jade-blockprint

What this skill does

# /jade-blockprint — locked two-pass block-print style

This style produces editorial spot illustrations with a hand-pressed mid-century feel. Every piece is built from exactly two ink colors — one accent + chunky black — laid down as two separate "plates" the way a screen print or linocut would print them: color blob first, ink line art on top. The accent shape floats free with no black outline tracing it; the ink layer sits on top selectively, drawing detail rather than perimeter.

The locked frame (white surface, two-tone palette, two-pass layering, wobbly linework, linocut speckle) never moves. The dials (palette hue, scene metaphor, complexity, motion marks, speckle density) vary per piece. The skill also resolves abstract/vague briefs into concrete scene metaphors before generating, so a prompt like *"growth"* or *"trust"* becomes a real object on the page.

## Prompt interpretation

The user may give:

- A concrete object — *"a vintage rotary phone"*, *"a campsite at dusk"*
- An abstract concept — *"growth"*, *"trust"*, *"freedom"*
- A topical brief — *"cover for our pricing-fairness announcement"*, *"empty state for the audit log page"*

Translate that into a full block-print brief without stopping to ask:

1. **Resolve the scene metaphor.** If the brief is abstract or topical, pick the most concrete story-bearing object or 2–3 element mini-scene that visualizes it (see the metaphor synthesizer table below). Never render abstract shapes, gradients, or word-art. The scene IS the metaphor — no generic icon catalogs of filing cabinet + megaphone.
2. **Pick a palette.** Either a named preset from the table, or honor a user-provided hex. If unspecified, choose the preset whose mood matches the brief.
3. **Pick a complexity level (L1 / L2 / L3).** L1 = single hero object. L2 = 2–3 element mini-scene. L3 = wider environmental vignette. Default L1 unless the brief calls for a scene.
4. **Decide on motion marks.** Small radiating hash lines around the subject if the metaphor implies motion / sound / energy / freshness. Skip for stillness, calm, repose.
5. **Pick speckle density.** Sparse for refined palettes (slate / rose / sage), medium otherwise. Dense only on explicit "rougher" / "hand-pressed" requests.
6. **Honor the locked frame.** White background, two-pass layering, free-floating color blobs, ink-on-top selective detail, wobbly linework, linocut grain. Those never move.

After resolving the metaphor, narrate the choice to the user in one short line ("rendered as a paper airplane mid-flight for *freedom*") so they can redirect if they had a different scene in mind.

## Locked style axes (NEVER vary)

### Surface

- Pure white background `#FFFFFF`. No cream, no off-white, no aged-paper tint. No background texture, no border, no frame.
- Canvas defaults to 1024×1024 square. Override to 1024×1536 (tall) or 1536×1024 (wide) only when the brief or use-case demands a non-square aspect.

### Two-tone palette

- Exactly two ink colors per piece: one accent + chunky black. Never a third color, never shading gradients, never multiple hues.

### Two-pass layering (CRITICAL — this is the defining rule)

- The accent color is the **first plate**: free-floating shapes laid down on white. The colored blobs have **NO black perimeter outline tracing them**. They stand alone as colored shapes.
- The black ink is the **second plate**, drawn on top: outlines of small details, hatching, motion marks, internal structure. The ink never traces around the color shapes themselves.
- Color and ink overlap imperfectly, the way a two-color screen print does when the colored plate is laid down before the key plate. Some inked elements have no color underneath. Some color blobs have no ink on top — they can stand alone.
- A common signature: a colored blob shape (a sail, a teapot body, a vinyl record body) sits free-floating while a fully-inked subject (the ship's hull, the spout, the record's grooves) is drawn on top of or beside it.

### Linework

- Hand-drawn, wobbly, confident, with **variable line weight**. Never uniform stroke width.
- Occasional **flooded solid-black masses** for heavy shadow or dense detail (the inside of a camera body, the keys of a typewriter, a dense leaf cluster).

### Texture

- Tiny black speckle dots inside the color fills for linocut grain. Sparse to medium density. Never dense enough to read as halftone or noise — these are individual ink dots, not a screen.

### Composition

- Single hero object or compact 2–3 element mini-scene, centered on the field with a slight intentional tilt. Never axis-aligned.
- No border, no frame, no headline text, no decorative inset, no caption strip.
- Mid-century block-print / linocut / hand-pressed feel. Editorial, warm, made-by-hand.

## Dials (vary per piece)

### Palette (named preset OR custom hex)

| Name | Hex | Mood |
|---|---|---|
| `jade` | `#3FD89A` | Fresh, signature — original reference color |
| `coral` | `#E94F3F` | Warm, energetic |
| `cobalt` | `#2C5BFF` | Cool, editorial |
| `plum` | `#9B3D6E` | Moody, premium |
| `sage` | `#8FAA8C` | Calm, botanical |
| `rose` | `#C58B85` | Refined, soft |
| `slate` | `#6B7F99` | Intellectual, neutral |
| `terracotta` | `#B86F4D` | Warm, earthy |

If unspecified, infer:

- Warm / energetic / launch topic → coral or terracotta
- Cool / editorial / intellectual → cobalt or slate
- Calm / botanical / refined → sage or rose
- Moody / premium → plum
- Signature / fresh / vm0 launch context → jade

Custom accent: honor any hex the user provides verbatim.

### Scene metaphor

Concrete object or mini-scene that carries the meaning. The scene IS the metaphor. Pick theme-native props. Never reuse the same metaphor across a series.

### Complexity

- **L1** — single hero object, tight crop (camera, teapot, bicycle, rotary phone, lightbulb)
- **L2** — 2–3 element mini-scene (desk + lamp + mug; pitcher + olive branch; pen + notebook + ink well; perfume bottle + bloom cluster)
- **L3** — wider environmental vignette (sailing ship on rolling waves; campsite with tent + pine + fire + moon)

### Action / motion marks

Small radiating hash lines around the subject. Use for movement / sound / energy / freshness. Skip for stillness / calm / repose.

### Speckle density

- Sparse — refined editorial mood, light hand-pressed feel (default for slate, rose, sage)
- Medium — default for everything else; visible but not noisy
- Dense — rough / heavily hand-pressed feel (only on explicit ask)

## Metaphor synthesizer (vague-prompt handling)

If the brief is an abstract concept or topical phrase rather than a concrete object, resolve it to a concrete scene **before generating**. Never render abstract shapes, gradients, or word-art for a fuzzy brief.

| Vague prompt | Concrete scene metaphor |
|---|---|
| Growth | Sprouting potted plant; vine climbing a trellis |
| Trust | Two hands clasping a sealed envelope; key + lock on a ring |
| Freedom | Paper airplane mid-flight; kite on a string; bird taking off |
| Speed | Bicycle with motion streaks; sparrow in flight |
| Calm | Teapot with rising steam; cat curled asleep in a ball |
| Discovery | Magnifying glass over an unfolded map; brass telescope; compass |
| Connection | Tin-can telephone; coiled cord between two ends |
| Balance | Stacked rock cairn; weighing scales |
| Reflection | Mirror leaning on a wall; lake with a single tree reflected |
| Beginnings | Single sprout in soil; sunrise behind a hill |
| Memory | Old photograph + open envelope; cassette tape |
| Curiosity | Cat peeking from a cardboard box; magnifying glass + butterfly |
| Focus | Lit lamp on a desk in the dark; bullseye + dart |
| Time | Hourglass; pocket watch on a chain |
| Routine | Coffee mug + croissant + folded newspaper |
| Idea | Old-fashioned lightbulb with radiating motion hashes |
| Fairness / pricing fairness | Balance scales; two equal stacks of coins |
| Privacy / safety | Closed envelope sealed with wax; lock + key on a ring |
| Productivity | Pen