Concept:
I wanted to make something playful and unpredictable using what we have learned so far: loops, conditionals, and simple shapes. The idea was to fill the canvas with a grid, but instead of every cell looking the same, each square of the grid gets randomly assigned a circle, a square, or a diagonal line. This way, the overall structure feels ordered (in code, not compilation), but the details are different every time you run (or click) the sketch.
Code snippet to highlight:
The piece of code I’m most proud of is the tiny decision that controls the orientation of the lines. Despite it being only an If condition, it has quite an effect on how the final image looks. Without it, all the lines would lean the same way, and the grid would look stiff. With it, each line can either go \ or /, which suddenly makes the whole composition feel more dynamic and unpredictable.
stroke(random(50, 200), random(50, 200), random(50, 200), 220);
strokeWeight(random(1, 4));
let orientation = int(random(2)) // decides orientation of the line
if (orientation == 0) {
line(i, j, i + space, j + space);
} else {
line(i + space, j, i, j + space);
Reflection and Prospects:
What I like most about this sketch is how structured chaos plays out. The grid keeps everything orderly, but within each cell, there’s randomness that gives the piece character, resulting in the chaotic image we get./
If I were to push it further, I’d try:
– Rotating the rectangles randomly, not just keeping them straight.
– Introducing a shifting color palette that changes slowly over time.
– Adding a gentle animation so the grid breathes instead of sitting still.
For now, though, I think it’s a fun little experiment in how tiny tweaks (like flipping a line) can completely change the energy of a generative artwork.