Sumi

Sumi turns a browser canvas into a digital marbling tray. Add colored ink, drag through the moving pattern, and watch fine bands fold into watery ribbons. It is a focused creative toy built around drift and distortion rather than a full drawing suite.

What is Sumi?

Sumi borrows the central gesture of suminagashi—ink floating on water—without pretending to replace the paper craft. A click adds color to the virtual surface, while a drag bends and combs the simulated flow. The pattern also has a life of its own, so the most satisfying approach is often a small intervention followed by a pause. Four colors keep the choices compact, and the reset control offers a clean tray when the composition turns from elegant tide pool to enthusiastic soup.

What you can do there

• Drop colored ink onto a virtual water surface
• Drag through the pattern to distort and blend it
• Switch among black, blue, red, and green

Why we picked it

Many browser art toys hand you a brush and wait. Sumi makes the medium feel like a collaborator: bands spread, warp, and continue moving after the gesture ends. That balance between control and surrender gives even a brief visit a distinctive rhythm.

How to get the most from it

Begin with one color and a few widely spaced drops. Drag slowly through the rings to pull out longer curves, then stop and watch how the motion rearranges the edges. Add a second color only after the first pattern has room to breathe, and use reset when you want a fresh experiment.

Good to know

The creator describes Sumi as a WebGL-based simulation intended for modern browsers, and continuous motion is part of the experience. Keyboard-only controls, screen-reader behavior, reduced-motion handling, audio, saving or export, and current mobile compatibility are not documented in the reviewed materials.

Who made it, and when?

Keerthi is the credited creator or organization. The earliest supported launch date we found is June 2026.