skills/pixverse-explainer/references/styles-drawn-and-frame.md

# Drawn And Frame-Based Looks: Ink, Whiteboard, Stickman, Pixel, Papercraft Stills

Open only the selected look's section. Paste its FORMULA, MOTION, PALETTE LOCK and
NEGATIVE into the templates in `./production.md` (style key, roster) and
`./block-prompt.md` (video blocks), then stage shots from its devices and shot shapes.
A supplied style donor's observed palette and surface override the defaults here (an
illustrated stickman donor with detailed colour settings, for example, keeps them).
Picture-story Papercraft is a stills look and runs through `./branches.md`.

## Hand-drawn Ink

A sketchbook that draws itself: thin wobbly black pen lines on white, sparse hatching,
grey wash for shadow and one spot of red ink on the hero. Best on inventions and
mechanisms, how-it-works history, philosophy and ideas with people in them, essays.
One-line description for the user: "Hand-drawn ink — lively black pen sketches on white
paper that draw themselves, with one touch of red."

**FORMULA** (paste byte-identical into every image and video prompt)

> hand-drawn pen-and-ink animation on clean white paper: thin, slightly irregular black
> ink lines with a lively wobble, sparse cross-hatching and a few neutral grey ink-wash
> patches for shadow, simple readable shapes and small expressive figures with dot eyes;
> strictly black, white and grey with a single spot of red ink on the hero element of
> each scene; backgrounds are a few confident floor, horizon and furniture lines on
> white; lines draw themselves on stroke by stroke, drawings boil gently on twos, and
> parts slide, tip and swing like sketchbook cutouts; ink illustration in every frame,
> never photographic.

**MOTION**: `hand-drawn limited animation on twos, lines drawing themselves on, gentle
line boil, parts sliding and swinging with quick settle`

**PALETTE LOCK**: `black ink line on white paper, neutral grey wash, ONE spot of red ink
on the hero element — no other colours, no tints, no gradients`

**NEGATIVE**: `opening on a reference image, static first frame, dissolves, fades,
readable text, letters, numbers, captions, new colours, photorealism, live-action
footage, 3D render, shaded 3D forms, talking mouths, watermark`

For a strictly monochrome donor, delete the red-ink clause from FORMULA and PALETTE LOCK
once and point with solid black fills instead.

### Signature devices

- **Self-drawing line** — a contour races round an object or figure and closes; the
  thing moves the instant it is complete.
- **The nib** — a large pen nib enters to draw, dot, cross out or flick a blot, then
  lifts away; this look's giant hand.
- **Cutaway hatch** — an outline draws, then its insides appear layer by layer in
  hatching and wash: a press, a lung, a ship's hold.
- **Exploded parts** — a machine's parts slide apart along dashed lines, one part gets
  the red spot, then everything slides back together and runs.
- **Hatching fill** — hatching sweeps across a shape as a fill level, a spreading
  shadow, a territory or a rising tide.
- **Sketch copies** — one drawing stamps itself across the page in a row or grid:
  printed sheets, a crowd, a fleet, a production run.
- **Ink blot** — a blot drops, splats and spreads; the impact beat. It can swallow a
  drawing or resolve into a new silhouette.

### Roster guidance

- **Cast (2:3)**: full-body pen figures on white, a few lines each, dot eyes, era hat
  or coat and one tool, clear pose. The protagonist may carry the red spot (scarf, cap,
  book). Variants attach the first image so head shape and line weight carry over.
- **Stages (output aspect)**: white paper with a floor line and one large inked anchor
  (a press, a desk under a window, a ship at a quay, a lecture hall bench), lightly
  hatched. A diagram stage is the anchor machine drawn large in cutaway.
- **Props (1:1)**: the through-line object, the machine whole and in exploded view with
  its true parts (attach a source image for real hardware), blank sheets, stacks, tools.

### Shot language

Frontal camera throughout; change framing scale between shots: FULL STAGE → CLOSE-UP on
hands at the contact point → MACRO DETAIL on nib, line and hatching → MEDIUM on figure
and machine. Show input, contact and output in that order. Good shot shapes:

- *Draw-in*: the floor line streaks across, then the machine's outline draws itself and
  closes, then the figure walks in and grabs the lever.
- *Mechanism*: the lever comes down, then the plate presses the sheet, then the sheet
  peels up marked and flies onto a growing stack.
- *Take apart*: the parts slide out along dashed lines, then the nib dots one part red,
  then everything snaps back together and the wheel turns.
- *Spread*: one sheet lands, then copies stamp across the page row by row, then small
  figures run in and carry them off both edges.
- *Setback*: the blot drops onto the plan, then spreads across half of it, then the
  figure tears the sheet away and the nib starts a new outline.

AUDIO cues: pen scratches and quick strokes, paper slides, a wooden machine clunk, a wet
splat on the impact, soft ticks on stamped copies, quiet study air.

## Whiteboard Doodle

Marker doodles on a glossy white board: chunky black lines with blue, red and green
helpers, round-headed doodle people acting out each step, eraser swipes clearing the way.
Best on business and money, psychology, study tips, processes, science concepts.
One-line description for the user: "Whiteboard doodle — quick marker drawings and little
doodle people that draw themselves on a whiteboard."

**FORMULA** (paste byte-identical into every image and video prompt)

> whiteboard doodle animation on a clean glossy white board with faint wiped-marker
> ghosting: chunky round-tipped dry-erase marker lines of even weight with slightly
> wobbly strokes, open unfilled shapes and quick diagonal scribble for fills; black
> marker for drawing, blue for structure and flow, red for emphasis, green for growth
> and ticks; simple round-headed doodle people with dot eyes and stick limbs act out
> every step; lines draw themselves on stroke by stroke, doodles pop up and wiggle on
> twos, and eraser swipes clear regions of the board; flat marker drawing in every
> frame, never photographic.

**MOTION**: `whiteboard limited animation on twos, marker lines drawing themselves on,
doodles popping up and wiggling, eraser swipes and quick slides`

**PALETTE LOCK**: `white board; black, blue, red and green dry-erase marker only — open
line shapes, scribble fills, no solid fills, no gradients`

**NEGATIVE**: `opening on a reference image, static first frame, dissolves, fades,
readable text, letters, numbers, captions, handwriting, formulas, photorealism,
live-action footage, 3D render, talking mouths, watermark`

Give each symbol one meaning and each arrow one direction for the whole film.

### Signature devices

- **Self-drawing marker line** — a line races across the board and becomes a box, a
  road, a graph curve or a figure's outline.
- **Doodle people** — round-headed figures pop up with a wiggle and act: carry a box,
  climb a curve, push a boulder, shrug, high-five.
- **Eraser swipe** — a felt eraser sweeps through and clears a region to faint ghosting;
  the next drawing starts in the clean patch at once.
- **Arrow chains** — boxes and icons get linked one after another by blue arrows, and a
  red dot travels along the chain.
- **Scribble fill** — a container, bar or battery outline fills with green or red
  scribble to a level.
- **Red emphasis** — a red circle, underline, star or ✗ whips onto the thing that
  matters; the impact beat, with the board giving a small shake.
- **Growing tally** — marker ticks in fives, stick-figure rows or coin stacks that add
  one at a time.

### Roster guidance

- **Cast (2:3)**: full-body doodle people in black marker on white, round head, dot
  eyes, stick limbs with mitten hands, one identifying item in a second marker colour
  (blue tie, red cap, green apron). Variants attach the first image.
- **Stages (output aspect)**: the board already carrying the block's base drawing —
  a big empty axis pair, a row of three boxes, a simple shop front, a brain outline, a
  winding road — drawn large, with its marker tray along the bottom edge.
- **Props (1:1)**: single marker-drawn icons: the through-line object, coin stack,
  lightbulb, clock, gear, magnet, battery, boulder, ladder.

### Shot language

Frontal camera throughout; change framing scale between shots: FULL STAGE board →
CLOSE-UP on one doodle person and their object → MACRO DETAIL on a marker stroke and
its scribble → MEDIUM on a link between two boxes. Draw, connect, show the result,
swipe, and the next drawing is already starting. Good shot shapes:

- *Set-up*: a line draws a road across the board, then a doodle person pops up at the
  left end, then a red flag draws itself at the right end.
- *Chain*: the first box draws and an icon pops inside, then a blue arrow shoots to the
  second box, then the red dot runs the chain and the last box shakes.
- *Level*: two battery outlines draw side by side, then green scribble fills the first
  to the top, then red scribble barely covers the bottom of the second.
- *Struggle*: the doodle person pushes a boulder up the curve, then slips back, then a
  second figure pops up and they shove it over the top together.
- *Clean slate*: the eraser sweeps the old chain away, then a single box draws large in
  the clean patch, then a red star whips onto it.

AUDIO cues: squeaky marker strokes, quick scribble rasps, felt eraser swishes, small
pops on doodles, one sharp marker slap on the impact, quiet office air.

## Stickman Cartoon

Webcomic stick figures with big reactions: round white heads, black line bodies, one
flat-coloured costume item per role, simple flat-colour settings. Best on history retold
with humour, myths, everyday economics, "what if" scenarios, life advice. One-line
description for the user: "Stickman cartoon — simple expressive stick figures acting the
story out with big comic reactions."

**FORMULA** (paste byte-identical into every image and video prompt)

> simple stickman webcomic animation: round-headed stick figures with even medium-weight
> black line bodies, solid white heads, dot eyes and expressive eyebrows, each role
> marked by one flat-coloured costume item such as a hat, cape, tie or crown; flat colour
> fills with no shading in a small palette of black line, white, sky blue, grass green,
> warm yellow and tomato red; clean simple backgrounds of a ground line, flat sky and a
> few flat-colour props and buildings; snappy limited animation on twos with big
> anticipation, smear poses, exaggerated reactions, pops and slides; flat cartoon
> drawing in every frame, never photographic.

**MOTION**: `snappy limited cartoon animation on twos, big anticipation, smear poses,
exaggerated reactions, pops and slides`

**PALETTE LOCK**: `black line, white heads, flat sky blue, grass green, warm yellow and
tomato red — one costume colour per role, flat fills, no shading, no gradients`

**NEGATIVE**: `opening on a reference image, static first frame, dissolves, fades,
readable text, letters, numbers, captions, redesigned heads, photorealism, live-action
footage, 3D render, talking mouths, watermark`

### Signature devices

- **Costume tag** — a crown, helmet, lab coat, cape or tie in one flat colour tells who
  is who; it can be handed over, knocked off or stolen.
- **The big take** — arms fly up, the figure jumps out of its stance, sweat drops fly,
  a ! or ? pops over the head, eyebrows do the acting.
- **Speed lines and dust** — zip-offs with streaks, skid stops with a dust puff, a
  spinning scuffle cloud with limbs poking out.
- **Giant prop** — an oversized coin, lever, boulder, contract scroll or piggy bank is
  carried, pushed, climbed or dropped; the drop is the impact beat and the squashed
  figure pops back up.
- **Stick crowd** — figures pop in row by row; a few wear the coloured tag to show a
  share; the crowd turns, cheers, flees or topples together.
- **Bar staircase** — flat bars rise as steps and a figure climbs or tumbles down them.
- **Physical contest** — rivalry staged as tug-of-war, arm wrestle, race or see-saw,
  the balance shifting beat by beat.
- **Icon bubble** — a thought bubble with a simple icon (lightbulb, $, heart, skull,
  crown) pops up and gets grabbed, shared or popped.

### Roster guidance

- **Cast (2:3)**: full-body stick figures on a flat background with locked head size,
  line weight and limb length, one costume tag each, a pose that shows the role.
  Generate one base figure first and attach it to every later role ("the same stick
  figure, now with a red cape and crown") so heads stay identical.
- **Stages (output aspect)**: flat plates with a ground line, flat sky and one large
  flat-colour anchor — a castle, a shop, a cliff edge, an office desk row, a ship.
- **Props (1:1)**: the through-line object, the giant prop, costume tags as separate
  items when they change hands, simple vehicles and tools.

### Shot language

Frontal camera throughout; change framing scale between shots: FULL STAGE → CLOSE-UP on
a head with eyebrows and sweat drops → MACRO DETAIL on hands gripping the prop → MEDIUM
two-shot. Every shot has a gag-shaped arc: wind-up, action, reaction. Good shot shapes:

- *Enter*: the hero zips in with speed lines and skids to a stop, then plants the flag,
  then strikes a pose as the cape settles.
- *Bright idea*: the figure scratches its head, then a lightbulb bubble pops up, then
  it grabs the bulb and sprints off leaving a dust puff.
- *Contest*: two figures grab the rope, then heave back and forth, then one side is
  yanked off its feet and dragged across the line.
- *Boom and bust*: the figure climbs the bar staircase step by step, then the top bar
  drops away, then it tumbles down in a scuffle cloud.
- *Crowd turn*: the crowd pops in row by row, then the crown is knocked off the leader,
  then every head turns to follow it rolling away.

AUDIO cues: cartoon zips and skids, light footstep patters, rope creaks, pops on
bubbles, one heavy thud on the impact, open-air or room tone.

## Pixel Art

Retro console pixel art on one fixed grid: compact sprites, stepped contours, limited
colour ramps, tiled worlds that scroll in whole pixels. Best on tech and gaming history,
biology and the body as a "level", money and systems, quests and rivalries. One-line
description for the user: "Pixel art — chunky retro game sprites and tiled worlds, like
a classic 16-bit adventure."

**FORMULA** (paste byte-identical into every image and video prompt)

> retro 16-bit pixel art animation on one fixed square-pixel grid at {PIXEL SCALE}:
> compact sprite characters and objects with stepped hard-edged contours, dark one-pixel
> outlines, two or three flat tones per colour ramp with sparing dithering and
> single-pixel highlights; a limited palette of deep navy, teal, grass green, sand,
> brick red, warm gold and off-white; tiled side-view and top-down backgrounds with
> parallax strips scrolling in whole-pixel steps; sprites move in short stepped frame
> cycles, hop tile to tile, flash on hit and burst into chunky pixel particles; crisp
> pixel illustration in every frame, never smooth or photographic.

**{PIXEL SCALE}**: declare one per film and write it into the formula — `a 320 by 180
pixel canvas` (16:9) · `a 180 by 320 pixel canvas` (9:16) · `a 240 by 240 pixel canvas`
(1:1). Sprites and backgrounds share it.

**MOTION**: `stepped sprite animation on a fixed pixel grid, short frame cycles,
tile-by-tile movement, whole-pixel camera scrolling`

**PALETTE LOCK**: `limited pixel palette — deep navy, teal, grass green, sand, brick
red, warm gold, off-white — flat ramps of two or three tones, one pixel density`

**NEGATIVE**: `opening on a reference image, static first frame, dissolves, fades,
readable text, letters, numbers, captions, score counters, smooth gradients, blur,
anti-aliased edges, mixed pixel sizes, photorealism, live-action footage, 3D render,
talking mouths, watermark`

When exact pixel edges matter, finish in the edit: scale the clip down to the declared
canvas and back up by an integer factor with nearest-neighbour sampling, fps unchanged.

### Signature devices

- **Walk cycle** — a sprite marches in a four-frame cycle across scrolling tiles;
  journeys, migrations, supply lines.
- **Segment meter** — a bar of plain blocks fills or drains segment by segment above a
  sprite or machine: health, fuel, funds, morale.
- **Tile reveal** — the world builds tile by tile, or dark fog tiles flip away to
  uncover the map.
- **Hit flash** — a sprite flashes white and knocks back two tiles when struck, then
  bursts into pixel particles; the impact beat.
- **Pickup** — an item bobs on the spot, the hero touches it, it arcs up with a sparkle
  and drops into a row of plain inventory boxes.
- **Overworld map** — a top-down map with node dots; a marker sprite hops node to node
  and paths light up behind it.
- **Spawn rows** — sprites blink into existence one after another in ranks; a few are a
  different palette swap to show a share.
- **Crumble and build** — blocks break away tile by tile or stack into a tower; a rival
  tower rises beside it.

### Roster guidance

- **Cast (2:3)**: one full-body sprite shown large on a flat field, facing right, with a
  compact silhouette, dark outline, three-tone ramps and one signature item. Cells,
  machines and abstract players can be sprites with eyes. Palette-swap variants attach
  the first image.
- **Stages (output aspect)**: tiled plates on the declared grid — a side-view ground
  strip with two parallax layers and one large anchor (castle, factory, bloodstream
  tunnel, server room), and a top-down overworld map when the story travels.
- **Props (1:1)**: item sprites: the through-line object, key, coin, potion, chip,
  crate, plus the segment meter and inventory row as plain blank blocks.

### Shot language

Frontal side-view or top-down camera on a fixed grid; change framing scale between
shots in whole steps: FULL STAGE level view → CLOSE-UP on one sprite filling half the
frame → MACRO DETAIL on the item or meter → top-down map. Camera moves are stepped
scrolls. Good shot shapes:

- *Level start*: the ground builds tile by tile, then the hero sprite drops in and
  lands, then starts its walk cycle as the background scrolls.
- *Power-up*: the item bobs ahead, then the hero hops and grabs it with a sparkle
  burst, then the segment meter above fills to full.
- *Boss hit*: the rival sprite stomps in, then the hero strikes and it flashes white
  and knocks back, then its meter drains three segments.
- *Expansion*: the marker hops to a new node, then the path lights up behind it, then
  fog tiles flip away around the node.
- *Swarm*: one sprite blinks in, then ranks spawn row by row, then the front rank
  charges tile by tile and the tower crumbles.

AUDIO cues: chiptune-style blips used as foley — step ticks, pickup chirps, meter
ticks, a crunchy hit burst on the impact, a low steady hum. Effects only, never a tune.

## Picture-story Papercraft

The stills look: every frame is a construction-paper collage image, and motion comes
from showing 45–70 images a minute where most frames are small edits of the previous
frame. Best on picture stories, fables, children's tales, gentle how-to and memoir.
One-line description for the user: "Papercraft picture story — cut construction-paper
scenes that change piece by piece, like a hand-animated picture book."

This look runs on the Picture Story branch in `./branches.md` (continuous narration,
frame timeline, no video blocks). Use the FORMULA, PALETTE LOCK and NEGATIVE in every
image prompt and the MOTION token in every previous-frame edit prompt.

**FORMULA** (paste byte-identical into every image prompt)

> cut-paper picture-story illustration made of matte construction-paper pieces: every
> character, prop and backdrop is a flat paper shape with slightly irregular scissor-cut
> edges, visible paper fibres and small soft layer shadows where pieces overlap, faces
> built from a few tiny paper shapes; warm friendly palette of kraft brown, cream, tomato
> red, mustard, teal and leaf green in solid matte sheets; backdrops are paper hills,
> walls and skies in three or four depth layers; pieces shift, tilt, swap and stack
> like hand-moved paper from frame to frame; a handmade paper collage in every frame,
> never glossy or photographic.

**MOTION**: `frame-by-frame paper stop-motion: the same image with one named paper piece
moved, turned, added or removed, everything else identical`

**PALETTE LOCK**: `matte construction paper in kraft brown, cream, tomato red, mustard,
teal and leaf green — solid sheets, soft layer shadows, no gradients, no ink outlines`

**NEGATIVE**: `opening on a reference image, static first frame, dissolves, fades,
readable text, letters, numbers, captions, ink outlines, glossy gradients,
photorealism, live-action footage, 3D render, talking mouths, watermark`

### Signature devices

- **Step-along** — a figure advances across the same backdrop one paper-step per frame,
  legs swapping.
- **Piece-by-piece build** — a house, tower, meal or machine gains one paper piece per
  frame until it is whole.
- **Pile and row** — apples, coins, stars or animals are added one per frame into a row
  or heap; taking them away runs it backwards.
- **Swap face** — the tiny paper eyebrows and eyes are swapped between frames for
  surprise, worry, delight; the head tilts a few degrees.
- **Sun and moon slide** — the paper sun moves along its arc a notch per frame, and the
  sky sheet swaps to dusk, then night.
- **Flap open** — a paper door, lid or curtain opens over two or three frames and the
  thing behind it is there.
- **The tear** — a sheet rips across or a piece crumples in a single frame; the impact
  beat, followed by the pieces settling.

### Roster guidance

- **Cast (2:3)**: full-body paper characters built from a dozen or so cut shapes, clear
  colour blocks, tiny paper eyes and brows, one signature item. Variants attach the
  first image.
- **Stages (output aspect)**: layered paper locations with three or four depth sheets
  and one large anchor (a cottage, a market stall, a bridge, a big tree). These and the
  cast and props feed the first frame of each new framing, in stage → cast → props order.
- **Props (1:1)**: the through-line object and everything that gets counted, carried
  or built, each as a single paper piece or small assembly.
- **Identity chain**: inside a burst, the ONLY reference is the immediately previous
  rendered frame, and the prompt names the one piece that changes. A new place, action
  or framing starts a fresh frame from the roster images.

### Shot language

Frontal camera; a burst of 2–3 frames holds one framing, and the next burst changes
framing scale: FULL STAGE → MEDIUM → one CLOSE-UP reaction frame → MEDIUM again. Run
edit chains on full-stage and medium framings, and keep every frame on screen for
about a second. Good burst shapes:

- *Walk-in*: the figure stands at the left edge, then one step in with the other leg
  forward, then at centre with an arm raised.
- *Hand-over*: two figures face each other, then the object sits in both pairs of
  hands, then it is held by the second figure and the first has turned away.
- *Build*: the wall stands alone, then gains its roof, then gains door, window and a
  curl of smoke.
- *Count*: three apples in the basket, then five, then the basket overflowing with one
  rolling off.
- *Surprise*: the lid is shut, then half open with eyes wide, then fully open with the
  thing popped up and paper stars around it.

AUDIO cues: the continuous narration carries the film; the edit may add light paper
foley — soft slides, flaps, a rip on the impact — low under the voice.