# Using the Mouse as a Drawing Tool
**URL:** https://discourse.processing.org/t/using-the-mouse-as-a-drawing-tool/13833
**Category:** Coding Questions
**Created:** [September 5, 2019, 8:52pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/using-the-mouse-as-a-drawing-tool/13833 "2019-09-05T20:52:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@van326](https://discourse.processing.org/u/van326)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2019, 8:52pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/using-the-mouse-as-a-drawing-tool/13833/1 "2019-09-05T20:52:33Z")
Hi! I am currently playing around with coding the ability to draw in p5.js, and so far it’s turning out okay, but I have a question about using the mouse as a brush. Ideally, I would like to have it where whenever the user clicks the mouse (mousePressed), the brush will stop making lines, and then continue making lines when it is pressed again. I currently also have it set to whenever the mouse is pressed, the background is cleared and recreated. When I tried typing in the code to have both the background reset and the brush stop/start, the brush stopped appearing.
Am I missing a step to add the ability to control when the brush is and isn’t being used, or am I ordering the information incorrectly? I have attached a link to my sketches; you can view the project that is named “Sketchy Sketch.” Thanks in advance!!
[https://editor.p5js.org/van326/sketches](https://editor.p5js.org/van326/sketches)
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### Author:  [@colin](https://discourse.processing.org/u/colin)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/using-the-mouse-as-a-drawing-tool/13833/2 "2019-09-05T22:51:00Z")
Hi, @van326
By not displaying your background you managed to keep a track of the mouse of your user, but this trick wont be enough to go further.
There is plenty of way of doing a paint like sketch, I suggest you to use an array of vector.
Here is an example of how array works in p5
[https://p5js.org/examples/arrays-array.html](https://p5js.org/examples/arrays-array.html)
And here is how to use vector
[https://p5js.org/reference/#/p5/createVector](https://p5js.org/reference/#/p5/createVector)
Feel free to ask if you need help 🙂
Also, you can share each of your sketches separately in the p5 editor in the file tab -\> share
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### Author:  [@kll](https://discourse.processing.org/u/kll)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2019, 2:34am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/using-the-mouse-as-a-drawing-tool/13833/3 "2019-09-06T02:34:11Z")
BUT if you not want go from PAINT Mode to CONSTRUCT Mode
here a small idea of a nice paint tool i made in JAVA Mode but just now translated for you ( using my )
> Mouse Wheel Plus Plus
> **[p5.js Web Editor](https://editor.p5js.org/kll/sketches/Vj-GWWxKV)**
>
> A web editor for p5.js, a JavaScript library with the goal of making coding accessible to artists, designers, educators, and beginners.
```auto
use mouse LEFT press for paint, RIGHT press for erase
MousewheelPlusPlus: press
[r] red
[g] green
[b] blue
[w] brush size
and turn mousewheel
```