Abstract: Graphics software for use in rendering an image on a computer display. The software is used in conjunction with special hardware including a high resolution computer monitor and high speed graphics imaging software. The software allows the user to create and manipulate paint objects that define the way images are modified by rendering tools such as a drawing tool or a titling tool. The attributes for a plurality of paint objects are defined in a hierarchy and can be stored on a memory device such as a computer hard drive. The organization into a hierarchy of the various attributes making up a complex object such as a paint stroke or a text body result in an ability to deal with branches of the hierarchy as persistable objects in their own right.