Choose a Comfortable Drawing Method
Draw in Drawquarium with a mouse or a supported pen tablet; a drawing tablet is not required. If pen strokes behave incorrectly, compare them with mouse input, or prepare artwork in another art program and use PNG import in the full game.
Mouse, Pen Tablet, or External Artwork
| Drawing Route | When to Choose It |
|---|---|
| Draw inside the game with a mouse. | A useful starting point without extra hardware. Templates can help you begin with a shape instead of drawing everything freehand. |
| Draw with a supported pen tablet. | Choose this if pen input feels more comfortable. Wacom is specifically mentioned, but pressure results depend on your tablet and driver. |
| Create a PNG in another art program. | Choose this for layers, detailed brush control, or a familiar tablet workflow. PNG import is the full-game route; the reduced demo is not a dependable substitute. |
Start with the input device you already find comfortable. If drawing directly in the game feels awkward, try a simpler design before deciding you need different hardware. A small test drawing makes it easier to judge the input without committing to a detailed fish.
Make a Drawing Without Fighting the Tools
- Choose a template shape to give your drawing a starting point, or begin from a blank canvas if you prefer freehand work.
- Draw a simple test shape with your preferred input device so you can judge whether its strokes feel comfortable.
- Scroll near the part of the canvas you want to zoom into, bringing the detail you are working on closer.
- Use the available fill and stamp tools to add color or details without drawing every part with a continuous stroke.
- Use the number keys to select colors from your stored palette when you want to switch between saved colors.
- Return to edit your fish later if you want to refine its drawing after seeing the creation in your aquarium.
The expanded editor includes zoom, improved Fill Bucket tools, stamps, custom templates, and saved palettes. Tool availability can differ between the demo and full release. Work with the tools present in your version rather than expecting every demonstrated editor feature to appear in the reduced demo.
Check Missed Strokes, Clicks, and Slow Drawing
- Compare the same drawing action with ordinary mouse input. Note whether the problem affects the pen alone or also happens with the mouse.
- For drawing that becomes slow during a session, use the pause button next to the fish name while you draw.
- Try turning off VSync as a separate test for slow drawing; the official FAQ says this helped some players.
- When testing pressure, remember that the game's pressure settings can behave differently depending on the tablet and its driver.
- Record whether you are using the demo or full game, the action that causes the problem, and any exact error message before reporting it.
Pen input and pen pressure deserve separate checks. The official FAQ says pressure settings exist and that results depend on the tablet and driver, while the developer has also requested feedback on pressure problems from Wacom and other tablet users. Compare what you can actually draw with what happens when you vary pen pressure.
Change settings separately and repeat the same small drawing test after each change. Keep a note of whether strokes, clicks, or responsiveness improved. That comparison will be more useful than making several adjustments and losing track of which one affected the result.
Layers and Detailed Artwork
- Does Drawquarium have a separate line-art layer?
- No. The official FAQ says the editor does not have layers and suggests trying the masked brush. If you need separate line art and color layers, prepare your artwork in another art program and export a PNG for the full game.
- Can I copy and paste part of my drawing?
- The official FAQ says copying and pasting part of a drawing is not currently available. If that is central to how you build an illustration, use an external art program and the full game's PNG import route.
Prepare External Artwork for the Full Game
- Create the artwork in your preferred art program when its layers, brushes, or tablet workflow suit the drawing better.
- Export the finished artwork as PNG, the supported image format for bringing your own pictures into Drawquarium.
- Use an 850 x 850 px texture when preparing a big fish, following the size recommended in the official FAQ.
- Import the PNG in the full game to bring the externally created artwork into your aquarium.
Keep a backup of the original image as well as your exported PNG. The team recommends retaining image backups, including when carrying creations from the demo into the full game. In the reduced demo, continue with its available drawing tools instead of repeatedly testing an unavailable Import workflow.
Report a Persistent Input Problem
Describe what you expected, what happened instead, and how to reproduce it. Include whether the issue occurs in the demo or full game, plus a screenshot or the exact error if there is one. Add your mouse comparison so the team can see whether the behavior is specific to pen input.
Open the Steam bug-reporting instructions to prepare and submit a useful drawing-input report.