BlockBloom
Start drawing

Free, open source, runs in your browser

Draw anything with blocks that bloom.

Pick a simple shape. Add a rule: mirror it, spin it, step it, scatter it, spiral it. Watch one wing become a butterfly and one arm become a snowflake. All you need is a keyboard and a mouse.

Open the studio See how it works

No sign-upNo installSaves in your browser

Live Butterfly 0 blocks 0 shapes

How it works

Nine blocks. One butterfly.

Scroll to build it. Every step is something you can do in the studio with a click or a key.

  1. Place one Wing block.

    Drag it right of the center line. Give it a gradient fill and a dark outline.

  2. Press M to mirror it.

    The Mirror repeat copies and flips it across the center. Half the work, a whole pair of wings.

  3. Step and repeat the spots.

    One circle, three copies, each smaller than the last. The mirror doubles them.

  4. Add a body and a face.

    Two circles, a curve for the antennae and a Cute face block on top.

  5. Scatter the sparkles.

    26 stars from one block, placed by a random seed you can change.

Step 1 of 50 shapes on screen

The rules

Six repeats and a handful of living algorithms.

Stack them in any order. Each one repeats everything above it, so three simple rules can make something intricate.

Play

Paint with symmetry.

Drag anywhere on the dark canvas. Every stroke is copied around the center, the same Spin around and Mirror rules the studio uses. With the keyboard: focus the canvas and paint with the arrow keys.

BlockBloom in numbers

29blocks on the shelf
6stackable repeats
13starter pictures
3,000copies from one block
0things to install

Keyboard and mouse

No tablet. No steady hand.

Every action has a key. Move a pixel at a time, rotate in neat 15° turns, mirror with one letter. Try these keys: they work on the picture beside them.

Watching a demo. Press any key above to take over.

Heart blockx 520, y 400, 0°

Starter pictures

Thirteen pictures, all made of blocks.

Drag to spin the ring. Open any picture and click its parts to see exactly how it was built.

Go deeper

The art and the math behind every block.

Learn →Symmetry, the golden angle, fractals, color, composition and why cute things look cute, with live playgrounds and step-by-step recipes. References →Free museum collections, snowflake photographs, pattern books, color tools and the books behind the algorithms.

What will you bloom?

Start from a blank canvas or open a butterfly, ghost, snowflake, tree, egg, mandala or kitty and make it yours.

Open the studio Read the guide