The Lab · A revival
Alchemy
A serendipity engine for the blank page — a legendary open-source drawing project, rebuilt from scratch for the modern web.
The original
Alchemy was created by Karl D.D. Willis and Jacob Hina — an experimental, open drawing project (2007–2010) built on one radical idea: no undo-everything, no layers, no precision. You combine create and affect modules — shapes from speed, marks from your microphone, mirrored strokes — and chase accidents until something worth keeping falls out. It shaped how a generation of concept artists start a sketch.
The original Java application lives at al.chemy.org, released under the GPL. All credit for the concept, the module system, and the spirit of the tool belongs to its creators and contributors.
This revival
Java applets don't run anymore, and I missed the tool — so I rebuilt it: TypeScript, Canvas2D, pointer and pressure input, vector export to SVG and PNG, with the module system intact and a few new experiments of my own. It runs in the browser, works offline as a desktop app, and stays true to the original's rule: just make marks. Released in the spirit of the original, under GPL-3.0.
It's also a working sample of how I build now — an AI-native workflow carrying a twenty-five-year-old design instinct. The point of the new tools is that play ships.
Unsigned build — on first launch, right-click the app and choose Open. Or just use the full version below, right here in the browser.
The full version
Toolbar, modules, library, exports — everything the desktop app has.