What it does
Lorien is an open-source sketching and note-taking app for an expanding canvas. It stores separate strokes rather than a bitmap and exports SVG.
A page of composition thumbnails can grow in any direction in Lorien. Draw a small pose, surround it with notes, then use the selection tool to move the promising strokes away from the rest. Shift adds more strokes to a selection, while duplication creates another version to develop.
The pressure-sensitive brush has size and colour controls. The line tool snaps in 15-degree increments with Shift, and the circle tool uses the same key to constrain an ellipse to a circle. These controls suit rough diagrams as well as freehand marks. Erasing works at stroke level: touching part of a stroke removes the whole stroke, so short sections are easier to revise independently.
Save the native drawing for continued work and use the SVG export dialog for a vector-editor handoff. Lorien is still described as work in progress, and its native file format may change. Keep exchange copies of drawings that matter. Its focus is sketches and notes; layered bitmap painting belongs in a different type of application.
Strengths
- Selected strokes can be moved, copied and duplicated.
- Pressure input and constrained shapes support both freehand sketches and diagrams.
- SVG export provides an editable exchange route.
Watch out for
- The eraser removes an entire intersected stroke.
- The project warns that its native file format may change.
Best for
- Composition thumbnails with surrounding notes
- Stroke-based diagrams on a growing canvas
Sources
- Lorien README (Oct 27, 2026)
- Lorien Manual v0.6.0 (Oct 27, 2026)
- MIT License (Oct 27, 2026)