Abstract: A system for sketching, illustrating, drawing or painting likeness compositions such as canvas oil paintings from source images includes a set of increasing size reusable overlayable source image grids with image composition frames used with corresponding destination canvas grid patterns, allowing a consistent grid pattern for all canvas sizes by using predetermined grid dimensions for each canvas size. The image grid patterns may be affixed to clear plastic sheets or may be software-generated patterns. This combination greatly simplifies the use of grids in artwork and provides low-cost timesaving methods to draw accurate perspective. The system includes a unique canvas grid ruler for simplifying generation of canvas grid lines and in some embodiments canvases are pre-printed or backside-shadowed with appropriate canvas grid patterns and labels.