Geo325: Business Geographics
Supplemental Materials: Using Microsoft Paint to Draw Study Areas

This document demonstrates how to use Microsoft Paint to draw three simulated population regions and business locations.

1. Click on Start on your desktop, navigate to Programs, over to Accessories, and then to Paint.
    
2. Click on the Rectangle tool in the toolbar.
    
3. Move the cross point to the upper left corner of the page. Click and drag to the lower right corner (or however large you want the map to be) This creates a rectangle which represents your 'map' border.
    
4. Click on the Curve tool in the toolbar. Place your cursor near any of the four map borders. Click and hold your mouse button down and then click on any other map border. Now click anywhere on your map. This will stretch the line toward your last click and make a smooth line. You now have two map areas in your map. This step is tricky at first. Use your undo function if your first attempts don't work as you expected.
    
5. Repeat this step again to further divide one of the areas into two areas. You now have three map 'regions.'
    
6. Go the the bottom left of the screen and select a color to fill in one of the regions you just created.
    
7. In the main toolbar, select the Fill tool. Click in one of your regions to fill that region with your selected color. Repeat for each of your map regions.
    
8. To place dots on your map representing your business locations, choose a new color, different from your other three. (black or white work well). Select the paint can tool.  Select the smallest paint pattern. Click inside a map region to create a dot.
    
9. To label the points, click on the Text tool. Place your cursor near a dot and type the text you wish to label the dot with. Repeat to label your other dots.

Lesson documentation updated 11/30/07; Ellen Bryson.
The Center for Geographic Information Systems and Spatial Analysis at West Chester University