Inkwash
Shares rank 7 of 17 diagramming tools by recommenders
Praised for fluid, pleasing watercolor blending and interactive demos that explain the technique well. Critics say the vortices and wash dynamics look unrealistic.
Praised for fluid, pleasing watercolor blending and interactive demos that explain the technique well. Critics say the vortices and wash dynamics look unrealistic.
18 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 16
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 89%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 16 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 8 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Fluid, attractive watercolor blending
“I like that adding pen strokes to a watery section continues to blend in.”
Comment from 17 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: Inkwash, a watercolor sketching app and explanation” “the feeling your made with this wash is gorgeous”
Comment from 17 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: Inkwash, a watercolor sketching app and explanation” “I love how the blending looks and fluidly works”
Comment from 17 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: Inkwash, a watercolor sketching app and explanation” - Comment from 17 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: Inkwash, a watercolor sketching app and explanation”
- Comment from 18 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: Inkwash, a watercolor sketching app and explanation”
Interactive demos explain the technique well
“being able to scrub the sim while reading the writeup made it actually click”
Comment from 16 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: Inkwash, a watercolor sketching app and explanation” “The interactive demos make the technical explanation much more approachable.”
Comment from 17 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: Inkwash, a watercolor sketching app and explanation” “Very cool app and very well explained throughout!”
Comment from 18 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: Inkwash, a watercolor sketching app and explanation” - Comment from 18 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: Inkwash, a watercolor sketching app and explanation”
Impressive single-file web app
“Very impressive work, thanks for sharing!”
Comment from 18 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: Inkwash, a watercolor sketching app and explanation” “Great example of a Single File Web App”
Comment from 17 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: Inkwash, a watercolor sketching app and explanation”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Vortices and dynamics look unrealistic
“some have small-scale vortices that really don't look realistic”
Comment from 17 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: Inkwash, a watercolor sketching app and explanation” “The examples display a degree of vorticity that I have never seen in real life watercoloring.”
Comment from 17 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: Inkwash, a watercolor sketching app and explanation” “doesn't capture the dynamics of watercolor”
Comment from 18 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: Inkwash, a watercolor sketching app and explanation”
Other diagramming tools people recommend
The four most recommended other diagramming tools, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krita | 77 | 11 | 88% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Excalidraw | 56 | 10 | 85% | 11 | — | Approved |
| Aseprite | 26 | 3 | 90% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Procreate | 23 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| InkwashThis page | 16 | 2 | 89% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
16 of the 19 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“doesn't capture the dynamics of watercolor”
“Very impressive work, thanks for sharing!”
“It's quite brilliant, and I wish it was in Gimp or even Inkscape.”
“amazing idea and writeup!”
“Very cool app and very well explained throughout!”
“Love the fluidity. Great for calligraphy.”
“The interactive demos make the technical explanation much more approachable.”
“some have small-scale vortices that really don't look realistic”
“The GPU load is consistently 75% whether I'm drawing or just have an untouched web page.”
“Great example of a Single File Web App”
“It is very fun and aesthetically pleasing also”
“the feeling your made with this wash is gorgeous”
“I like that adding pen strokes to a watery section continues to blend in.”
“The examples display a degree of vorticity that I have never seen in real life watercoloring.”
“I love how the blending looks and fluidly works”
“being able to scrub the sim while reading the writeup made it actually click”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.