mosaic-still-life

What this skill does

# /mosaic-still-life — locked mosaic-tile + painterly hybrid style

This skill produces editorial still-life illustrations in a hybrid style where **mosaic-tile/tessellated surfaces** carry the background and ground, while **painterly objects with crisp ink outlines** sit on top. The technique evokes the look of a hand-glazed ceramic tile mural overlaid with a gouache painting — cozy, nostalgic, slightly naive, deeply atmospheric.

Each invocation swaps a few user-adjustable dials (palette, scene, animal companion, mosaic grain, point of view). Every other style axis stays locked.

## Prompt interpretation

The user gives a short brief — usually palette + scene + animal (e.g. "moonlit garden, black cat, indigo palette"). It is your job to **brainstorm and expand it into a rich, specific still-life moment**. Do not stop to confirm. Imagine the scene vividly and run.

For each invocation:

1. **Take the user's short brief as the seed.** Treat it as the starting hook, not the whole composition.
2. **Pick the dial values:**
   - Palette → from validated palettes below or a sibling
   - Scene → outdoor or indoor; outdoor uses grass/sky/sand as the mosaic field, indoor uses pegboard/color-swatch wall/tile backsplash/brick/checkered floor
   - Animal → cat / dog / bunny / bird, fitted to the scene's mood
   - Mosaic grain → fine (painterly), medium (ceramic-tile), or chunky (pixel-art)
   - POV → 3/4 angle (cozy/intimate) or top-down (active/narrative)
3. **Compose the still life.** 5-9 objects on a table or surface, arranged loosely. Include food/drink, a vessel of greenery or flowers, at least one container with a label or pattern, and small character props (a folded napkin, a sliced fruit, a tiny spoon, a candle).
4. **Place the animal companion** so it anchors the emotional center — sitting on a chair, curled on a cushion, peeking from under the table, perched on the counter.
5. **Identify the patterned textile** that peeks through — chair cushion, tablecloth corner, draped napkin, throw blanket.
6. **Keep the style brief style-locked.** The only creative variation should be the dial values and the scene-specific props.

Bias toward concrete, lived-in details: a half-bitten croissant, a tiny pencil beside the open book, a wisp of steam off a teacup, a single lemon rolled off the bowl. The scene should feel like the artist *was there*.

## User-adjustable dials

### 1. PALETTE
Pick a palette that matches the mood. Validated working palettes (see reference images):

| Palette | Reference | Mood |
|---|---|---|
| Emerald + denim + cream | (original inspiration — garden) | Lush, summery, bucolic |
| Terracotta + butter yellow + cream | `ref-mediterranean.jpg` | Sunny, warm, Mediterranean |
| Denim + sage + cream + lavender | `ref-reading-nook.jpg` | Quiet, dusky, bookish |
| Rust + ochre + burgundy + butter | `ref-autumn-cottage.jpg` | Harvest, cozy, hearth-warm |
| Aqua + coral + cream + peach | `ref-beach-picnic.jpg` | Bright, coastal, joyful |
| Indigo + plum + cream + candle gold | `ref-moonlit-garden.jpg` | Romantic, night, atmospheric |
| Honey wood + denim + brass + putty | `ref-workshop.jpg` | Maker, workshop, warm interior |
| Cream + ochre + cobalt + vermilion (paint accents) | `ref-art-studio.jpg` | Creative, inspired, studio |
| Terracotta + sage + cream + copper | `ref-kitchen.jpg` | Nourishing, kitchen, warm interior |

User may also propose new palettes. Always keep at least one creamy/neutral tone in the mix to keep the painterly objects readable on top of the mosaic.

### 2. SCENE
Anchor the still life somewhere specific. Validated scenes — split by mosaic surface type:

**Outdoor (the mosaic lives in grass/sky/sand/water):**
- Garden table on a lawn (mosaic grass)
- Mediterranean breakfast terrace (mosaic sunlit stucco wall)
- Beach picnic blanket (mosaic sand + mosaic horizon sea)
- Moonlit garden with starfield (mosaic night sky with tiled stars + crescent moon)
- Forest clearing, lake dock, rooftop terrace

**Indoor (the mosaic lives in wallpaper, pegboard, tile backsplash, brick, checkered floor, bookshelves):**
- Reading nook by a window (mosaic windowpanes showing tessellated sky/trees)
- Cottage by the fireplace (mosaic brick wall + tiled floor)
- Woodworking workshop (mosaic pegboard + mosaic brick floor)
- Painter's studio (mosaic color-swatch wall — the mosaic becomes *diegetic*, literally a painter's color study)
- Kitchen counter (mosaic tile backsplash + mosaic checkered floor)
- Library wall (every book spine on the shelves reads as a colored tile)
- Pantry, mudroom, sunroom

**The principle:** every space has at least one surface that wants to be tessellated. The mosaic doesn't need nature — it needs **modular repetition**, which is everywhere in human-made spaces too.

### 3. ANIMAL COMPANION
The heart of the scene. Validated: tabby cat, ginger cat, calico cat, charcoal-striped cat, black cat, corgi, border collie, basset hound, lop-eared bunny, seagull. Pick one whose temperament fits the mood (sleepy tabby for reading nook, alert collie for workshop, regal black cat for moonlit garden).

The animal is painted in the **same crisp ink-outline + soft-fur painted style** as the rest of the still life. Never rendered as mosaic. Eyes are expressive — closed-smile for sleepy scenes, bright open for alert scenes.

### 4. MOSAIC GRAIN
- **Fine** — small tiles, painterly/postcard feel. Best for atmospheric scenes (dusk, moonlight, indoors).
- **Medium** — visible square tiles, real-ceramic feel. Best for warm interiors, brick, terracotta floors.
- **Chunky** — large blocky tiles, strong pixel-art read. Best for sandy beaches or bold playful scenes.

### 5. POV
- **Slight 3/4 angle** — cozy/intimate. The table is partially seen from the side, you feel like a guest pulling up a chair. Default.
- **Top-down** — active/narrative. Picnic blankets, prep counters, board games. Opens up the still life as a flat composition.

## Locked style elements (NEVER vary)

### Mosaic surfaces (the foundation)
- At least one large background or ground surface is rendered as **small tessellated square tiles** in varied tones of the chosen palette
- The mosaic mimics the look of irregular hand-glazed ceramic — slight tonal variation tile-to-tile, no perfectly uniform grid, occasional darker or lighter accent tiles
- For outdoor scenes, the mosaic IS the grass/sky/sand. For indoor scenes, the mosaic IS the wallpaper, pegboard, backsplash, brick, or color-swatch grid
- Some scenes can layer **two mosaic surfaces** for texture density (e.g. mosaic pegboard above + mosaic brick floor below; mosaic backsplash above + mosaic checkered floor below)

### Painterly objects ON TOP
- Still-life objects (food, vessels, candles, books, tools, the animal) are **NOT mosaic** — they're rendered painterly with crisp ink outlines and soft gouache-style color fills
- Objects sit visually ON TOP of the mosaic surface, never blending into it
- Outlines are slightly imperfect, hand-painted, with subtle pressure variation — not vector-clean

### Animal companion
- One friendly animal at the emotional center of the scene
- Same painterly style as the objects
- Soft fur detail, expressive eyes, calm body language

### Patterned textile peeking through
- At least one textile shows a small pattern — striped chair cushion, gingham picnic blanket, plaid tablecloth corner, paisley throw, woven rug under the table, embroidered napkin edge
- Adds another layer of pattern density beneath the painterly objects

### Still-life centerpiece
- A table, counter, blanket, workbench, or other flat surface holds 5-9 small objects arranged loosely
- Always include: a vessel of greenery/flowers, a drink, a food item, a labeled container, small character props (spoon, candle, folded napkin, pencil, ruler)
- Items chosen to fit the scene (breakfast scene → croissant + jam jar; workshop scene → hand plane + nail jar + blueprint)

### Mood
- Cozy, nostalgic, bucolic, hushed
- Never busy or frenet