Sandpainting

Sandpainting is a small, quiet drawing toy: a tray of sand and a moving sun. Drag a finger and the sand parts under it — slow strokes carve fine lines, fast strokes sweep wide — while real light rakes across every ridge and groove. The sun sits where the hour puts it — low and long at dawn, warm at sunset, gone to moonlight at night — or take the dials and move it yourself. There is no score, no timer, and nothing to finish.

For iPhone & iPad.

What it does

• Sand that behaves — strokes carve real relief, steep edges slump like dry sand, a shake settles it smooth
• A living sky — the light follows the actual time of day, or take the sun in your own hands
• Depth palettes — color gradients that follow how deep you've carved (two free, six more as a one-time $1.99 unlock)
• Draw from a photo — its depth becomes relief you can carve into, entirely on-device

Get it

Sandpainting: Zen Sand Art on the App Store — free to download, for iPhone and iPad.

Support

Questions, bugs, or a color you wish existed? I’d genuinely like to hear it.

Email: kaolin@gmail.com

I read everything and usually reply within a few days.

Privacy

Sandpainting collects nothing. No account, no sign-in, no tracking, no analytics, no ads. Drawing, lighting, and photo-to-relief all run on your device; photos you import never leave it. The optional color unlock is a one-time purchase handled entirely by Apple — we never see your payment information.

Because nothing is collected, there is nothing to share, sell, or delete.