Show HN: Inkwash, a watercolor sketching app and explanation(johnowhitaker.github.io)
234 points by Yenrabbit 4 days ago | 26 comments
tl;dr: Inkwash is a browser-based watercolor sketching app built as a single HTML file using WebGL2, simulating pigment, water, and paper via stacked float textures and Stam's Stable Fluids algorithm. It models effects like chromatographic bleed, edge darkening, granulation, and Beer-Lambert light absorption to mimic real watercolor behavior, with a "fix" command that bakes wet pigment into the paper for layering. Notably, the author built the entire app by prompting Claude (Anthropic's unreleased "Fable 5" model) without writing code themselves, and the accompanying explainer is largely AI-generated.
HN Discussion:
  • General praise for the app's visuals, writeup, and interactive explanation
  • Simulation physics are unrealistic with too much vorticity/flow compared to real watercolor
  • ~Suggestions for improvements like PWA support and mobile UI fixes
  • Appreciation for the single-file web app architecture as an exemplar of the pattern
  • Comparison to existing watercolor tools like Rebelle