Smart article illustration skill. Analyzes article content and generates illustrations at positions requiring visual aids with multiple style options. Use when user asks to "add illustrations to article", "generate images for article", or "illustrate article".
Installation
Details
Usage
After installing, this skill will be available to your AI coding assistant.
Verify installation:
skills listSkill Instructions
name: baoyu-article-illustrator description: Smart article illustration skill. Analyzes article content and generates illustrations at positions requiring visual aids with multiple style options. Use when user asks to "add illustrations to article", "generate images for article", or "illustrate article".
Smart Article Illustration Skill
Analyze article structure and content, identify positions requiring visual aids, and generate illustrations with flexible style options.
Usage
# Auto-select style based on content
/baoyu-article-illustrator path/to/article.md
# Specify a style
/baoyu-article-illustrator path/to/article.md --style tech
/baoyu-article-illustrator path/to/article.md --style warm
/baoyu-article-illustrator path/to/article.md --style minimal
# Combine with other options
/baoyu-article-illustrator path/to/article.md --style playful
Options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--style <name> | Specify illustration style (see Style Gallery below) |
Style Gallery
1. elegant
Refined, sophisticated, professional
- Colors: Soft coral, muted teal, dusty rose, cream background
- Elements: Delicate line work, subtle icons, balanced composition
- Best for: Professional articles, thought leadership, business topics
2. tech
Modern, futuristic, digital
- Colors: Deep blue, electric cyan, purple, dark backgrounds
- Elements: Geometric shapes, circuit patterns, data visualizations, tech icons
- Best for: AI, programming, technology, digital transformation articles
3. warm
Friendly, approachable, human-centered
- Colors: Warm orange, golden yellow, terracotta, cream
- Elements: Rounded shapes, friendly characters, sun/light motifs, hearts
- Best for: Personal growth, lifestyle, education, human interest stories
4. bold
High contrast, impactful, energetic
- Colors: Vibrant red/orange, deep black, bright yellow accents
- Elements: Strong shapes, dramatic contrast, dynamic compositions
- Best for: Opinion pieces, important warnings, call-to-action content
5. minimal
Ultra-clean, zen-like, focused
- Colors: Black, white, single accent color
- Elements: Maximum whitespace, single focal element, simple lines
- Best for: Philosophy, minimalism, focused explanations
6. playful
Fun, creative, whimsical
- Colors: Pastel rainbow, bright pops, light backgrounds
- Elements: Doodles, quirky characters, speech bubbles, emoji-style icons
- Best for: Tutorials, beginner guides, casual content, fun topics
7. nature
Organic, calm, earthy
- Colors: Forest green, earth brown, sky blue, sand beige
- Elements: Plant motifs, natural textures, flowing lines, organic shapes
- Best for: Sustainability, wellness, outdoor topics, slow living
8. sketch
Raw, authentic, notebook-style
- Colors: Pencil gray, paper white, occasional color highlights
- Elements: Rough lines, sketch marks, handwritten notes, arrows
- Best for: Ideas in progress, brainstorming, thought processes
9. notion (Default)
Minimalist hand-drawn line art, intellectual
- Colors: Black outlines, white background, 1-2 pastel accents
- Elements: Simple line doodles, geometric shapes, hand-drawn wobble, maximum whitespace
- Best for: Knowledge sharing, concept explanations, SaaS content, productivity articles
Auto Style Selection
When no --style is specified, analyze content to select the best style:
| Content Signals | Selected Style |
|---|---|
| AI, coding, tech, digital, algorithm, data | tech |
| Personal story, emotion, growth, life, feeling | warm |
| Warning, urgent, must-read, critical, important | bold |
| Simple, zen, focus, essential, core | minimal |
| Fun, easy, beginner, tutorial, guide, how-to | playful |
| Nature, eco, wellness, health, organic, green | nature |
| Idea, thought, concept, draft, brainstorm | sketch |
| Business, professional, strategy, analysis | elegant |
| Knowledge, concept, productivity, SaaS, notion | notion |
File Management
With Article Path
Save illustrations to [source-name-no-ext]/illustrations/ subdirectory in the same folder as the article:
path/to/
├── article.md
└── article/
└── illustrations/
├── outline.md
├── prompts/
│ ├── illustration-concept-a.md
│ ├── illustration-concept-b.md
│ └── ...
├── illustration-concept-a.png
├── illustration-concept-b.png
└── ...
Example: /posts/ai-future.md → /posts/ai-future/illustrations/
Without Article Path (Pasted Content)
Save to ./illustrations/[topic-slug]/:
illustrations/
└── ai-future/
├── source.md
├── outline.md
├── prompts/
└── *.png
Directory Backup
If target directory exists, rename existing to <dirname>-backup-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS
Workflow
Step 1: Analyze Content & Select Style
- Read article content
- If
--stylespecified, use that style - Otherwise, scan for style signals and auto-select
- Language detection:
- Detect source language from article content
- Detect user language from conversation context
- Note if source_language ≠ user_language (will ask in Step 4)
- Extract key information:
- Main topic and themes
- Core messages per section
- Abstract concepts needing visualization
Step 2: Identify Illustration Positions
Three Purposes of Illustrations:
- Information Supplement: Help understand abstract concepts
- Concept Visualization: Transform abstract ideas into concrete visuals
- Imagination Guidance: Create atmosphere, enhance reading experience
Content Suitable for Illustrations:
- Abstract concepts needing visualization
- Processes/steps needing diagrams
- Comparisons needing visual representation
- Core arguments needing reinforcement
- Scenarios needing imagination guidance
Illustration Count:
- Consider at least 1 image per major section
- Prioritize core arguments and abstract concepts
- Principle: More is better than fewer
Step 3: Generate Illustration Plan
# Illustration Plan
**Article**: [article path]
**Style**: [selected style]
**Illustration Count**: N images
---
## Illustration 1
**Insert Position**: [section name] / [paragraph description]
**Purpose**: [why illustration needed here]
**Visual Content**: [what the image should show]
**Filename**: illustration-[slug].png
---
## Illustration 2
...
Step 4: Review & Confirm
Purpose: Let user confirm all options in a single step before image generation.
IMPORTANT: Present ALL options in a single confirmation step using AskUserQuestion. Do NOT interrupt workflow with multiple separate confirmations.
-
Generate 3 style variants:
- Analyze content to select 3 most suitable styles
- Generate complete illustration plan for each style variant
- Save as
outline-{style}.md(e.g.,outline-notion.md,outline-tech.md,outline-warm.md)
-
Determine which questions to ask:
Question When to Ask Style variant Always (required) Language Only if source_language ≠ user_language -
Present options (use AskUserQuestion with all applicable questions):
Question 1 (Style) - always:
- Style A (recommended): [style name] - [brief description]
- Style B: [style name] - [brief description]
- Style C: [style name] - [brief description]
- Custom: Provide custom style reference
Question 2 (Language) - only if source ≠ user language:
- [Source language] (matches article language)
- [User language] (your preference)
Language handling:
- If source language = user language: Just inform user (e.g., "Prompts will be in Chinese")
- If different: Ask which language to use for prompts
-
Apply selection:
- Copy selected
outline-{style}.mdtooutline.md - If custom style provided, generate new plan with that style
- If different language selected, regenerate outline in that language
- User may edit
outline.mddirectly for fine-tuning - If modified, reload plan before proceeding
- Copy selected
-
Proceed only after explicit user confirmation
Step 5: Create Prompt Files
Save prompts to prompts/ directory with style-specific details.
All prompts are written in the user's confirmed language preference.
Prompt Format:
Illustration theme: [concept in 2-3 words]
Style: [style name]
Visual composition:
- Main visual: [description matching style]
- Layout: [element positioning]
- Decorative elements: [style-appropriate decorations]
Color scheme:
- Primary: [style primary color]
- Background: [style background color]
- Accent: [style accent color]
Text content (if any):
- [Any labels or captions in content language]
Style notes: [specific style characteristics]
Step 6: Generate Images
Image Generation Skill Selection:
- Check available image generation skills
- If multiple skills available, ask user to choose
Generation Flow:
- Call selected image generation skill with prompt file and output path
- Generate images sequentially
- After each image, output progress: "Generated X/N"
- On failure, auto-retry once
- If retry fails, log reason, continue to next
Step 7: Update Article
Insert generated images at corresponding positions:

Insertion Rules:
- Insert image after corresponding paragraph
- Leave one blank line before and after image
- Alt text uses concise description in article's language
Step 8: Output Summary
Article Illustration Complete!
Article: [article path]
Style: [style name]
Generated: X/N images successful
Illustration Positions:
- illustration-xxx.png → After section "Section Name"
- illustration-yyy.png → After section "Another Section"
...
[If any failures]
Failed:
- illustration-zzz.png: [failure reason]
Illustration Modification
Support for modifying individual illustrations after initial generation.
Edit Single Illustration
Regenerate a specific illustration with modified prompt:
- Identify illustration to edit (e.g.,
illustration-concept-overview.png) - Update prompt in
prompts/illustration-concept-overview.mdif needed - If content changes significantly, update slug in filename
- Regenerate image
- Update article if image reference changed
Add New Illustration
Add a new illustration to the article:
- Identify insertion position in article
- Create new prompt with appropriate slug (e.g.,
illustration-new-concept.md) - Generate new illustration image
- Update
outline.mdwith new illustration entry - Insert image reference in article at the specified position
Delete Illustration
Remove an illustration from the article:
- Identify illustration to delete (e.g.,
illustration-concept-overview.png) - Remove image file and prompt file
- Remove image reference from article
- Update
outline.mdto remove illustration entry
File Naming Convention
Files use meaningful slugs for better readability:
illustration-[slug].png
illustration-[slug].md (in prompts/)
Examples:
illustration-concept-overview.pngillustration-workflow-diagram.pngillustration-key-benefits.png
Slug rules:
- Derived from illustration purpose/content (kebab-case)
- Must be unique within the article
- When content changes significantly, update slug accordingly
Style Reference Details
elegant
Colors: Soft coral (#E8A598), muted teal (#5B8A8A), dusty rose (#D4A5A5)
Background: Warm cream (#F5F0E6), soft beige
Accents: Gold (#C9A962), copper
Elements: Delicate lines, refined icons, subtle gradients, balanced whitespace
tech
Colors: Deep blue (#1A365D), electric cyan (#00D4FF), purple (#6B46C1)
Background: Dark gray (#1A202C), near-black (#0D1117)
Accents: Neon green (#00FF88), bright white
Elements: Circuit patterns, data nodes, geometric grids, glowing effects
warm
Colors: Warm orange (#ED8936), golden yellow (#F6AD55), terracotta (#C05621)
Background: Cream (#FFFAF0), soft peach (#FED7AA)
Accents: Deep brown (#744210), soft red
Elements: Rounded shapes, smiling faces, sun rays, hearts, cozy lighting
bold
Colors: Vibrant red (#E53E3E), bright orange (#DD6B20), electric yellow (#F6E05E)
Background: Deep black (#000000), dark charcoal
Accents: White, neon highlights
Elements: Strong shapes, exclamation marks, arrows, dramatic contrast
minimal
Colors: Pure black (#000000), white (#FFFFFF)
Background: White or off-white (#FAFAFA)
Accents: Single color (content-derived)
Elements: Single focal point, maximum negative space, thin precise lines
playful
Colors: Pastel pink (#FED7E2), mint (#C6F6D5), lavender (#E9D8FD), sky blue (#BEE3F8)
Background: Light cream (#FFFBEB), soft white
Accents: Bright pops - yellow, coral, turquoise
Elements: Doodles, stars, swirls, cute characters, speech bubbles
nature
Colors: Forest green (#276749), sage (#9AE6B4), earth brown (#744210)
Background: Sand beige (#F5E6D3), sky blue (#E0F2FE)
Accents: Sunset orange, water blue
Elements: Leaves, trees, mountains, organic flowing lines, natural textures
sketch
Colors: Pencil gray (#4A5568), paper white (#FAFAFA)
Background: Off-white paper texture (#F7FAFC)
Accents: Single highlight color (blue, red, or yellow)
Elements: Rough sketch lines, arrows, handwritten labels, crossed-out marks
notion
Colors: Black (#1A1A1A), dark gray (#4A4A4A)
Background: Pure white (#FFFFFF), off-white (#FAFAFA)
Accents: Pastel blue (#A8D4F0), pastel yellow (#F9E79F), pastel pink (#FADBD8)
Elements: Simple line doodles, hand-drawn wobble effect, geometric shapes, stick figures, maximum whitespace
Typography: Clean hand-drawn lettering, simple sans-serif labels
Notes
- Illustrations serve the content: supplement information, visualize concepts
- Maintain selected style consistency across all illustrations in one article
- Image generation typically takes 10-30 seconds per image
- Sensitive figures should use cartoon alternatives
- Prompts written in user's confirmed language preference
- Illustration text (labels, captions) should match article language
Extension Support
Custom styles and configurations via EXTEND.md.
Check paths (priority order):
.baoyu-skills/baoyu-article-illustrator/EXTEND.md(project)~/.baoyu-skills/baoyu-article-illustrator/EXTEND.md(user)
If found, load before Step 1. Extension content overrides defaults.
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