Have you ever thought about how a simple recursive algorithm can create a pattern that feels like a brushstroke? I was playing with a little fractal generator the other day and it got me wondering if we could blend code and paint to make something that looks almost alive. What do you think?

That’s a neat thought—maybe we can make a tiny Python script that spits out a path for a brush, then hand‑paint those points. I’ll crank up the recursion depth and let the algorithm decide the strokes. The output will look like a digital sketch, and you can splash paint over it. I’ll send you the code in a moment, just be ready to get a little messy.

import random import math # size of the canvas in pixels (just for reference) WIDTH, HEIGHT = 800, 800 # number of recursive layers LAYER_COUNT = 5 # base radius for the outermost stroke BASE_RADIUS = 300 # function that recursively generates points def generate_stroke(cx, cy, radius, depth): if depth == 0: return points = [] # how many points in this layer count = 8 * depth angle_step = 2 * math.pi / count for i in range(count): angle = i * angle_step + random.uniform(-0.1, 0.1) x = cx + radius * math.cos(angle) y = cy + radius * math.sin(angle) points.append((x, y)) # write the points to a simple text file (one per line) with open(f"stroke_depth_{depth}.txt", "a") as f: for p in points: f.write(f"{p[0]:.2f},{p[1]:.2f}\n") # recurse inward new_radius = radius * 0.7 generate_stroke(cx, cy, new_radius, depth - 1) # clear previous files for d in range(1, LAYER_COUNT + 1): try: open(f"stroke_depth_{d}.txt", "w").close() except: pass # start the recursion from the center generate_stroke(WIDTH / 2, HEIGHT / 2, BASE_RADIUS, LAYER_COUNT) print("Done! Each file contains a layer of points for your brush to follow.")