The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a method to display a graphical user interface (GUI) of a graphics application, receive a selection of a first granular medium tool (GMT), receive a first input associated with the first GMT, the first input comprising one or more first input values characterizing placement of a first amount of a granular medium (GM) on a virtual drawing canvas, access one or more settings of the first GMT, determine, using the one or more first input values and the one or more settings, a first spatial distribution of the first amount of the GM on the virtual drawing canvas, and display, on the GUI, a first image corresponding to the first spatial distribution of the first amount of the GM.