# The Graphics class

Each Shape, Sprite, and MovieClip object has a `graphics` property, which is an
instance of the Graphics class. The Graphics class includes properties and
methods for drawing lines, fills, and shapes. If you want a display object to
use solely as a canvas for drawing content, you can use a Shape instance. A
Shape instance will perform better than other display objects for drawing,
because it doesn't have the overhead of the additional functionality in the
Sprite and MovieClip classes. If you want a display object on which you can draw
graphical content and also want that object to contain other display objects,
you can use a Sprite instance. For more information on determining which display
object to use for various tasks, see
[Choosing a DisplayObject subclass](../display-programming/choosing-a-display-object-subclass.md).
