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Symmetric strokes

On this page, we build strokes that repeat one gesture, the drawn path coming back mirrored, rotated, or reflected across the canvas.

The symmetry is a path transform: mirroredPath and rotatedPaths (on the Path Effects page) derive the copies from the drawn path, and every copy is an ordinary stroke drawn by the same tool. The drawing tool applies them through the registry's symmetry field: the roll (a rotation count, the screen axes) lands at the stroke's start, the copies show while the gesture grows, and they land at release as ordinary strokes, so they record, replay, and mirror like anything drawn. At even odds a stroke's copies take their own palette colors.

Mirrored strokes

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Each gesture comes with its mirror across the vertical line through its starting point. Three seeded gestures, drawn with the pencil, the brush, and the ragged ribbon.

Rotational strokes

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Each gesture is repeated evenly around its starting point. The count (2 to 6) rolls when the stroke begins and holds while it grows.

Screen-space symmetry

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Each gesture is mirrored across the canvas's center axis: the vertical one, the horizontal one, or both (both adds the point reflection, four strokes in all). The axes roll per stroke.

Try drawing

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Draw with every symmetry on this page, in the drawing tool: each tool pairs one symmetry with one look (a mirrored brush, a rotating pencil, a screen-reflected ribbon). The symmetry rolls at the stroke's start, the copies show while drawing, and they land at release as ordinary strokes, so Clear, Replay, and recording work as on the Drawing Tool Demo page. The symmetric tools also live in the master registry, so the Drawing Tool Demo rolls them into its trail.