Creative Illustration

Creative Illustration Factory

Generate professional illustrations for books, editorial content, children's stories, and creative projects.

Setup

• Needs env: OPENAI_API_KEY

Quick Start

Generate a simple illustration:

python3 ~/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/creative-illustration/scripts/illustrate.py \
  --subject "a cozy cottage in an enchanted forest"

Generate with specific style:

python3 ~/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/creative-illustration/scripts/illustrate.py \
  --subject "a robot learning to paint" \
  --style "watercolor" \
  --mood "whimsical"

Generate a story sequence:

python3 ~/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/creative-illustration/scripts/illustrate.py \
  --subject "Alice discovers a tiny door" \
  --subject "Alice shrinks down" \
  --subject "Alice enters Wonderland" \
  --style "whimsical illustration" \
  --mood "magical"

Illustration Types

Book Illustrations

• chapter-opener - Full-page chapter opening scene
• character-intro - Character introduction portrait
• landscape-scene - Wide landscape establishing shot
• action-moment - Dynamic action or pivotal moment
• emotional-scene - Emotional or dramatic scene
• cover-art - Book cover illustration style

Editorial / Magazine Art

• conceptual-art - Abstract conceptual illustration
• info-graphic - Informational illustration style
• portrait-editorial - Editorial portrait
• spot-illustration - Small spot illustration
• full-page-spread - Magazine full-page spread

Children's Book Art

• picture-book - Classic picture book illustration
• whimsical - Playful and imaginative style
• educational - Educational book illustration
• bedtime-story - Soft, calming bedtime story art
• adventure-map - Adventure map or treasure map

Concept Art

• environment-concept - Environmental concept art
• character-concept - Character design concept
• prop-concept - Object or prop design
• storyboard - Storyboard panel style
• mood-board - Mood board aesthetic

Styles

Traditional Media

• watercolor - Watercolor painting with soft edges
• oil-painting - Rich oil painting texture
• charcoal-sketch - Charcoal drawing style
• ink-wash - Ink wash / sumi-e style
• pastel - Soft pastel drawing
• colored-pencil - Colored pencil illustration
• gouache - Gouache opaque watercolor
• acrylic - Acrylic painting style
• lino-cut - Linocut printmaking style
• woodcut - Woodcut print aesthetic

Digital Styles

• digital-painting - Digital painting
• vector-illustration - Clean vector art
• flat-design - Flat design aesthetic
• isometric - Isometric perspective
• pixel-art - Retro pixel art
• concept-art - Game/film concept art style
• cel-shaded - Cel shaded animation style
• low-poly - Low poly 3D aesthetic

Book & Print Styles

• picture-book - Classic picture book
• storybook-illustration - Vintage storybook art
• editorial-illustration - Magazine editorial
• newspaper-engraving - Newspaper engraving style
• poster-art - Vintage poster design
• woodblock-print - Japanese woodblock print
• screen-print - Screen print aesthetic

Mood

• whimsical - Playful and imaginative
• magical - Magical and enchanting
• mysterious - Mysterious and intriguing
• peaceful - Calm and serene
• dramatic - Dramatic and intense
• nostalgic - Warm and nostalgic
• gloomy - Dark and atmospheric
• vibrant - Bright and energetic
• romantic - Soft and romantic
• quirky - Quirky and eccentric

Parameters

• --subject - Illustration subject/description (repeatable for batch)
• --type - Illustration type (default: illustration)
• --style - Artistic style (default: watercolor)
• --mood - Mood/atmosphere (default: peaceful)
• --palette - Color palette suggestion
• --composition - Composition guidance (e.g., "wide shot", "close-up")
• --count - Number of variants per subject (default: 1)
• --out-dir - Output directory (default: ~/Projects/tmp/creative-illustration-*)
• --size - Image size: 1024x1024, 1792x1024, 1024x1792 (default: 1024x1024)
• --quality - high/standard (default: high)
• --model - OpenAI image model (default: gpt-image-1.5)
• --api-key - OpenAI API key (or use OPENAI_API_KEY env)

Advanced Examples

Children's book page:

python3 ~/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/creative-illustration/scripts/illustrate.py \
  --subject "a curious rabbit with a pocket watch" \
  --type "picture-book" \
  --style "watercolor" \
  --mood "whimsical" \
  --palette "pastel"

Editorial concept art:

python3 ~/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/creative-illustration/scripts/illustrate.py \
  --subject "AI and humanity working together" \
  --type "conceptual-art" \
  --style "vector-illustration" \
  --mood "optimistic" \
  --composition "symbolic"

Story sequence:

python3 ~/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/creative-illustration/scripts/illustrate.py \
  --subject "Hero finds an ancient map" \
  --subject "Hero deciphers mysterious symbols" \
  --subject "Hero discovers a hidden passage" \
  --subject "Hero enters the forgotten temple" \
  --style "storybook-illustration" \
  --mood "mysterious" \
  --palette "earth tones"

Full custom prompt:

python3 ~/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/creative-illustration/scripts/illustrate.py \
  --prompt "A magical treehouse library nestled among ancient redwoods, spiral staircase winding up the trunk, lanterns hanging from branches, books floating in mid-air, warm golden light streaming through leaves, detailed watercolor illustration style, whimsical and enchanting"

Color Palettes

• pastel - Soft pastel colors
• earth tones - Natural browns, greens, golds
• vibrant - Bright saturated colors
• muted - Desaturated, subtle colors
• monochrome - Single color variations
• jewel tones - Rich ruby, emerald, sapphire
• autumn - Orange, red, yellow, brown
• winter - Blue, white, silver, purple
• tropical - Bright greens, teals, pinks
• vintage - Warm sepia, faded tones

Composition

• wide shot - Wide establishing scene
• close-up - Intimate close-up
• panoramic - Panoramic landscape
• rule-of-thirds - Balanced rule of thirds
• centered - Centered subject
• diagonal - Dynamic diagonal composition
• triangular - Triangular composition
• circular - Circular / spiral composition
• symmetrical - Perfectly symmetrical
• asymmetrical - Asymmetrical balance

Output

• *.png - Illustration images
• prompts.json - All prompts used
• index.html - Illustration gallery

Project Templates

Children's Book (4-6 images)

python3 ~/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/creative-illustration/scripts/illustrate.py \
  --subject "Girl finds a magical seed" \
  --subject "Seed grows into a glowing plant" \
  --subject "Plant reveals a tiny fairy" \
  --subject "Fairy shows girl a secret garden" \
  --subject "Girl shares garden with friends" \
  --type "picture-book" \
  --style "watercolor" \
  --mood "whimsical"

Magazine Editorial (1-2 images)

python3 ~/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/creative-illustration/scripts/illustrate.py \
  --subject "The future of sustainable cities" \
  --type "conceptual-art" \
  --style "vector-illustration" \
  --mood "optimistic" \
  --count 2

Fantasy Story Chapter Opener (1 image)

python3 ~/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/creative-illustration/scripts/illustrate.py \
  --subject "The dragon's treasure hoard under ancient runes" \
  --type "chapter-opener" \
  --style "oil-painting" \
  --mood "dramatic" \
  --palette "jewel tones"