I’ve been practicing drawing and reference transfers recently, and I kept running into the same issue:
Most online grid makers either:
- feel outdated
- have poor mobile UX
- generate blurry grids
- overload the UI with unnecessary controls
- or make exporting painful
So I started building my own browser-based grid tool focused on simplicity and speed.
What I wanted to improve
Better visual clarity
A lot of existing tools stack too many settings at once.
I wanted a cleaner workflow where users can:
- Upload an image
- Adjust grid size
- Export instantly
Without needing to learn the interface first.
Faster canvas rendering
One issue I noticed was that large images + dynamic grids can get laggy quickly in the browser.
I spent some time optimizing:
- canvas redraw behavior
- grid overlay rendering
- export sharpness
- responsive scaling
Especially for large portrait references.
Better use cases beyond drawing
Interestingly, people started using it for things I didn’t initially expect:
- Instagram grid planning
- pixel art references
- crochet patterns
- classroom worksheets
- tattoo stencil prep
Which pushed me to make the layout system more flexible.
UX Lessons I Learned
One thing I underestimated:
Users care more about clarity than features.
Removing friction improved the experience far more than adding advanced options.
Things like:
- fewer buttons
- clearer spacing
- instant preview updates
- cleaner typography
made a bigger difference than “power features”.
Current Direction
Right now I’m experimenting with:
- better mobile support
- template presets
- sharper exports
- dark mode improvements
- reusable layouts
Still a work in progress, but it’s been fun building something actually useful for creators.
For anyone curious, the current version is here:
Would love feedback from people who work with:
- drawing workflows
- canvas tools
- image processing
- creator utilities
- frontend performance
Curious what features you think these kinds of tools still lack today.
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