Draw Shapes and Colors in Pygame – Lesson 2

June 24, 2026
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pygame tutorial

Welcome Back, Game Developer!

In the previous lesson, you created your first Pygame window. But there was one problem. The window was completely empty!

Today, we will learn how to draw shapes and add colors to our game. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

✅ Draw rectangles

✅ Draw circles

✅ Draw lines

✅ Use different colors

✅ Create simple drawings

Let’s start!

Create a New File

Create a file named:

lesson2_shapes.py

Now type the following code.

Program 1: Create a White Background

import pygame

pygame.init()

screen = pygame.display.set_mode((800, 600))

pygame.display.set_caption("Drawing Shapes")

running = True

while running:

    screen.fill((255, 255, 255))

    pygame.display.update()

    for event in pygame.event.get():
        if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
            running = False

pygame.quit()

Run the program.

You will see a white window.

Understanding Colors

In Pygame, colors are created using RGB values.

RGB means:

R = Red
G = Green
B = Blue

Examples:

ColorRGB Value
Red(255, 0, 0)
Green(0, 255, 0)
Blue(0, 0, 255)
White(255, 255, 255)
Black(0, 0, 0)
Yellow(255, 255, 0)

What Does screen.fill() Do?

screen.fill((255, 255, 255))

This fills the entire window with a color.

Example:

White

screen.fill((255,255,255))

Blue

screen.fill((0,0,255))

Green

screen.fill((0,255,0))

Try changing the color and run the program again.

Program 2: Draw a Rectangle

Add this line after:

screen.fill((255,255,255))

pygame.draw.rect(screen, (255,0,0), (100,100,200,100))

Complete code:

import pygame

pygame.init()

screen = pygame.display.set_mode((800,600))

pygame.display.set_caption("Rectangle")

running = True

while running:

    screen.fill((255,255,255))

    pygame.draw.rect(screen, (255,0,0), (100,100,200,100))

    pygame.display.update()

    for event in pygame.event.get():
        if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
            running = False

pygame.quit()

Run the program.

A red rectangle will appear.

Understanding Rectangle Values

pygame.draw.rect(screen, (255,0,0), (100,100,200,100))

Here:

100 = X Position
100 = Y Position
200 = Width
100 = Height

Think of it like this:

(X,Y)
  |
  V

+------------------+
|                 |
|   Rectangle      |
|                 |
+------------------+

Activity 1

Try changing:

(100,100,200,100)

to

(300,200,150,150)

What happens?

Observe carefully.

Program 3: Draw a Circle

Replace the rectangle code with:

pygame.draw.circle(screen, (0,255,0), (400,300), 60)

Run the program.

You will see a green circle.

Understanding Circle Values

pygame.draw.circle(screen, (0,255,0), (400,300), 60)

Here:

400 = X Position
300 = Y Position
60 = Radius

The radius controls the size of the circle.

Activity 2

Try:

pygame.draw.circle(screen, (0,0,255), (400,300), 100)

What changed?

Program 4: Draw a Line

Add this code:

pygame.draw.line(screen, (0,0,0), (50,50), (700,500), 5)

Run the program.

A black line will appear.

Understanding Line Values

pygame.draw.line(screen, (0,0,0), (50,50), (700,500), 5)

Here:

(50,50) = Start Point
(700,500) = End Point
5 = Thickness

Program 5: Draw Multiple Shapes

Now let’s combine everything.

import pygame

pygame.init()

screen = pygame.display.set_mode((800,600))

pygame.display.set_caption("My Drawing")

running = True

while running:

    screen.fill((255,255,255))

    pygame.draw.rect(screen, (255,0,0), (100,100,200,100))

    pygame.draw.circle(screen, (0,255,0), (500,200), 60)

    pygame.draw.line(screen, (0,0,255), (50,500), (750,500), 5)

    pygame.display.update()

    for event in pygame.event.get():
        if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
            running = False

pygame.quit()

Congratulations!

You just created your first drawing using Pygame.

Mini Project: Draw a Traffic Signal

Try creating:

  • A black rectangle
  • A red circle
  • A yellow circle
  • A green circle

Hint:

Use:

pygame.draw.rect()

and

pygame.draw.circle()

Challenge Time

Can you create:

Challenge 1

A smiling face using circles.

Challenge 2

A simple house using:

  • Rectangles
  • Lines

Challenge 3

The Indian Flag using rectangles.

Try it yourself before looking for solutions.

Common Errors and Solutions

Error

NameError

Solution:

Check spelling carefully.

Example:

pygame.draw.circle

must be written correctly.

Error

SyntaxError

Solution:

Check brackets and commas.

Example:

(255,0,0)

must contain commas.

What You Learned Today

Today you learned:

✅ How RGB colors work

✅ How to change background colors

✅ How to draw rectangles

✅ How to draw circles

✅ How to draw lines

✅ How to combine multiple shapes

Quick Revision

Which function is used to:

  1. Fill the screen with a color?
  2. Draw a rectangle?
  3. Draw a circle?
  4. Draw a line?

If you can answer these questions, you are ready for the next lesson.

What’s Next?

In Lesson 3, we will learn:

✅ Coordinates in Pygame

✅ X and Y positions

✅ Moving shapes around the screen

✅ Understanding game objects

This is where your games will start coming alive! 🎮✨

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why are colors written as numbers?

Pygame uses RGB values to create colors. Each value can range from 0 to 255.

Can I use any color?

Yes. By mixing RGB values, you can create millions of colors.

Why is my shape not visible?

Check:

  • Position values
  • Color values
  • Spelling mistakes

What is the easiest shape to draw?

A rectangle is usually the easiest shape for beginners.

Codermantra Practice Task

Create a drawing that contains:

  • One rectangle
  • Two circles
  • One line
  • Three different colors

Save it as:

my_first_drawing.py

Run the program and show it to your friends or family. 🎉

Written by Shubhranshu Shekhar, who has trained 20000+ students in coding.

Pygame Tutorial
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