160 lines
6.4 KiB
Markdown
160 lines
6.4 KiB
Markdown
---
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name: article-illustrations
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description: "Generate hand-drawn 16:9 article illustrations with the Grav character IP, sparse annotations, and absurd but clear visual metaphors."
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category: creative
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risk: safe
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source: community
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source_repo: vipin-si/article-illustrations
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source_type: community
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license: MIT
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license_source: https://github.com/vipin-si/article-illustrations/blob/main/LICENSE
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date_added: "2026-06-06"
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author: vipin-si
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tags: [illustration, article-graphics, visual-metaphors, image-generation, whiteboard-sketch]
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tools: [image-generation]
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---
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# Article Illustrations — Grav Hand-Drawn Style
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## Overview
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Generate 16:9 landscape hand-drawn illustrations for articles, blog posts, and technical content. Each illustration captures one cognitive anchor point from an article and turns it into a clean, absurd, memorable whiteboard-sketch explanation.
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The skill uses a recurring character IP called **Grav**: a small, round, always-floating figure with dot eyes and a thin antenna. Grav participates in the core action of every illustration — never just decoration.
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**Repository:** [vipin-si/article-illustrations](https://github.com/vipin-si/article-illustrations)
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## When to Use This Skill
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- Use when writing articles, blog posts, or documentation that need inline illustrations
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- Use when you want to turn abstract concepts into concrete visual metaphors
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- Use when you want a consistent visual language across multiple articles
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- Use when you need hand-drawn explanation sketches, not PPT infographics
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## How It Works
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### Step 1: Digest the Article
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Read the article and identify cognitive anchor points — core judgments, turning points, input/output loops, before/after contrasts, and common pitfalls. Don't distribute illustrations evenly; prioritize moments that benefit from visual explanation.
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### Step 2: Plan a Shot List
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For each illustration, define:
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- **Placement**: After which section
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- **Theme**: What this image is about
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- **Core Meaning**: The one idea it conveys
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- **Structure Type**: One of 8 composition patterns (Workflow, System Closeup, Before/After, Role States, Conceptual Metaphor, Layered Method, Map Route, Mini Comic)
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- **Grav's Action**: What Grav is doing in the scene
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- **Annotation Labels**: 3–5 short English labels
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### Step 3: Generate Images
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Use the `generate_image` tool with the built-in prompt template. Each image follows strict style rules:
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- Pure white background, no textures
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- Black hand-drawn line art with slight wobble
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- Sparse red/orange/blue handwritten annotations
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- Grav always floating (never touching surfaces)
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- One core idea per image
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- 40–60% canvas usage, 35%+ whitespace
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### Step 4: QA Check
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Verify each image against the QA checklist: correct format, Grav present and active, original metaphor, clean composition, sparse annotations, correct color usage.
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## Examples
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### Example 1: Plan illustrations for an article
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```
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Analyze this article and create a shot list of 5 illustrations.
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Don't generate images yet — just plan which cognitive anchor points
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deserve illustrations and what each image should convey.
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<paste article>
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```
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### Example 2: Generate illustrations directly
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```
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Generate 4 Grav-style illustrations for this article.
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Requirements: 16:9 landscape, pure white background, black hand-drawn
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line art, sparse red/orange/blue English annotations.
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<paste article>
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```
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### Example 3: Single concept illustration
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```
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Generate one 16:9 illustration for this concept:
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"Trust isn't declared — it's built one piece of evidence at a time."
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Grav must perform the core action. Maximum 5 annotation labels.
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```
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### Example 4: Iterate on a result
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```
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This illustration is on the right track, but Grav feels like decoration.
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Keep the core meaning but regenerate: make Grav the one actually
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driving the structure.
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```
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## Visual Style
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| Element | Rule |
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|:--------|:-----|
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| Background | Pure white — no cream, texture, gradients, or shadows |
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| Line art | Black, hand-drawn, slightly wobbly, not mechanical |
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| Whitespace | Main subject 40–60% of canvas, 35%+ empty space |
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| Annotations | Handwritten English, 2–5 words each, max 5–8 per image |
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| Color: Black | Main line art, characters, structures, objects |
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| Color: Red | Key highlights, problems, warnings, results |
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| Color: Orange | Main flow, paths, arrows, direction |
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| Color: Blue | Supplementary notes, feedback, system state |
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| Prohibited | Green, purple, yellow, pink, gradients, drop shadows, 3D, realistic UI |
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## Character: Grav
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- Small round body (pebble/potato shape)
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- Two dot eyes (slightly asymmetric)
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- One thin bent antenna with tiny circle tip
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- Thin stick legs that dangle without touching surfaces
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- Always hovering — visible gap between Grav and any surface
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- Expression: calm, focused, deadpan
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- Role: active participant in the system, never decoration
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## Best Practices
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- ✅ Start with a shot list before generating images
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- ✅ Invent a new metaphor for every illustration — never reuse compositions
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- ✅ Make Grav the action protagonist, not a bystander
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- ✅ Keep it absurd but structurally clear
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- ✅ Use color sparingly — when in doubt, use black
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- ❌ Don't make PPT infographics or formal flowcharts
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- ❌ Don't add title bars or decorative frames
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- ❌ Don't let Grav touch the ground or stand on surfaces
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- ❌ Don't make Grav cute, smiling, or emoji-like
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## Limitations
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- Requires access to an image-generation tool that can follow composition, line-art, and annotation constraints.
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- The recurring Grav character style can drift between generations; verify every output against the QA checklist.
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- Text in generated images may be misspelled or distorted, so short labels and post-generation review are required.
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- The style is intended for explanatory article illustrations, not photorealistic product imagery or brand-final artwork.
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## Common Pitfalls
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- **Problem:** Illustration looks like a PPT slide
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**Solution:** Remove 30% of elements, increase whitespace, make it weirder
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- **Problem:** Grav is just standing next to the action
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**Solution:** Redesign so Grav IS the mechanism — becomes the funnel, dangles from the lever, is suspended inside the machine
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- **Problem:** Same metaphor as a previous illustration
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**Solution:** Replace the physical object entirely — same concept, different analogy
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## Additional Resources
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- [Full skill with prompt templates and QA checklist](https://github.com/vipin-si/article-illustrations)
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- [Example illustrations](https://github.com/vipin-si/article-illustrations#examples)
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