is for jumbling the picture’s colorsConfetti is for throwing confetti over the photoDarken creates a dark look in different parts of the pictureDistortion makes changing in the picture slightly using a brushDrip gives a drippy look to the different parts of the pictureEdges are for creating outlines around the picturesEmboss highlights the edges of imagesFlip changes the picture verticallyFlower creates curves in the stalked flowersThe foam creates foamy bubbles The fold is for folding the corners of the picturesGlass Tile creates a glassy looksGrass creates real clumps in the picturesHexagon Mosaic is for creating hexagon patternsIrregular Mosaic creates the picture with a mosaic of shardsKaleidoscope is the combination of four symmetric brushesLight creates a bright look in your pictureLighten is for creating a fade lookMetal Paint is for painting shiny metallic colorsThe mirror is for flipping the image horizontally

Final Words

All-in-all, Tux Paint is one of the few most effective drawing programs for kids along with basic tools. It offers a simple and intuitive interface with easy access to ‘Stamps’ using thumbnails. It is a reliable program with portable capability and offers a separate configuration panel for parents and teachers.