art-bible

by Donchitos

Install this Skill

curl -fsSL -o art-bible.zip https://skill.seembox.com/api/v1/skills/art-bible/download && unzip art-bible.zip

SKILL.md About

---
name: art-bible
description: "Guided, section-by-section Art Bible authoring. Creates the visual identity specification that gates all asset production. Run after /brainstorm is approved and before /map-systems or any GDD authoring begins."
argument-hint: "[--review full|lean|solo]"
user-invocable: true
allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep, Write, Edit, Task, AskUserQuestion
---

## Phase 0: Parse Arguments and Context Check

Resolve the review mode (once, store for all gate spawns this run):
1. If `--review [full|lean|solo]` was passed → use that
2. Else read `production/review-mode.txt` → use that value
3. Else → default to `lean`

See `.claude/docs/director-gates.md` for the full check pattern.

Read `design/gdd/game-concept.md`. If it does not exist, fail with:
> "No game concept found. Run `/brainstorm` first — the art bible is authored after the game concept is approved."

Extract from game-concept.md:
- Game title (working title)
- Core fantasy and elevator pitch
- Game pillars (all of them)
- **Visual Identity Anchor** section if present (from brainstorm Phase 4 art-director output)
- Target platform (if noted)

**Retrofit mode detection**: Glob `design/art/art-bible.md`. If the file exists:
- Read it in full
- For each of the 9 sections, check whether the body contains real content (more than a `[To be designed]` placeholder or similar) vs. is empty/placeholder
- Build a section status table:

```
Section | Status
--------|--------
1. Visual Identity Statement | [Complete / Empty / Placeholder]
2. Color Palette | ...
3. Lighting & Atmosphere | ...
4. Character Art Direction | ...
5. Environment & Level Art | ...
6. UI Visual Language | ...
7. VFX & Particle Style | ...
8. Asset Standards | ...
9. Style Prohibitions | ...
```

- Present this table to the user:
  > "Found existing art bible at `design/art/art-bible.md`. [N] sections are complete, [M] need content. I'll work on the incomplete sections only — existing content will not be touched."
- Only work on sections with Status: Empty or Placeholder. Do not re-author sections that are already complete.

If the file does not exist, this is a fresh authoring session — proceed normally.

Read `.claude/docs/technical-preferences.md` if it exists — extract performance budgets and engine for asset standard constraints.

---

## Phase 1: Framing

Present the session context and ask two questions before authoring anything:

Use `AskUserQuestion` with two tabs:
- Tab **"Scope"** — "Which sections need to be authored today?"
  Options: `Full bible — all 9 sections` / `Visual identity core (sections 1–4 only)` / `Asset standards only (section 8)` / `Resume — fill in missing sections`
- Tab **"References"** — "Do you have reference games, films, or art that define the visual direction?"
  (Free text — let the user type specific titles. Do NOT preset options here.)

If the game-concept.md has a Visual Identity Anchor section, note it:
> "Found a visual identity anchor from brainstorm: '[anchor name] — [one-line rule]'. I'll use this as the foundation for the art bible."

---

## Phase 2: Visual Identity Foundation (Sections 1–4)

These four sections define the core visual language. **All other sections flow from them.** Author and write each to file before moving to the next.

### Section 1: Visual Identity Statement

**Goal**: A one-line visual rule plus 2–3 supporting principles that resolve visual ambiguity.

If a visual anchor exists from game-concept.md: present it and ask:
- "Build directly from this anchor?"
- "Revise it before expanding?"
- "Start fresh with new options?"

**Agent delegation (MANDATORY)**: Spawn `art-director` via Task:
- Provide: game concept (elevator pitch, core fantasy), full pillar set, platform target, any reference games/art from Phase 1 framing, the visual anchor if it exists
- Ask: "Draft a Visual Identity Statement for this game. Provide: (1) a one-line visual rule that could resolve any visual decision ambiguity, (2) 2–3 supporting visual principles, each with a one-sentence design test ('when X is ambiguous, this principle says choose Y'). Anchor all principles directly in the stated pillars — each principle must serve a specific pillar."

Present the art-director's draft to the user. Use `AskUserQuestion`:
- Options: `[A] Lock this in` / `[B] Revise the one-liner` / `[C] Revise a supporting principle` / `[D] Describe my own direction`

Write the approved section to file immediately.

### Section 2: Mood & Atmosphere

**Goal**: Emotional targets by game state — specific enough for a lighting artist to work from.

For each major game state (e.g., exploration, combat, victory, defeat, menus — adapt to this game's states), define:
- Primary emotion/mood target
- Lighting character (time of day, color temperature, contrast level)
- Atmospheric descriptors (3–5 adjectives)
- Energy level (frenetic / measured / contemplative / etc.)

**Agent delegation**: Spawn `art-director` via Task with the Visual Identity Statement and pillar set. Ask: "Define mood and atmosphere targets for each major game state in this game. Be specific — 'dark and foreboding' is not enough. Name the exact emotional target, the lighting character (warm/cool, high/low contrast, time of day direction), and at least one visual element that carries the mood. Each game state must feel visually distinct from the others."

Write the approved section to file immediately.

### Section 3: Shape Language

**Goal**: The geometric vocabulary that makes this game's world visually coherent and distinguishable.

Cover:
- Character silhouette philosophy (how readable at thumbnail size? Distinguishing trait per archetype?)
- Environment geometry (angular/curved/organic/geometric — which dominates and why?)
- UI shape grammar (does UI echo the world aesthetic, or is it a distinct HUD language?)
- Hero shapes vs. supporting shapes (what draws the eye, what recedes?)

**Agent delegation**: Spawn `art-director` via Task with Visual Identity Statement and mood targets. Ask: "Define the shape language for this game. Connect each shape principle back to the visual identity statement and a specific game pillar. Explain what these shape choices communicate to the player emotionally."

Write the approved section to file immediately.

### Section 4: Color System

**Goal**: A complete, producible palette system that serves both aesthetic and communication needs.

Cover:
- Primary palette (5–7 colors with roles — not just hex codes, but what each color means in this world)
- Semantic color usage (what does red communicate? Gold? Blue? White? Establish the color vocabulary)
- Per-biome or per-area color temperature rules (if the game has distinct areas)
- UI palette (may differ from world palette — define the divergence explicitly)
- Colorblind safety: which semantic colors need shape/icon/sound backup

**Agent delegation**: Spawn `art-director` via Task with Visual Identity Statement and mood targets. Ask: "Design the color system for this game. Every semantic color assignment must be explained — why does this color mean danger/safety/reward in this world? Identify which color pairs might fail colorblind players and specify what backup cues are needed."

Write the approved section to file immediately.

---

## Phase 3: Production Guides (Sections 5–8)

These sections translate the visual identity into concrete production rules. They should be specific enough that an outsourcing team can follow them without additional briefing.

### Section 5: Character Design Direction

**Agent delegation**: Spawn `art-director` via Task with sections 1–4. Ask: "Define character design direction for this game. Cover: visual archetype for the player character (if any), distinguishing feature rules per character type (how do players tell enemies/NPCs/allies apart at a glance?), expression/pose style targets (stiff/expressive/realistic/exaggerated), and LOD philosophy (how much detail is preserved at game camera distance?)."