# Ian Xiaohei Illustrations

> Turn the judgments, processes, states, and metaphors in Chinese articles into clean, hand-drawn, slightly absurd editorial illustrations on a white background.
>
> 16:9 landscape | Xiaohei IP | pure white hand-drawn style | small red/orange/blue Chinese annotations | Codex Skill

---

## What This Repository Is

Ian Xiaohei Illustrations is a Codex Skill that guides an AI agent to generate in-article illustrations for Chinese articles, posts, blogs, Notion docs, and methodology content.

It is not a generic illustration prompt or a PPT infographic template. Its goal is to first understand the article's cognitive anchors, then turn one judgment, process, structure, state, or metaphor into a memorable 16:9 hand-drawn explainer image.

The default visual IP is "Xiaohei": a black solid little figure with white dot eyes, thin legs, and an expressionless face. Xiaohei is not a mascot, sticker, or decorative element in the corner. Xiaohei is a serious participant in the system at work, presented in an absurd but grounded way.

In one sentence: **do not merely "add an image"; draw the key cognitive move inside the article.**

---

## Who It Is For

Best for:

- People writing Chinese articles who need in-article illustrations
- People creating knowledge content, methodology content, or AI workflow content
- People who want to visualize abstract judgments with concrete metaphors
- People who want a style lighter, stranger, and more identifiable than a standard PPT infographic
- People using Codex for content production and wanting to reuse a stable visual language

Not for:

- People who want commercial illustration, brand KV, or polished flat art
- People who want traditional PPT infographics, complex architecture diagrams, or flowcharts
- People who want cute cartoon IP, emoji-like stickers, or childlike visuals
- People trying to squeeze a lot of body text, long explanations, or full lesson pages into a single image
- People who need strictly editable vector source files

---

## What It Produces

Default outputs:

- 16:9 landscape editorial illustrations
- A shot list of 4-8 images for one article
- For each image: theme, core meaning, structure type, Xiaohei action, and Chinese annotation suggestions
- Final PNG files saved to `assets/<article-slug>-illustrations/`

Not produced by default:

- PPTX / PDF / Keynote
- Editable SVG / HTML / Canvas artwork
- Commercial posters or cover KVs
- Long text-heavy infographics

---

## Visual Style

The default style is Ian's "Xiaohei weird editorial illustration" style:

- Pure white background, no paper texture, beige, shadow, or gradient
- Black hand-drawn line art, thin strokes, slight wobble
- Lots of whitespace, with the main subject taking only about 40%-60% of the canvas
- A small amount of red, orange, and blue handwritten Chinese annotations
- Each image expresses only one core action, structure, state, or metaphor
- Xiaohei must participate in the main action, not just sit there as decoration
- Weird, creative, and clean, but not childish or cute

---

## Example Gallery

### Two Breakpoints

![Two Breakpoints](examples/images/01-two-breakpoints.png)

### Sort by Purpose

![Sort by Purpose](examples/images/02-sort-by-purpose.png)

### One Fish, Many Uses

![One Fish, Many Uses](examples/images/03-one-fish-many-uses.png)

### Handoff Path

![Handoff Path](examples/images/04-handoff-path.png)

### Information Well

![Information Well](examples/images/05-information-well.png)

### Idea Press

![Idea Press](examples/images/06-idea-press.png)

### Content Fermentation

![Content Fermentation](examples/images/07-content-fermentation.png)

### Trust Bridge

![Trust Bridge](examples/images/08-trust-bridge.png)

These images are style calibration samples, not composition templates. When using the skill, invent a fresh metaphor from the current article instead of copying the objects or layout from these examples.

---

## Install

Clone the repository:

```bash
git clone https://github.com/helloianneo/ian-xiaohei-illustrations.git
cd ian-xiaohei-illustrations
```

Copy the skill into the Codex skills directory:

```bash
mkdir -p "${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex}/skills"
cp -R ./ian-xiaohei-illustrations "${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex}/skills/"
```

After installation, use it in Codex:

```text
Use $ian-xiaohei-illustrations to design and generate 5 Xiaohei-style editorial illustrations for this Chinese article.
```

---

## How to Use

### Plan illustrations only

```text
Use $ian-xiaohei-illustrations. Do not generate images yet.
Analyze where this article would benefit from illustrations and output a shot list of about 5 images.
For each image, specify: which paragraph it follows, theme, core meaning, structure type, what Xiaohei is doing, and suggested Chinese annotation words.

<paste the article>
```

### Generate editorial illustrations directly

```text
Use $ian-xiaohei-illustrations to generate 4 Xiaohei-style editorial illustrations from the article below.
Requirements: 16:9 landscape, pure white background, black hand-drawn line art, and a small amount of red/orange/blue handwritten Chinese annotations.

<paste the article>
```

### Generate a single image for one concept

```text
Use $ian-xiaohei-illustrations to generate one editorial illustration for "trust is not spoken, it is laid down evidence by evidence".
The image should be weird but clean, and Xiaohei must perform the core action.
```

### Remove a title or wrong text from an image

```text
Use $ian-xiaohei-illustrations to edit this image and remove the "flowchart" title in the top-left corner while keeping everything else unchanged.
```

More examples are in [examples/prompts.md](examples/prompts.md).

---

## Workflow

1. Read the article, Markdown, Notion content, screenshot, or theme provided by the user
2. Extract the core points, cognitive turns, process structure, and sections that are good candidates for visualization
3. Output a shot list first: each image should map to one cognitive anchor
4. Choose a structure type for each image: workflow, system slice, before/after comparison, character state, conceptual metaphor, layered method, route map, or mini-comic panel
5. Invent a low-tech, weird but plausible physical metaphor
6. Make Xiaohei part of the core action
7. Generate each image separately with the image model
8. Check the QA checklist: white background, whitespace, Xiaohei action, Chinese annotations, not a PPT look, not a copy of the examples
9. Save the final PNGs and report their purpose and path

---

## Directory Structure

```text
.
├── README.md
├── LICENSE
├── NOTICE.md
├── assets/
│   └── ian-wechat-qr.jpg
├── examples/
│   ├── images/
│   │   ├── 01-two-breakpoints.png
│   │   ├── 02-sort-by-purpose.png
│   │   └── ...
│   └── prompts.md
└── ian-xiaohei-illustrations/
    ├── SKILL.md
    ├── agents/
    │   └── openai.yaml
    ├── assets/
    │   └── examples/
    └── references/
        ├── style-dna.md
        ├── xiaohei-ip.md
        ├── composition-patterns.md
        ├── prompt-template.md
        └── qa-checklist.md
```

The only subdirectory that needs to be installed into Codex is:

```text
ian-xiaohei-illustrations/
```

The root README, LICENSE, NOTICE, and examples are for GitHub sharing.

---

## Notes

- Shorter Chinese text in the image is more stable.
- Each image should communicate one core structure only.
- Xiaohei must do the main action; if the image still works without Xiaohei, Xiaohei is too decorative.
- Example images are only for calibrating line density, whitespace, color restraint, and Xiaohei placement. Do not copy the composition.
- AI image models may introduce typos, hallucinated labels, style drift, or extra titles. Always check the result.
- If the Chinese text is badly misspelled, reduce the annotation words and regenerate.

---

## Related Projects

- [Ian Handdrawn PPT](https://github.com/helloianneo/ian-handdrawn-ppt) - Skill for generating Chinese hand-drawn technical PPT-style pages
- [Awesome Claude Code Skills](https://github.com/helloianneo/awesome-claude-code-skills) - Curated collection of Claude Code Skills, Agents, and Plugins
- [Obsidian + Claude AI Second Brain](https://github.com/helloianneo/obsidian-ai-second-brain) - Guide to building a personal knowledge base with Obsidian and Claude AI

---

## About the Author

**Ian** - Product designer / solo founder / AI builder

Building a solo company with an AI team.

- GitHub: [helloianneo](https://github.com/helloianneo)
- X/Twitter: [@ianneo_ai](https://x.com/ianneo_ai)
- Website: [www.ianneo.xyz](https://www.ianneo.xyz)
- WeChat: `ianneoxyz`
- Email: hello.neoc@gmail.com

---

## Keep Exploring

This Xiaohei illustration skill is just one small tool in my personal AI-powered production system.

If you also use AI for content, knowledge bases, workflows, or productization, you can keep exploring on my website: [www.ianneo.xyz](https://www.ianneo.xyz).

If you only want to follow along, check my [X/Twitter](https://x.com/ianneo_ai).

If you want to learn more about Indie Builders Club, add me on WeChat: `ianneoxyz`, and leave a note saying "OPC".

<p>
  <img src="assets/ian-wechat-qr.jpg" alt="Ian WeChat QR code" width="120">
</p>

If scanning is inconvenient, you can also search WeChat for `ianneoxyz`.

---

## License

MIT License. See [LICENSE](LICENSE).

