Figma Shapes and the Frame Tool (beginner guide)

Draw your first shapes and understand why Frames are the foundation of every Figma design. Here’s how to do it in Figma on macOS, step by step — part of the free Figma beginner curriculum.

Lesson 2 of the Figma curriculum. Before this: Canvas and Navigation. Next up: Layers Panel and Selection.

What you’ll do

• Draw a Rectangle (R), Ellipse (O), and Line (L)
• Switch to the Move tool (V) to select and reposition
• Create a Frame with the Frame tool (F or A)
• Understand that a Frame is a container — you can nest layers inside it
• Recognize a Frame vs a Group by its outline and label on the canvas
• Use Option Command G to wrap selected layers in a Frame
• Use Command G and Shift Command G for Group and Ungroup
• Know which of fill, stroke, effects, constraints, auto layout, and prototyping only work on Frames

Do it hands-free with Skilly

Reading steps is one thing; doing them while the menus are in front of you is another. Skilly is a voice-first tutor for macOS: you ask out loud — “where’s the shapes panel?” — and it answers while moving your cursor to the exact button, watching your actual Figma window. It’s the same Figma curriculum these lessons come from, taught live instead of read. Free to start.

Keep going

This is one stage of the full Figma beginner curriculum. Previous: Canvas and Navigation. Continue with Layers Panel and Selection.