Our first commit went in on September 29. Six days later the site was live. Four days after launch, it still had zero users.

This series is the build log of that site. It starts at the first commit and runs up to whatever we're fighting with this week. Expect the architecture choices, the bugs, the growth experiments and the money, including how little of it there is so far.

What Tintly is

Tintly is a free coloring site. You pick a picture, tap a shape, and it fills with color. There's nothing to install, and you don't need an account to start or to save your progress. Most people use it on a phone.

What it does today:

About 300 pictures, from easy ones with big shapes to detailed ones with a lot of small areas.

Tap to fill, or paint with a brush.…