About Artnips
A generative art side project.
What is this?
Artnips is a generative art toy. Hit generate and a painting appears. Each one is drawn by a small algorithm called an artnip. The drawing happens on the server when you hit generate, not from a stored file. Every painting is captured as a short code that records exactly how it was made, so sharing the link recreates the same painting for anyone who opens it.
It started as a side project about a decade ago, got shelved, and came back to life in 2024. There are 8 published artnips right now. See the algorithm catalog.
How does it work?
Each artnip is a drawing algorithm. Give it the same inputs and it always produces the same output. When you generate a painting, the system picks one or more artnips at random and runs them in sequence using a single random seed. That seed and the artnip selection are encoded in the painting code.
Every painting is saved permanently and gets its own URL. Every painting ever generated is in the gallery.
Rate limit
You can generate up to 30 paintings per day from a single IP address. The count resets at midnight UTC. Signing in does not change the limit. It is per IP address, not per account.
The limit is there to keep rendering costs manageable, not to gatekeep.
Can I use the images?
Yes. Every painting is public on Artnips and free to use. If you generated it, take it wherever you want: personal projects, commercial work, prints, anything. Other people can view and save it too.
If you share something you made here, tagging or mentioning Artnips is appreciated. It helps more people find it. No requirement though.
The underlying code and rendering engine are not open source right now.
Do I need an account?
No. Generating, viewing, and downloading all work without signing in. Sign in with Google to like paintings and save them to your account.
Who built this?
One person built and maintains this as a hobby project. Generate something, leave a like if you enjoy it, and share what you make.