Heyiboy 🌽
@heyiboy.com
I'm making a pixel watercolor sketchbook called Tinycard.
Months ago, I wrote an empty function called simulationTick() and then built an entire pixel art watercolor simulation engine around it. Today is the first time I’ve seen it work. Crazy.
December 2, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Months ago, I wrote an empty function called simulationTick() and then built an entire pixel art watercolor simulation engine around it. Today is the first time I’ve seen it work. Crazy.
I've decided to solely focus on a pixel watercolor sketchbook app and I spent the morning seeing watercolor paint dry on paper. In Kernel Engine, pixels already keep track of a ton of information. Wiring it up so that a pixel stroke looks like a real watercolor stroke.
Not easy. #pixelart
Not easy. #pixelart
December 2, 2025 at 12:44 PM
I've decided to solely focus on a pixel watercolor sketchbook app and I spent the morning seeing watercolor paint dry on paper. In Kernel Engine, pixels already keep track of a ton of information. Wiring it up so that a pixel stroke looks like a real watercolor stroke.
Not easy. #pixelart
Not easy. #pixelart
Updates to #KernelEngine
🖌️ I think the UX of changing brush size feels so good. There’s haptic feedback too. I hope the knob doesn’t get in the way too much.
🧰 Toolbox is on the bottom now with all tools laid out in a row. Should be super easy to find the tool I need.
🎨 Swatches!
#pixelart
🖌️ I think the UX of changing brush size feels so good. There’s haptic feedback too. I hope the knob doesn’t get in the way too much.
🧰 Toolbox is on the bottom now with all tools laid out in a row. Should be super easy to find the tool I need.
🎨 Swatches!
#pixelart
November 26, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Updates to #KernelEngine
🖌️ I think the UX of changing brush size feels so good. There’s haptic feedback too. I hope the knob doesn’t get in the way too much.
🧰 Toolbox is on the bottom now with all tools laid out in a row. Should be super easy to find the tool I need.
🎨 Swatches!
#pixelart
🖌️ I think the UX of changing brush size feels so good. There’s haptic feedback too. I hope the knob doesn’t get in the way too much.
🧰 Toolbox is on the bottom now with all tools laid out in a row. Should be super easy to find the tool I need.
🎨 Swatches!
#pixelart
I don’t have a ton of time today but 3 goals:
👉 Add a quick brush size slider
👉 Relayout the app for better ergonomics
👉 Start water color brush
#KernelEngine #pixelart
👉 Add a quick brush size slider
👉 Relayout the app for better ergonomics
👉 Start water color brush
#KernelEngine #pixelart
November 25, 2025 at 9:06 AM
I don’t have a ton of time today but 3 goals:
👉 Add a quick brush size slider
👉 Relayout the app for better ergonomics
👉 Start water color brush
#KernelEngine #pixelart
👉 Add a quick brush size slider
👉 Relayout the app for better ergonomics
👉 Start water color brush
#KernelEngine #pixelart
I feel like I need a slider on the left side to increase and decrease the brush size like Procreate. It’ll get in the way though.
November 24, 2025 at 5:08 PM
I feel like I need a slider on the left side to increase and decrease the brush size like Procreate. It’ll get in the way though.
YES. It only works with odd number brushes lollllllll. It's also just a circle but it should be like the exact shape of the stroke... ok. ok. ok. ok.
November 24, 2025 at 3:38 PM
YES. It only works with odd number brushes lollllllll. It's also just a circle but it should be like the exact shape of the stroke... ok. ok. ok. ok.
it's like a firefly by accident. I'm trying to make a preview of the brush as I draw. Sometimes I think I'm good at this and sometimes I get humbled.
#KernelEngine #pixelart
#KernelEngine #pixelart
November 24, 2025 at 3:18 PM
it's like a firefly by accident. I'm trying to make a preview of the brush as I draw. Sometimes I think I'm good at this and sometimes I get humbled.
#KernelEngine #pixelart
#KernelEngine #pixelart
Adding on to this thread for tomorrow. This is my concept art... Like, I should see beautiful, crunchy tools. I should be able to draw on the canvas and it should feel and look special. Almost like a toy and not a professional tool.
I'm making a toy. Toy. Toy.
I'm making a toy. Toy. Toy.
November 24, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Adding on to this thread for tomorrow. This is my concept art... Like, I should see beautiful, crunchy tools. I should be able to draw on the canvas and it should feel and look special. Almost like a toy and not a professional tool.
I'm making a toy. Toy. Toy.
I'm making a toy. Toy. Toy.
Adding layout ideas from past designs to this thread. I love colorful UI but the black and white one goes super hard. There's not enough space on the phone though...
November 24, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Adding layout ideas from past designs to this thread. I love colorful UI but the black and white one goes super hard. There's not enough space on the phone though...
It lives! It's also a mobile app now I guess? I want to take advantage of Apple Pencil eventually. I'll circle back to the android build after.
I've built real pixel water color into my engine so that should be next in my app. Colors too. Tools. Undo. Grids. What else?
#KernelEngine
I've built real pixel water color into my engine so that should be next in my app. Colors too. Tools. Undo. Grids. What else?
#KernelEngine
November 24, 2025 at 2:31 PM
It lives! It's also a mobile app now I guess? I want to take advantage of Apple Pencil eventually. I'll circle back to the android build after.
I've built real pixel water color into my engine so that should be next in my app. Colors too. Tools. Undo. Grids. What else?
#KernelEngine
I've built real pixel water color into my engine so that should be next in my app. Colors too. Tools. Undo. Grids. What else?
#KernelEngine
The most basic thing ever but it's pixel art baby. Way harder than I thought to set up.
November 24, 2025 at 12:18 PM
The most basic thing ever but it's pixel art baby. Way harder than I thought to set up.
holy GPU pixels. It's not pixel art but real pixels from Kernel are being rendered.
November 24, 2025 at 10:57 AM
holy GPU pixels. It's not pixel art but real pixels from Kernel are being rendered.
I'm rebuilding and renaming my note taking app after getting tons of feedback.
📝 Think IG stories but like square and that's your notes.
👉 Creating is simple. Open the app, tap, draw, talk, camera.
#️⃣ Simple # hashtags to organize your notes.
👯 Subscribe to hashtags and share tinynotes with friends.
📝 Think IG stories but like square and that's your notes.
👉 Creating is simple. Open the app, tap, draw, talk, camera.
#️⃣ Simple # hashtags to organize your notes.
👯 Subscribe to hashtags and share tinynotes with friends.
November 24, 2025 at 10:36 AM
I'm rebuilding and renaming my note taking app after getting tons of feedback.
📝 Think IG stories but like square and that's your notes.
👉 Creating is simple. Open the app, tap, draw, talk, camera.
#️⃣ Simple # hashtags to organize your notes.
👯 Subscribe to hashtags and share tinynotes with friends.
📝 Think IG stories but like square and that's your notes.
👉 Creating is simple. Open the app, tap, draw, talk, camera.
#️⃣ Simple # hashtags to organize your notes.
👯 Subscribe to hashtags and share tinynotes with friends.
I also spent this year building a few prototypes and throwing them away. This one took my little card app and added a full canvas and generative AI features. Putting aside my personal mixed feelings about AI, it was an interesting concept of building new stuff from your notes. Still mixed feelings.
November 24, 2025 at 9:40 AM
I also spent this year building a few prototypes and throwing them away. This one took my little card app and added a full canvas and generative AI features. Putting aside my personal mixed feelings about AI, it was an interesting concept of building new stuff from your notes. Still mixed feelings.
POV you're making a super high fidelity pixel art engine but you still have to learn GPU coding too.
like what do you mean everything is a triangle.
like what do you mean everything is a triangle.
November 24, 2025 at 9:33 AM
POV you're making a super high fidelity pixel art engine but you still have to learn GPU coding too.
like what do you mean everything is a triangle.
like what do you mean everything is a triangle.
I built a pixel simulation engine called Kernel like the corn seed 🌽 I should now be able to paint with pixel art but at like the fidelity of real paint where you can see the texture of the pigment move around the water as it dries. Here's a stroke rendered with emojis in the terminal.
November 24, 2025 at 9:23 AM
I built a pixel simulation engine called Kernel like the corn seed 🌽 I should now be able to paint with pixel art but at like the fidelity of real paint where you can see the texture of the pigment move around the water as it dries. Here's a stroke rendered with emojis in the terminal.
Researching for a new essay on widgets, spatial UI, and generative UI and I stumbled upon Andy Hertzfeld's essay on desk ornaments from 1981 around when the Macintosh launched. There's so much gold in there. UI evolves as a continuum and not as a series of disconnected fads.
February 14, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Researching for a new essay on widgets, spatial UI, and generative UI and I stumbled upon Andy Hertzfeld's essay on desk ornaments from 1981 around when the Macintosh launched. There's so much gold in there. UI evolves as a continuum and not as a series of disconnected fads.
Hey David! I launched a fun productivity app today on iOS. I call it Tinycrate. It's a notebook with fun, cozy vibes.
📸 Capture your ideas into cards.
🔗 Create links between them.
🤯 Find unexpected connections.
👉 apps.apple.com/us/app/tinyc...
📸 Capture your ideas into cards.
🔗 Create links between them.
🤯 Find unexpected connections.
👉 apps.apple.com/us/app/tinyc...
January 30, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Hey David! I launched a fun productivity app today on iOS. I call it Tinycrate. It's a notebook with fun, cozy vibes.
📸 Capture your ideas into cards.
🔗 Create links between them.
🤯 Find unexpected connections.
👉 apps.apple.com/us/app/tinyc...
📸 Capture your ideas into cards.
🔗 Create links between them.
🤯 Find unexpected connections.
👉 apps.apple.com/us/app/tinyc...
A flood of memories suddenly came back. It was like quake for kids lolll
January 30, 2025 at 1:18 PM
A flood of memories suddenly came back. It was like quake for kids lolll
It's live on the App Store today.
apps.apple.com/us/app/tinyc...
apps.apple.com/us/app/tinyc...
January 30, 2025 at 11:50 AM
It's live on the App Store today.
apps.apple.com/us/app/tinyc...
apps.apple.com/us/app/tinyc...
It’s so funny seeing people write eulogies about Nintendo of old now that Switch 2 has been announced.
“Where is the old Nintendo quirky we love?” They say every morning as their Alarmo wakes them up. A, checks notes, quirky product released by Nintendo 3 months ago lol.
#nintendoswitch2
“Where is the old Nintendo quirky we love?” They say every morning as their Alarmo wakes them up. A, checks notes, quirky product released by Nintendo 3 months ago lol.
#nintendoswitch2
January 18, 2025 at 10:29 AM
It’s so funny seeing people write eulogies about Nintendo of old now that Switch 2 has been announced.
“Where is the old Nintendo quirky we love?” They say every morning as their Alarmo wakes them up. A, checks notes, quirky product released by Nintendo 3 months ago lol.
#nintendoswitch2
“Where is the old Nintendo quirky we love?” They say every morning as their Alarmo wakes them up. A, checks notes, quirky product released by Nintendo 3 months ago lol.
#nintendoswitch2
Coming up with a color swatch tool that I can make quick. You can add up to 5 colors in a card. You can also assign these colors to be your theme in Tinycrate.
January 16, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Coming up with a color swatch tool that I can make quick. You can add up to 5 colors in a card. You can also assign these colors to be your theme in Tinycrate.
Yeah so it’s stupid simple lol. I couldn’t simplify further than tapping a button to link. There must be recommended links in the future or smart albums like Google photos.
January 15, 2025 at 6:52 AM
Yeah so it’s stupid simple lol. I couldn’t simplify further than tapping a button to link. There must be recommended links in the future or smart albums like Google photos.