Stylized Style Specialist
Deliberate shape language. Exaggerated proportions. Color harmony. NPR rendering.
When to Use
- Non-photorealistic games
- Hand-painted texture workflows
- Animated/stylized characters
- Fantasy environments with art direction
- Toon/cel-shaded rendering
Core Principles
- Shape language — Circles=friendly, squares=stable, triangles=danger
- Exaggeration — Push proportions beyond realistic
- Color harmony — Limited palette; intentional accent colors
- Silhouette clarity — Strong readable shapes
- Detail in texture — Not micro-geometry
Shape Language
| Shape |
Association |
Use |
| Circle/Oval |
Friendly, approachable |
Heroes, cute creatures |
| Square/Rectangle |
Stable, reliable |
Architecture, guards |
| Triangle |
Dynamic, dangerous |
Villains, spikes, roofs |
Combine shapes consistently per character/faction.
Proportion Exaggeration
| Feature |
Stylized Approach |
| Head |
25–40% of height (chibi to semi-realistic) |
| Hands |
Larger for expressiveness |
| Eyes |
Enlarged for emotion |
| Limbs |
Tapered; simplified joints |
| Weapons |
Oversized for readability |
Color Harmony
Triadic: Three equidistant hues — vibrant, balanced
Complementary: Opposite hues — high contrast accents
Analogous: Adjacent hues — harmonious environments
Rules:
- Limit palette to 3–5 core colors + neutrals
- Reserve saturated accents for interactive elements
- Desaturate backgrounds; saturate foreground subjects
Material Approach
- Hand-painted albedo priority over PBR accuracy
- Flat or stepped roughness (not continuous PBR)
- Rim lighting built into texture (not just shader)
- Subsurface on skin: exaggerated warm tones
- No photoreal micro-detail
NPR Rendering
Coordinate with rendering skill:
- Toon BSDF or Shader to RGB setups
- Stepped lighting (2–3 bands)
- Outline pass: inverted hull or Freestyle
- Bloom on emissive accents
- Flat ambient forbidden — maintain form readability
Hand-Painted Texture Workflow
1. Flat base color blocks
2. Define light/shadow shapes (not gradients from bake)
3. Edge highlights (warm) and shadows (cool)
4. Detail pass: minimal; suggestive not literal
5. Ambient occlusion painted, not baked
Character Stylization
- Simplified anatomy; avoid uncanny valley
- Hair as solid shapes or card clusters
- Clothing folds: painted, not simulated
- Facial features: large eyes, small nose (style dependent)
Environment Stylization
- Exaggerated verticality in forests/mountains
- Architecture: oversized elements (doors, windows)
- Vegetation: puff/cloud shapes (not botanical accuracy)
- Water: stylized foam patterns
MCP Integration
- Block exaggerated proportions via MCP
- Assign stylized materials via MCP
- Configure NPR render settings via MCP
- Validate silhouette with flat shading via MCP
- Limit geometry detail per stylized budgets
Constraints
MUST DO
- Define shape language per asset/faction
- Maintain color palette consistency
- Exaggerate intentionally, not accidentally
- Paint detail in textures
- Test NPR render early
MUST NOT DO
- Mix photoreal PBR with stylized shapes without intent
- Micro-detail geometry (use texture)
- Realistic proportions unless semi-stylized target
- Full PBR roughness accuracy
- Skip outline/rim if NPR project requires
Reference Guide
| Topic |
Reference |
Load When |
| NPR shader setup |
references/npr-shaders.md |
Rendering setup |
| Color palettes |
references/palette-examples.md |
Art direction |
Related Style Packs
cartoon-style, anime-style, comic-book-style, manga-style, hand-painted-style, painterly-stylechibi-style, pixel-art-style, hd-2d-style, stop-motion-craft-style
1---2name: stylized-style3description: Stylized art direction for Blender with shape language, exaggeration, color harmony, NPR rendering, and hand-painted asset workflows. Use for non-photorealistic game and animation projects.4license: MIT5---67# Stylized Style Specialist89Deliberate shape language. Exaggerated proportions. Color harmony. NPR rendering.1011## When to Use1213- Non-photorealistic games14- Hand-painted texture workflows15- Animated/stylized characters16- Fantasy environments with art direction17- Toon/cel-shaded rendering1819## Core Principles20211. **Shape language** — Circles=friendly, squares=stable, triangles=danger222. **Exaggeration** — Push proportions beyond realistic233. **Color harmony** — Limited palette; intentional accent colors244. **Silhouette clarity** — Strong readable shapes255. **Detail in texture** — Not micro-geometry2627## Shape Language2829| Shape | Association | Use |30|-------|-------------|-----|31| Circle/Oval | Friendly, approachable | Heroes, cute creatures |32| Square/Rectangle | Stable, reliable | Architecture, guards |33| Triangle | Dynamic, dangerous | Villains, spikes, roofs |3435Combine shapes consistently per character/faction.3637## Proportion Exaggeration3839| Feature | Stylized Approach |40|---------|-------------------|41| Head | 25–40% of height (chibi to semi-realistic) |42| Hands | Larger for expressiveness |43| Eyes | Enlarged for emotion |44| Limbs | Tapered; simplified joints |45| Weapons | Oversized for readability |4647## Color Harmony4849**Triadic:** Three equidistant hues — vibrant, balanced50**Complementary:** Opposite hues — high contrast accents51**Analogous:** Adjacent hues — harmonious environments5253Rules:54- Limit palette to 3–5 core colors + neutrals55- Reserve saturated accents for interactive elements56- Desaturate backgrounds; saturate foreground subjects5758## Material Approach5960- Hand-painted albedo priority over PBR accuracy61- Flat or stepped roughness (not continuous PBR)62- Rim lighting built into texture (not just shader)63- Subsurface on skin: exaggerated warm tones64- No photoreal micro-detail6566## NPR Rendering6768Coordinate with rendering skill:69- Toon BSDF or Shader to RGB setups70- Stepped lighting (2–3 bands)71- Outline pass: inverted hull or Freestyle72- Bloom on emissive accents73- Flat ambient forbidden — maintain form readability7475## Hand-Painted Texture Workflow7677```781. Flat base color blocks792. Define light/shadow shapes (not gradients from bake)803. Edge highlights (warm) and shadows (cool)814. Detail pass: minimal; suggestive not literal825. Ambient occlusion painted, not baked83```8485## Character Stylization8687- Simplified anatomy; avoid uncanny valley88- Hair as solid shapes or card clusters89- Clothing folds: painted, not simulated90- Facial features: large eyes, small nose (style dependent)9192## Environment Stylization9394- Exaggerated verticality in forests/mountains95- Architecture: oversized elements (doors, windows)96- Vegetation: puff/cloud shapes (not botanical accuracy)97- Water: stylized foam patterns9899## MCP Integration1001011. Block exaggerated proportions via MCP1022. Assign stylized materials via MCP1033. Configure NPR render settings via MCP1044. Validate silhouette with flat shading via MCP1055. Limit geometry detail per stylized budgets106107## Constraints108109### MUST DO110- Define shape language per asset/faction111- Maintain color palette consistency112- Exaggerate intentionally, not accidentally113- Paint detail in textures114- Test NPR render early115116### MUST NOT DO117- Mix photoreal PBR with stylized shapes without intent118- Micro-detail geometry (use texture)119- Realistic proportions unless semi-stylized target120- Full PBR roughness accuracy121- Skip outline/rim if NPR project requires122123## Reference Guide124125| Topic | Reference | Load When |126|-------|-----------|-----------|127| NPR shader setup | `references/npr-shaders.md` | Rendering setup |128| Color palettes | `references/palette-examples.md` | Art direction |129130## Related Style Packs131- `cartoon-style`, `anime-style`, `comic-book-style`, `manga-style`, `hand-painted-style`, `painterly-style`132- `chibi-style`, `pixel-art-style`, `hd-2d-style`, `stop-motion-craft-style`133
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